As per the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, the following words are
confused:-
Commonly Confused Words
DO NOT CONFUSE
adoptive with adopted: children are adopted, but parents are adoptive.
adverse, 'unfavourable, bad', with averse, which means 'strongly
disliking or opposed to', as in I am not averse to helping out.
affect and effect: affect means 'make a difference to', whereas effect
means 'a result' or 'bring about (a result)'.
ambiguous with ambivalent: ambiguous primarily means 'having more than
one meaning, open to different interpretations', while ambivalent
means 'having mixed feelings'.
amoral with immoral: amoral means 'not concerned with morality', while
immoral means 'not conforming to accepted standards of morality'.
appraise with apprise: appraise means 'assess', while apprise means
'inform'.
augur, 'be a sign of (a likely outcome)', with auger (a tool used for
boring).
censure with censor: censure means 'express strong disapproval of',
whereas censor means 'suppress unacceptable parts of (a book, film,
etc.)'.
climactic, 'forming a climax', with climatic, which means 'relating to
climate'.
complacent, 'smug and self-satisfied', with complaisant, which means
'willing to please'.
complement, 'a thing that enhances something by contributing extra
features', with compliment, which means 'an expression of praise' or
'politely congratulate'.
continuous and continual: continuous primarily means 'without
interruption', and can refer to space as well as time, as in the
cliffs form a continuous line along the coast; continual, on the other
hand, typically means 'happening frequently, with intervals between',
as in the bus service has been disrupted by continual breakdowns.
council, an administrative or advisory body, with counsel, advice or
guidance.
councillor with counsellor: a councillor is a member of a council,
whereas a counsellor is someone who gives guidance on personal or
psychological problems.
credible with creditable: credible means 'believable, convincing',
whereas creditable means 'deserving acknowledgement and praise'.
definite ('certain, sure') with definitive, which means 'decisive and
with authority'.
defuse, 'remove the fuse from (an explosive device)' or 'reduce the
danger or tension in (a difficult situation)', with diffuse, which
means 'spread over a wide area'.
desert (a waterless area) with dessert (the sweet course)!
discreet, 'careful not to attract attention or give offence', with
discrete, which means 'separate, distinct'.
draft and draught. In British English draft means 'a preliminary
version' or 'an order to pay a sum', whereas a draught is a current of
air or an act of drinking; in North American English the spelling
draft is used for all senses. The verb is usually spelled draft.
draw, which is primarily a verb, with drawer meaning 'sliding storage
compartment'.
egoism and egotism: it is egotism, not egoism, that means 'excessive
conceit or self-absorption'; egoism is a less common and more
technical word, for an ethical theory that treats self-interest as the
foundation of morality.
envelop with envelope: envelop without an e at the end means 'wrap up,
cover, or surround completely', whereas an envelope with an e is a
paper container used to enclose a letter or document.
exceptionable ('open to objection; causing disapproval or offence')
with exceptional ('not typical' or 'unusually good').
fawn with faun: a fawn is a young deer, and a light brown colour; a
faun is a Roman deity that is part man, part goat.
flaunt with flout; flaunt means 'display ostentatiously', while flout
means 'openly disregard (a rule)'.
flounder with founder: flounder generally means 'have trouble doing or
understanding something, be confused', while founder means 'fail or
come to nothing'.
forego and forgo: forego means 'precede', but is also a less common
spelling for forgo, 'go without'.
grisly with grizzly, as in grizzly bear: grisly means 'causing horror
or revulsion', whereas grizzly is from the same root as grizzled and
refers to the bear's white-tipped fur.
hoard with horde: a hoard is a store of something valuable; horde is a
disparaging term for a large group of people.
imply and infer. Imply is used with a speaker as its subject, as in he
implied that the General was a traitor, and indicates that the speaker
is suggesting something though not making an explicit statement. Infer
is used in sentences such as we inferred from his words that the
General was a traitor, and indicates that something in the speaker's
words enabled the listeners to deduce that the man was a traitor.
the possessive its (as in turn the camera on its side) with the
contraction it's (short for either it is or it has, as in it's my
fault; it's been a hot day).
loath ('reluctant; unwilling') with loathe, 'dislike greatly'.
loose with lose: as a verb loose means 'unfasten or set free', while
lose means 'cease to have' or 'become unable to find'.
luxuriant, 'rich and profuse in growth', with luxurious, which means
'characterized by luxury; very comfortable and extravagant'.
marital, 'of marriage', with martial, 'of war'!
militate, which is used in the form militate against to mean 'be an
important factor in preventing', with mitigate, which means 'make
(something bad) less severe'.
naturism (nudism) and naturist (a nudist) with naturalism and
naturalist: naturalism is an artistic or literary approach or style; a
naturalist is an expert in natural history, or an exponent of
naturalism.
officious, 'asserting authority or interfering in an annoyingly
domineering way', with official, which means 'relating to an authority
or public body' and 'having the approval or authorization of such a
body'.
ordinance, 'an authoritative order', with ordnance, which means 'guns'
or 'munitions'.
palate and palette: the palate is the roof of the mouth; a palette, on
the other hand, is an artist's board for mixing colours.
pedal and peddle. Pedal is a noun denoting a foot-operated lever; as a
verb it means 'move by means of pedals'. Peddle is a verb meaning
'sell (goods)'. The associated noun from pedal is pedaller (US
pedaler), and the noun from peddle is pedlar or peddler.
perquisite and prerequisite: a perquisite is a special right or
privilege enjoyed as a result of one's position; prerequisite is
something that is required as a prior condition for something else;
prerequisite can also be an adjective, meaning 'required as a prior
condition'.
perspicuous, 'expressing things clearly', with perspicacious, which
means 'having a ready understanding of things'.
principal, 'first in order of importance; main', with principle, which
is a noun meaning chiefly 'a basis of a system of thought or belief'.
proscribe with prescribe: proscribe is a rather formal word meaning
'condemn or forbid', whereas prescribe means either 'issue a medical
prescription' or 'recommend with authority'.
regretful, 'feeling or showing regret', with regrettable, which means
'giving rise to regret; undesirable'.
shear, 'cut the wool off (a sheep)', with sheer, which as a verb means
'swerve or change course quickly' or 'avoid an unpleasant topic', and
as an adjective means 'nothing but; absolute', 'perpendicular', or
'(of a fabric) very thin'.
stationary and stationery: stationary is an adjective with the sense
'not moving or changing', whereas stationery is a noun meaning 'paper
and other writing materials'.
story and storey: a story is a tale or account, while a storey is a
floor of a building. In North America the spelling story is sometimes
used for storey.
titillate and titivate: titillate means 'excite', whereas titivate
means 'adorn or smarten up'.
tortuous, 'full of twists and turns' or 'excessively lengthy and
complex', with torturous, which means 'characterized by pain or
suffering'.
turbid and turgid: turbid is generally used in reference to a liquid
and means 'cloudy or opaque'; turgid tends to mean 'tediously pompous'
or, in reference to a river, 'swollen, overflowing'.
unexceptionable, 'that cannot be taken exception to, inoffensive',
with unexceptional, 'not exceptional; ordinary'.
unsociable with unsocial and antisocial: unsociable means 'not
enjoying the company of or engaging in activities with others';
unsocial usually means 'socially inconvenient' and typically refers to
the hours of work of a job; antisocial means 'contrary to accepted
social customs and therefore annoying'.
venal ('susceptible to bribery; corruptible') with venial, which is
used in Christian theology in reference to sin (a venial sin, unlike a
mortal sin, is not regarded as depriving the soul of divine grace).
who's with whose; who's is a contraction of who is or who has, while
whose is used in questions such as whose is this? and whose turn is
it?
wreath and wreathe: wreath with no e at the end means 'arrangement of
flowers', while wreathe with an e is a verb meaning 'envelop,
surround, or encircle'.
your with you're; you're is a contraction of you are, while your is a
possessive determiner used in phrases such as your turn.
On Sep 22, 6:43 pm, "anurag barthwal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> -- *Childish* (foolish) : He is *childish* in his ways.
> *Childlike* (like a child, innocent, simple) : Everyone likes his *
> childlike* simplicity.
>
> -- *Cold* (opposite of hot): It is very cold now-a-days.
> *Cool* (slightly cold, but pleasant and refreshing) :
> The guests were served with a *cool* drink.
> It is *cool* in the shade.
>
> --* Compare to, compare with* : A thing is compared *with* another when we
> want to note both resemblances and differences. If we compare one thing *to
> *another, we try to show that one thing is like the other.
> We compare similar things *with* one another.
> We compare a thing *to* another dissimilar thing.
>
> -- *Comprehensible *(capable of being understood)* *: His speech was not at
> all *comprehensible*.
> *Comprehensive *(including much or all) : A *comprehensive* scheme has
> been prepared by the government.
>
> -- *Contented *(not wishing for more): He leads a *contented *life.
> *Satisfied* (all expectations fulfilled) : I am quite *satisfied *with
> you work.
>
> ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○
> ELC Team
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