Commonly Confused Words
These are some of the pairs of words that are most often confused with each
other.
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.
