There are many words in the English that are easily confused because they have a similar spelling or a related, but different, meaning. Let’s look at some Confusing Words.
Technical Terms / Devices:
Word | Meaning | Word | Meaning |
Accept | Agree | Except | Other than |
Adverse | Unfavorable | Averse | Against |
Advice | Counsel | Advise | Recommend |
Affect | Influence | Effect | Outcome |
Allowed | Permit | Aloud | Audibly |
Allude | Suggest | Elude | Avoid |
Ate | Past tense of eat | Eight | 8 number |
Berth | A ship’s allotted place at a dock | Birth | Give birth to |
Born | Existing as a result of birth | Borne | Carried |
Break | Crack | Brake | Slow down |
By | Preposition | Buy | Purchase |
Coarse | Rough | Course | A direction |
Complement | To add to so as to improve | Compliment | To praise |
Cue | A signal for action | Queue | A line of people |
Desert | A waterless | Dessert | The sweet course of a meal |
Dual | Having two parts | Duel | A fight or contest between two people |
Ensure | To guarantee | Insure | To safeguard against loss or damage (by buying insurance) |
Forth | Outside | Fourth | Number 4 |
Farther | A long way | Further | Ahead |
Hear | Catch | Here | To this place |
Loath | Unwilling | Loathe | To hate |
Loose | Free | Lose | Misplace |
Meter | A measuring device | Metre | A metric unit |
Peace | Calm | Piece | Slice |
Plain | Simple | Plane | Flat |
Principle | Concept | Principal | Main |
Quiet | Silent | Quite | Completely |
Stationary | Not moving | Stationery | Writing materials |
Storey | A level of a building | Story | A tale |
Than | Comparison | Then | At that time |
Their | Belonging to | There | That place |
To | In the direction of | Too | As well |
Vain | Self loving | Vein | A tube that carries blood |
Weak | Fragile | Week | A period of seven days |
Waive | Reject | Wave | Motion |
Weather | Atmospheric conditions | Whether | Choice between alternatives |