A Guide to Commonly Confused Words
In English there are a lot of words that sound alike or spelled alike. It can be hard to tell the difference sometimes. The video and chart below can be an important first step to mastering these commonly confused words.
It
can be difficult to notice these kinds of mistakes unless
you have someone to help you to proofread.
If you’re unsure of a word, just look it up
to double check its spelling, use, or meaning.
|
Word |
Meaning |
Word |
Meaning |
Word |
Meaning |
|
Accept |
Take
something offered |
Except |
Make
an exception |
|
|
|
Affect |
Cause
a change |
Effect |
The
change that has been caused |
|
|
|
Allusion |
Literary
reference |
Illusion |
Something
that seems real, but is not. |
|
|
|
Allude |
Refer
to |
Elude |
Escape |
|
|
|
Altar |
Ceremonial
table |
Alter |
To
change |
|
|
|
Are |
Verb |
Our |
Possessive
pronoun |
Hour |
Measurement
of time |
|
Bare |
Naked/ exposed |
Bear |
Carry/withstand |
|
|
|
Beside |
Preposition
expressing location |
Besides |
Moreover/in
addition to |
|
|
|
Brake |
To
stop |
Break |
destroy |
|
|
|
Breath |
Noun
referring to the act of inhaling/exhaling air |
Breathe |
Verb
conveying the action of inhaling/exhaling air |
Breadth |
width |
|
Buy |
To
purchase |
By |
Preposition
that shows location |
Bye |
Short
form of “goodbye” |
|
Cite |
To
reference |
Site |
A
place where something has happened |
Sight |
Ability
to see |
|
Cloths |
Materials
used to make clothes and other goods |
Clothes |
The
actual garments that people wear |
Close |
Opposite
of open |
|
Coarse |
rough |
Course |
Path/sequence/etc. |
|
|
|
Complement |
Go
well together |
Compliment |
Say
something nice |
|
|
|
Decent |
Having
good values |
Descent |
Traveling
downward |
Dissent |
disagree |
|
Desert |
Noun:
Barren land |
Dessert |
Tasty
after dinner treat |
|
|
|
Device |
Machine
|
Devise |
To
create |
|
|
|
Diner |
Restaurant
that serves dinner, or person who eats dinner |
Dinner |
Evening
meal |
|
|
|
Elicit |
Evoke |
Illicit |
Illegal |
|
|
|
Ensure |
Make
certain of something |
Insure |
Protect
against risk |
|
|
|
Flaunt |
Show
something off |
Flout |
Show
contempt for something |
|
|
|
Flounder |
Noun:
A kind of fish Verb:
Make clumsy movements |
Founder |
Noun:
creator of an organization Verb:
To lose foundation |
|
|
|
Forth |
Forward |
Fourth |
Being
number 4 in a sequence |
|
|
|
Hear |
Listen
to sound |
Here |
Shows
location |
|
|
|
Hoard |
Collect
and store |
Horde |
Large
group |
|
|
|
Hole |
Hollow
space in an object |
Whole |
Complete |
|
|
|
Incite |
Provoke |
Insight |
Special
knowledge of something |
|
|
|
Its |
Possessive
form of it |
It’s |
Contraction
for “it is” |
|
|
|
Knew |
Having
been aware of something |
New |
Opposite
of old |
|
|
|
Know |
Having
knowledge |
No |
Opposite
of Yes |
|
|
|
Lead |
Present
tense, to guide |
Led |
Past
tense of lead |
|
|
|
Lay |
To
set an object down |
Lie |
To
rest one’s body horizontally |
|
|
|
Lose |
Opposite
of win |
Loose |
Opposite
of tight |
|
|
|
Passed |
Overtake
in distance, or hand something over |
Past |
Time/Events
that have already happened |
|
|
|
Plane |
Flying
vehicle |
Plain |
Simple
or regular |
|
|
|
Peace |
Tranquility |
Piece |
Part
of something |
|
|
|
Pore |
Noun:
Tiny opening Verb:
To study carefully |
Pour |
Dispense
liquid |
|
|
|
Principal |
Head
of a school |
Principle |
Belief,
value, or standard |
|
|
|
Quit |
Give
up |
Quiet |
Not
loud |
Quite |
Rather/entirely |
|
Set |
Put
an object down |
Sit |
Sit
one’s body down |
|
|
|
Shear |
Shave/cut |
Sheer |
Complete
or exclusive |
|
|
|
Stationary |
Remaining
still |
Stationery |
Paper
for writing |
|
|
|
Than |
Compares
and contrasts |
Then |
Shows
a transition in time |
|
|
|
Their |
Possessive
pronoun of “they” |
There |
Shows
location |
They’re |
Contraction
meaning “they are” |
|
Threw |
Tossed
an object |
Through |
Pass/travel
in one side of an object and out the other |
|
|
|
To |
Preposition
that shows direction/location |
Too |
Means
also, as well, or shows amount |
Two |
The
number 2 |
|
Waist |
Measurement
around a person’s hips |
Waste |
Garbage/refuse |
|
|
|
Wait |
Allow
time to pass |
Weight |
Measurement
of mass |
|
|
|
Weak |
Not
strong |
Week |
7
day measurement of time |
|
|
|
Wear |
Have
on your body |
Were |
Past
tense of “to be” |
Where |
For
asking questions about location |
|
Weather |
Climate
outside (rain, snow, etc.) |
Whether |
For
comparing or questioning things |
|
|
|
Whose |
For
showing or questioning belonging |
Who’s |
Contraction
for “who is” |
|
|
|
Your |
Possessive
pronoun of you |
You’re |
Contraction
for “you are” |
|
|