Confusing Words and Homonyms
| a v. an | Rule: Use “a” when the first letter of the word following has the sound of a consonant. Keep in mind that some vowels sound like consonants when they’re sounded out as individual letters. Examples:
Rule: Use “an” when the first letter of the word following has the sound of a vowel. Remember that some consonants sound like vowels when they’re spoken as individual letters. Examples:
Deciding whether to use “a” or “an” before abbreviations can be trickier. The abbreviation for “Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)” causes confusion because it can be pronounced as a word (fak), or one letter at a time (F-A-Q). Using the guidelines above, one would say "a FAQ" when it is pronounced as one word, and "an FAQ" when it is pronounced one letter at a time. Examples:
|
accept except |
to agree but, with the exception that |
ad add |
advertisement to perform addition |
ades aides AIDS aids |
fruit drinks people who help; assistants acronym for Auto Immune Deficiency Syndrome helps, assists |
adverse
averse |
unfortunate; strongly opposed (refers to things, not people) Examples: an adverse reaction to the medication adverse weather conditions having repugnance (refers to people) Example: He is averse to a military draft. |
advice (noun) advise (verb) |
recommendation the act of giving a recommendation |
| affect v. effect | Rule 1. Use “effect” when you mean “bring about” or “brought about,” “ cause” or “caused.” Example: He effected a commotion in the crowd. Meaning: He caused a commotion in the crowd. Rule 2. Use “effect” when you mean “result.” Example: What effect did that speech have? Rule 3. Also use “effect” whenever any of these words precede it: a, an, any, the, take, into, no Examples: That book had a long-lasting effect on my thinking. Has the medicine produced any noticeable effects? Rule 4. Use the verb “affect” when you mean “to influence” rather than “to cause.” Example: How do the budget cuts affect your staffing? Rule 5. “Affect” is used as a noun to mean “emotional expression.” Example: She showed little affect when told she had won the lottery. |
ail ale |
to be ill; to cause pain or distress beer |
air err heir |
what we breathe make a mistake one who inherits something |
aisle I’ll isle |
passageway contraction for “I will” a small island |
all awl |
entire, everything a tool |
allot a lot |
to parcel out always two words meaning “many” |
allowed aloud |
gave permission to said out loud; spoken |
all ready already |
means all are ready. Example: We are all ready to go. refers to time Example: Is it summer already? |
all together
altogether |
refers to a group, all of us or all of them together Example: It is wonderful to be all together to celebrate your birthday. entirely Example: It is not altogether his fault. |
altar alter |
pedestal, usually religious to modify Example: Please don't alter your plans until we have the final schedule approved. |
allude elude illude |
to refer indirectly Example: He alluded to his past as a spy. avoid capture Example: The fugitive eluded the police for a month. mislead Example: Her memory illuded her. |
allusion illusion |
an indirect mention of something false perception |
ambiguous ambivalent |
to have more than one meaning Example: The law was ambiguous. to have mixed feelings Example: She is ambivalent about her wedding dress. |
amicable amiable |
friendly (refers to things, not people) friendly (refers to people) Example: The amiable couple had an amicable divorce. |
among between |
involves three or more Example: Who among us has not lied? involves just two Example: She couldn’t decide between Chinese and Thai food. |
amount number |
used for things not countable Example: We couldn't handle that amount of ill will. used for things that can be counted Example: The number of accidents increased by ten percent. |
ant aunt |
a bug the sister of a parent |
ante auntie |
a bet placed before playing affectionate term for a parent’s sister |
anxious eager |
to have anxiety or worry Example: She is anxious about taking the test. excited Example: She is eager to get a puppy. |
any more anymore |
something additional or further Example: It didn’t rain any more this year than last year. any longer, nowadays Example: Harry doesn’t travel anymore. |
appraise apprise |
to put a value on something to notify |
arc ark |
arch, crescent, half moon a vessel or a refuge |
ascent (noun) assent (noun or verb) consent |
movement upward enthusiastic agreement; to agree agreement |
assistance (noun) assistants (noun) |
help people who help |
assumption presumption |
an idea not based on evidence an idea based on evidence |
assure ensure insure |
to promise or say with confidence to make sure something will/won't happen to issue an insurance policy |
ate eight |
past tense of "eat" the number after "seven" |
aural oral |
having to do with hearing having to do with the mouth |
| averse (see adverse) | |
awed odd |
in a state of amazement unusual; opposite of “even” when referring to numbers |
a while awhile |
follows in or for adverb answering how long Example: He has known her for quite awhile. |
aye eye I |
yes organ one sees with pronoun |
bald bawled |
having no hair cried |
ball bawl |
a sphere to cry or wail loudly |
band banned |
a group, sometimes a group of musicians forbidden |
bare bear |
naked, unconcealed, plain the animal |
base bass |
the bottom: vulgar low vocal or instrumental range (pronounced like "lace"); a type of fish ( pronounced like "lass") |
based baste |
be dependent or supported to moisten; to criticize or lash out at |
bases (noun, verb) basis (noun) |
headquarters (plural of base); builds on foundation; belief |
be bee |
to exist or live insect |
beach beech |
sandy area with water type of tree with smooth, gray bark |
beat beet |
to strike violently; to flutter or flap; to pound as with a drum; to defeat; to stir vigorously an edible root |
beau bough (noun) bow (noun) bow (noun, verb) |
boyfriend branch of a tree (pronounced like "cow") part of a set with arrows (pronounced like "owe") boat front, a male's form of curtsy, bending at the waist; comply (pronounced like "cow") |
been bin |
form of “be” used with “has” or “have” container |
bell belle |
chime or alarm; a signal beautiful or charming woman |
berth birth |
a boat dock; bedroom or bed being born; beginning |
better bettor |
of higher quality someone who places bets |
| between (see among) | |
biannual biennial semiannual |
twice a year every two years twice a year (same as biannual) |
bite byte |
to use one’s teeth to tear food computer term for eight bits of information |
billed build |
charged a fee construct |
blew blue |
past tense of “blow” the color |
bloc block |
a group united for a particular purpose city street; a cube-shaped object |
boar bore |
male pig someone or something not interesting |
board bored |
piece of wood; a group of people uninterested |
boarder border |
someone who pays for room and food perimeter; boundary |
bode bowed |
predict bent (pronounced like "owed") |
bold bowled |
daring to have gone bowling; knocked over |
bolder boulder |
more daring a large rock |
boos booze |
sounds made by disapproving audience alcohol |
| bough (see beau) | |
| bow (see beau) | |
boy buoy |
male child a naval beacon or marker |
brake break |
stop separate into pieces |
bread bred |
a food; slang for “money” past tense of “breed”; raised |
brewed brood (verb, noun) |
fermented mull over; a cluster or family |
brews bruise |
ferments a black-and-blue mark, contusion |
bridal bridle |
relating to brides a harness, usually for a horse |
bring take |
you bring something towards you take something away |
broach brooch |
to raise a topic a bauble; a piece of jewelry |
brows browse |
the hairs in the arch above the eyes search for, peruse |
but butt (noun/verb) |
except bottom; joke object; to ram |
buy by bye |
purchase, acquire near, next to short for “goodbye” |
cache cash |
hidden stash money |
calendar colander |
chart of days and months sieve to drain off liquids |
can may |
able to permission to |
cannon canon |
large, mounted gun rule, commandment |
canvas canvass |
awning cloth, tarp to poll; a poll |
capital capitol |
assets; essential; main city statehouse |
carat caret carrot karat |
unit of weight in gemstones a proofreading mark to show insertion (^) edible root a unit for measuring the fineness of gold |
cast (noun, verb) caste |
group of actors; to throw a social class, a rigid system of social distinctions |
cay key quay (pronounced “key”) |
a small, low island (also spelled “key”) a small, low island; instrument for opening locks wharf, dock, pier |
cede seed |
to surrender reproductive germ |
cell sell |
prison room; basic structural unit of an organism to exchange for money |
censor (verb, noun) censure sensor |
disallow; person who disallows Example: The soldier's letters were censored before mailing. to disapprove of; criticize strongly Example: The children were censured by the principal. a device that measures heat, light, etc. and transmits a signal to a control or measuring instrument |
cent scent sent |
a penny a smell, aroma transmitted |
cereal serial |
breakfast food a series or array |
chance chants |
accident(al) chorus, melody |
chased chaste |
went after pure, virginal |
chews choose |
how one eats food with teeth to pick |
childish childlike |
immature innocent |
Chile chili chilly |
a country in South America a type of pepper; a dish with peppers in it cold, brisk |
choral coral |
a cappella, singing without instruments material that makes up reefs; orange color |
chorale corral |
a hymn, a choir horse pen |
chord cord cored |
three or more musical tones sounded simultaneously; line segment joining two points on a curve a rope or strand of flexible material removed the center of something |
chute shoot (verb, noun) |
an inclined shaft to discharge from a weapon; a stem |
cite sight site |
to assert; to quote from; to subpoena vision, the power to see a location or position |
classic classical |
important; fundamental having to do with Greek or Roman antiquity; pertaining to 18th-19th century music |
clause claws |
in grammar, a group of words containing a subject and verb; part of a contract an animal’s nails |
click clique |
a sound a group |
climactic climatic |
having to do with the climax having to do with the climate |
close (verb, adjective) clothes |
to shut (pronounced like "rose"); nearby (pronounced like "dose") apparel |
coarse course |
rough, lacking in fineness of texture; crude a class; a path |
| colander (see calendar) | |
colonel kernel |
an officer in the military a seed |
complement compliment |
completing part of an order praise |
confidant confident |
someone confided in certain, sure |
connote
denote |
to suggest, infer Example: A roaring fire in the fireplace connotes a cozy winter night. to be a sign of Example: Certain clouds denote rain on the way. |
| consent (see assent) | |
continual
continuous |
repeated but with breaks in between; chronic Example: The continual problem of our car not starting forced us to sell it. without interruption in an unbroken stream of time or space Example: The continuous dripping of the faucet drove me crazy. |
core corps corpse |
center or crucial part trained group dead body |
cosign cosine |
to sign along with a trigonometry term |
council counsel (verb, noun) |
a group of people meeting for a purpose advise; advice, an attorney |
creak creek |
sound a stream |
crews cruise |
many groups a trip or vacation by sea |
criteria criterion |
plural of criterion a standard for evaluating or testing something |
cue queue |
a hint; a stimulus a line of people waiting |
currant current |
type of small berry up to date |
curser cursor |
someone who swears or wishes misfortune on another a blinking symbol indicating position on a computer screen |
dam damn |
a barrier obstructing the flow of liquid a swear word or curse |
dammed damned |
blocked from flowing doomed |
days daze |
24-hour periods of time to stun or overwhelm |
dear deer |
affectionate term the animal |
| denote (see connote) | |
desert (noun, verb) dessert |
a desolate area; to abandon extra “s” for sugary treat |
desperate disparate |
lost all hope, in despair entirely dissimilar |
device (noun) devise (verb) |
an invention to invent |
dew do due |
condensation in the morning to take action owed by a certain date |
die dye |
to cease to live; the singular of dice to stain or color using an agent |
discreet discrete |
careful, confidential individual, distinct |
discussed disgust |
talked over repulsion |
does does |
female deer (plural) (pronounced like "hose") a form of "to do" (pronounced like "fuzz") |
doughs doze |
unbaked loaves of bread to sleep |
dual duel |
two-fold fight |
| eager (see anxious) | |
| effect (see affect) | |
e.g.
i.e. |
for example Example: My living expenses have increased, e.g., rent, food, and utilities. that is, in other words Example: My living expenses have drained my finances, i.e., I have less money in the bank at the end of every month. |
| eight (see ate) | |
elicit illicit |
evoke, extract, draw out illegal |
| elude (see allude) | |
elusive illusive |
difficult to describe, evasive Example: The point of the novel is elusive to me. plausible or possible; deceptive Example: She had the illusive dream of finding happiness by traveling. (plausible, possible) |
emigrate immigrate |
to exit one country in order to live in another country to enter a new country to live |
empathy sympathy |
to understand another's feelings to feel compassion or sadness for another |
| ensure (see assure) | |
epic epoch |
saga a period of time, an age |
| err (see air) | |
every day everyday |
each day Example: I learn something new every day. ordinary Example: These are my everyday clothes. |
| except (see accept) | |
| eye (see aye) | |
facts fax |
objective data short for “facsimile”; technology that sends images by phone |
faint feint |
to go unconscious pretense |
fair (adjective, noun) fare |
impartial; an exhibition payment or expense for travel |
fairy ferry |
imaginary being possessing magical powers type of boat |
farther further |
Refers to physical distance Example: We had to walk farther than the map indicated. Refers to nonphysical distance Examples: We need to discuss this further. |
faux foe |
fake, imitation enemy, opponent |
faze phase |
to perturb or fluster a period or situation |
feat feet |
an extraordinary act or accomplishment twelve inch increments; appendages at end of legs |
feted fetid |
celebrated, honored noxious, gross |
fewer less |
refers to a number that can be counted (fewer days off) refers to an uncountable amount (less rain, less fear) |
find fined |
discover penalized |
fir fur |
type of tree hairy coat of an animal |
flair flare |
style erupt |
flea flee |
insect to run away |
flew flu flue |
past tense of “fly,” to have moved through the air with wings a virus part of a chimney |
floe flow |
sheet of floating ice pour, proceed, spew |
flour flower |
grain the bloom of a plant |
for fore four |
the preposition ahead the number after “three” |
forego forgo |
to go in front of, precede to do without |
foreword forward |
introduction to a book written by someone other than the author opposite of “backward” |
fort forte |
a military fortification someone’s strong point, talent |
forth fourth |
forward number after “third” |
foul fowl |
offensive, disgusting certain birds |
frees freeze frieze |
releases to make cold a decorative band on the wall |
| further (see farther) | |
gait gate |
a manner of walking or stepping, stride Example: trotting, galloping, limping barrier |
gilt guilt |
gold-covered blame |
gone
went |
used with “has” or “have” Examples: Ella has gone to the store. Barry and Ella have gone to the beach. past tense of "go" Examples: Ella went to the store. Barry and Ellen went to the beach. |
gored gourd |
stabbed with a horn or tusk hard-shelled fruit |
gorilla guerrilla |
largest of apes soldier using surprise raids, irregular tactics |
graft graphed |
attach; acquisition of money dishonestly diagrammed |
grate great |
a cover or partition of parallel or crossed bars excellent |
grill grille |
method of cooking; barbecuing an openwork barrier for a gate |
groan grown |
a low, mournful sound of pain or grief to have increased in size |
guessed guest |
conjectured, offered an opinion company, honoree |
guise guys |
appearance or assumed appearance men |
hair hare |
what grows on one’s head and body rabbit |
hall haul |
passageway or large room to pull, drag, or lower |
halve have |
divide into two to possess |
hangar hanger |
shed or shelter for housing airplanes something to hang a garment on in the closet |
haut or haute hoe |
high class, fancy as in haute couture (pronounced “oh” or “oht”) flat-bladed gardening tool |
| have v. of | “should’ve,” “could’ve,” and “would’ve” are contractions for “should have,” “could have,” and “would have.” No such wording as “should of,” “could of,” “would of” |
hay hey |
dried grass interjection used to call attention |
heal heel |
to alleviate or cure back part of the foot; scoundrel |
healthful healthy |
something that promotes health Example: Organic food is thought to be healthful. to have good health |
hear here |
to listen; to give an official hearing in this spot |
heard herd |
listened a flock of animals |
| heir (see air) | |
heroin heroine |
a narcotic derived from morphine female admired for courage or ability |
hi high |
a greeting, informal "hello" elevated |
higher hire |
more elevated to pay for services |
him hymn |
pronoun referring to male person or animal song in praise of religious deity |
hoard horde |
stockpile, amass a large group, crowd |
hoarse horse |
cracked voice animal |
hoes hose |
flat-bladed gardening tools a flexible tube for conveying liquid |
hole whole |
an opening entire, complete |
holy wholly |
religious entirely, completely |
hostel hostile |
boarding house or inexpensive lodging antagonistic |
hour our |
sixty minutes possessive pronoun |
| I (see aye) | |
idle idol idyll |
not active; unemployed someone admired interlude, breathing space; romance, fairy tale |
| i.e. (see e.g.) | |
| I'll (see aisle) | |
| illicit (see elicit) | |
| illude (see allude) | |
| illusion (see allusion) | |
| illusive (see elusive) | |
| immigrate (see emigrate) | |
imply infer |
to indicate without being explicit to conclude from evidence |
in inn |
preposition; inside small hotel |
inc. ink |
abbreviation for “incorporated” fluid in pens |
incite insight |
to prompt to action understanding, comprehension |
incredible incredulous |
astonishing Example: Her gymnastic moves were incredible. skeptical Example: Citizens are incredulous about the reason for the increase in the price of gas. |
ingenious ingenuous |
clever naive or simple |
innocence innocents |
to be without guilt people who are without guilt |
| insure (see assure) | |
irregardless regardless |
no such word exists in spite of, without regard |
| isle (see aisle) | |
it's its |
contraction for “it is” Example: It’s for a good cause. possessive pronoun Example: The cat hurt its paw. |
jewel joule |
gem in physics, a unit of work or energy |
| karat (see carat) | |
| kernel (see colonel) | |
| key (see cay) | |
knead kneed need |
work with bread dough hit with one’s knee to require |
knew new |
past tense of “know,” to have understood opposite of “old” |
knight night |
a soldier in the Middle Ages period between sunset and sunrise |
knot not |
interlacing of cord or rope used to express negation |
know no |
understand, comprehend a negative to express dissent |
knows nose |
understands part of the body one smells with |
sacks sax |
large bags saxophone |
saver savor |
one who saves to appreciate a taste |
scene seen |
a view, a setting to have viewed with eyes |
| scent (see cent) | |
sea see |
a body of salt water to view with eyes |
seam seem |
line formed by pieces of fabric sewn together appear |
sear seer sere |
scorch, burn, or char one who sees (as in the future) withered, dry |
seas sees seize |
bodies of salt water views with eyes to grab hold of |
| seed (see cede) | |
| sell (see cell) | |
| semiannual (see biannual) | |
| sensor (see censor) | |
| sent (see cent) | |
serf surf (noun, verb) |
slave breaking waves; to ride a surfboard |
| serial (see cereal) | |
set sit |
one sets a thing Example: Please set the table. one sits oneself Example: Please sit down at the table. |
sew so sow |
to stitch in the manner indicated to scatter or plant seed |
sewer suer |
a conduit for carrying off waste one who sues |
shear sheer |
to cut transparent |
shoe shoo |
foot attire interjection used to scare away an animal |
| shoot (see chute) | |
sic
sick |
a Latin term used to indicate that something written is intentionally left in the original form, which may be incorrect Example: She wrote, "They made there [sic] beds." ill |
sics six |
attacks a number |
| sight (see cite) | |
sign sine |
an indication a trigonometry term |
sink synch or sync |
to submerge; to descend to a lower level to synchronize, to coincide or match up |
| site (see cite) | |
slay sleigh |
kill snow vehicle, sled |
sleight slight |
cunning, skill slender, of little substance |
slew slough |
past tense of “slay” swamp |
soar sore |
to fly at great height in pain |
soared sword |
flew at great height a bladed weapon |
sole soul |
front of foot; alone the spiritual part of humans |
some sum |
a certain unspecified number the total from adding numbers |
son sun |
male offspring star that is the central body of the solar system |
sonny sunny |
diminutive of son lit or warmed by the sun; cheerful |
spade spayed |
digging tool to have removed the ovaries of an animal |
staid stayed |
solemn, serious remained, waited |
stair stare |
step to look without blinking |
stake steak |
a pole cut of meat |
stationary stationery |
in one place writing paper |
steal steel (noun, adjective) |
rob iron alloy; determined |
step (verb, noun) steppe |
moving by lifting the foot; degree vast grasslands |
stile style |
turnstile, passageway fashion |
straight strait |
not curved or bent narrow passage of water connecting two bodies of water |
succor sucker |
relief, assistance fool |
suede swayed |
leather finished with a soft, napped surface past tense of “sway”; persuaded |
suite sweet |
a connected series of rooms opposite of “sour” |
summary summery |
an abstract or brief account of the summer |
sundae Sunday |
ice cream with syrup day of the week |
| sympathy (see empathy) | |
tacks tax |
short nails percent of earnings paid to the government |
tail tale |
hindmost animal appendage story |
| take (see bring) | |
tare tear |
allowance for the weight of packaging rip, pull apart |
taught taut |
past tense of “teach” tightly stretched |
tea tee |
a beverage a peg from which a golf ball is hit |
team teem |
group playing on the same side in a game swarm |
tear tier |
salt water coming from eyes when sad a row or layer |
tense tents |
nervous strain portable shelters used for camping |
than then |
used for comparison indicates time, answers “when?” |
their there they're |
possessive pronoun location contraction for “they are” |
threw through |
past tense of “throw” in one end and out the other |
throes throws |
agonizing struggles tosses, hurls |
throne thrown |
royal seat or office was tossed |
thyme time |
herb of the mint family past, present, future sequences of events |
ticks tics |
parasites, sounds of a clock facial twitches |
tide tied |
ebb and flow of the ocean past tense of “tie” |
to too two |
in the direction of, toward also, to an extensive degree Example: It is too hot to jog. the number after “one” |
toad toed towed |
similar to a frog having a toe pulled, hauled |
told tolled |
said sounded a bell |
tort torte |
a breach of contract a rich cake made with little or no flour |
tracked tract |
followed an extended area of land; a political or religious pamphlet |
troop troupe |
a body of soldiers a group of traveling performers |
vain vane vein |
excessively concerned about one’s appearance a blade moved by wind as in a weather vane blood vessel |
vary very |
to change or alter extremely |
verses versus |
lines of poetry as compared to another choice; against |
vial vile |
small container for holding liquids repulsive, depraved |
vice vise |
bad habit; immoral practice device used to hold an object firmly |
wade weighed |
to walk through water to have put on a scale |
wail whale |
mournful cry marine mammal |
waist waste |
narrowest part of the human torso (usually) to squander or spend uselessly |
wait weight |
to be available or ready quantity of heaviness or mass |
waiver waver |
a relinquishment of some right to feel indecisive; vary |
wear where |
to carry on the body in what place? |
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