Easily confused words

Words that may be a challenge

English has many word pairs that confuse people. Some, like lie and lay, have specific uses or spellings that students mix up, and others are homophones (words that sound alike but have different meanings).

Review this list of easily confused words, learn the ones you do not know, and then take the practice quiz.

Word	Example
accept (v) except (prep) expect (v)	I gladly accept your kind offer. Everyone had fun at the party except Billy. Tom expects to be home by Sunday.
allude (v) elude (v)	Calling someone a “Padawan” alludes to the Star Wars movies. The thieves eluded capture by hiding in the dumpster.
allusion (n) illusion (n)	Marc didn’t understand his teacher’s allusion to Hamlet. Sara was entertained by the magician’s illusions.
affect (v) effect (n or v)	Sam’s cold affected his ability to breathe quietly. Your poor attitude will have an effect on your grades. The new principal effected major changes.
appraise (v) apprise (v)	We had the necklace appraised by a jeweler. The aide hurried to apprise the general of the situation.
ascent (n) assent (v)	The climbers’ ascent to the mountaintop was challenging. Helen assented to Peter’s request for more cake.
breath (n) breathe (v)	Lisa couldn’t catch her breath. The doctor asked David to breathe deeply.
capital (n; a seat of government, or money) capitol (n; the building)	Sacramento is the capital of California. We have enough capital for the project to move forward. The legislators are meeting in the capitol today.
climatic (adj; related to climate) climactic (adj; related to a climax)	Climatic concerns continue to drive opposition to fossil fuels. The climactic moment of the movie came as a shock to the audience.
cite (v) site (n) sight (n or v)	Did you remember to cite your sources? The site for the new library has been selected. Niagara Falls is quite a sight!
complement (n or v) compliment (n or v)	That scarf is a nice complement to your outfit, and the two colors complement each other nicely. My teacher gave me a compliment today. Mr. Parks complimented Gary’s penmanship.
elicit (v) illicit (adj)	Their plea for help elicited an immediate response. Don was arrested for the illicit use of charitable funds.
ensure (v) insure (v)	The crossing guard’s job is to ensure that everyone stays safe. This policy insures you against theft, damage, or loss.
farther (adj or adv; physical distance) further (nonphysical distance)	Mike’s street is five miles farther from the store than mine is. Nothing could be further from the truth.
imitate (v) intimate (v)	Clary imitated her mother’s mannerisms. By averting her eyes, Jane intimated that something was wrong.
imply (v; to suggest without saying) infer (v; to conclude from evidence)	By checking his watch, Ben implied that the meeting had run long. From Ben’s glance at his watch, we inferred that he wanted to leave.
its (possessive pronoun) it’s (contraction of it is or it has)	The dog got its paws muddy. It’s too bad that they are not able to come.
lay (v; takes an object; past laid, past participle laid) lie (v; takes no object; past lay, past participle lain)	I lay my book on the table every night; last night I laid it on the chair. Mandy went to lie down; yesterday she lay down at noon.
loose (adj) lose (v)	They collected the loose papers. Don’t lose your temper.
passed (v) past (adj, adv, n, or preposition)	They passed us on the way here. Jay said we should let the past be our guide.
precede (v) proceed (v)	Spring precedes summer. The trial proceeded without delay.
principal (n or adj) principle (n)	Principal Stevens said that the principal purpose of education is to create good future citizens. Honesty should be every person’s guiding principle.
right (n, v, or adj) rite (n)	It’s the right thing to do. Many cultures have specific rites of passage for young people.
role (n) roll (v or n)	She auditioned for the role of Ophelia. Please roll the dice. Would you like a roll with your soup?
set (v; takes an object) sit (v; takes no object)	Set your bag on the table. Would you like to sit down?
stationary (adj) stationery (n)	Saul exercises on his stationary bike during the winter. The couple selected beautiful stationery for their wedding invitations.
than (conjunction or preposition; used in comparisons) then (adverb)	Today is sunnier than yesterday. Back then, people didn’t have telephones.
there (adverb or pronoun) their (possessive pronoun) they’re (contraction of they are)	The children’s belongings were scattered here and there. Their grades are very important to them. They’re going to be here in ten minutes.
to (preposition) too (adverb) two (adjective)	We walked to school. That is just too much! There are only two cookies left.
whose (possessive of who or which) who’s (contraction of who is or who has)	Whose jacket is this? Who’s coming to the game tonight?
your (possessive pronoun) you’re (contraction of you are)	Please bring your umbrella. You’re going to love this movie.

Pitfalls to watch for:

• Lie vs. lay (past tense): lie → lay → has lain (yesterday Mandy lay down); lay → laid → has laid (I laid the book down).
• Possessive vs. contraction: expand the apostrophe word (it is, they are, you are, who is). If it still works, use the contraction; otherwise use the possessive (no apostrophe).
• Affect vs. effect: affect is usually the verb and effect the noun, but effect can also mean “to bring about.”

Example: Checking confused words

After the long (A) ascent, the hikers paused to catch their (B) breath before they (C) proceeded to the summit, where the (D) climactic view awaited them. No error (E)

Check each word against the table above: ascent means the climb upward (not assent, agreement), breath is the noun (not breathe, the verb), proceeded means continued (not precede, to come before), and climactic describes the dramatic high point (not climatic, about weather). Every word is correct.

Answer: No error (E)

Idiomatic expressions and redundancy

Watch for two more patterns: whether a word pairs with the right preposition, and whether a sentence repeats an idea it already stated.

• Idiomatic prepositions: different from (not “different than” before a noun), comply with, capable of, accede to, in the throes of.
• Redundant phrases: “past history” (say history), “return back” (say return), “each and every” (say each or every), “the reason why is because” (say the reason is that).

The concise, correct option usually beats a wordier one that says the same thing.