Commonly Confused Words
English has a lot of commonly confused words. They either look alike, sound alike or, worst of all, look and sound alike but have completely different meanings. Other words look and sound different but are similar in meaning, and it’s hard to determine which is the correct one in a given context. Hopefully the following list of pairs of commonly confused words will help you keep them straightened out.
Accept vs. Except
Accept (verb) - to receive
· I accepted all my birthday gifts with gratitude.
Except (conjunction) - apart from; otherwise than; were it not true
· When Susan travels, she packs everything except the kitchen sink.
A Lot vs. Allot
A lot (noun phrase) -many
· A lot of people came to the party.
*"A lot" is always two separate words. "Alot" is not a real word. Allot (verb) - to distribute, give or assign
· Fifteen minutes were allotted to each of the speakers at the conference.
Allusion vs. Illusion
Allusion (noun) - an indirect reference
· The Austin Powers movies often make allusions to the James Bond films.
Illusion (noun) - a false idea or conception; belief or opinion not in accord with the facts; an unreal, deceptive, or misleading appearance or image
· The magician created the illusion that he was levitating.
Bad vs. Badly
Bad (adjective) - not good
· Your feet smell bad.
Badly (adverb) - not well; in a bad manner; harmfully; incorrectly; wickedly; unpleasantly
· Charlotte plays tennis very badly.
· The people involved in the accident were badly hurt.
*Here, a note. Adjectives generally describe nouns, so even if you use the word “bad” following a verb in a sentence, if it’s meant to describe the thing itself, then use the adjective. “Bad” here means the same as “rotten,” “rancid” or “stinky,” all of which are adjectives. If you can replace “bad” with another adjective and still have a sentence that makes sense, then you know that “bad” was the correct choice. Adverbs often describe the manner in which something is done. To say, “your feet smell badly” is to say that your feet are inhaling through the nose and perceiving odors, and that they’re going about it all wrong.
Borrow vs. Lend
Borrow (verb) - to take or accept something for a short time with the intention of returning it to its rightful owner
· May I borrow a pencil, please?
Lend (verb) - to give something for a short time with the intention of getting it back
· Would you please lend me a pencil?
Breath vs. Breathe
Breath (noun) - air taken into the lungs and then let out
· Take a deep breath.
Breathe (verb) - to inhale and exhale
· Just calm down and breathe.
Complement vs. Compliment
Complement (noun) - that which completes or brings to perfection; (verb) - to make complete
· Red wine is a nice complement to a steak dinner.
Compliment (noun) - something said in admiration, praise, or flattery; (verb) - to pay a compliment to; congratulate
· She gave me a nice compliment when she said I looked thin.
Comprise vs. Compose
Comprise (verb) - to include; to contain; to consist of; to be composed of
· The state of North Carolina comprises 100 counties.
Compose (verb) - to form in combination; make up; constitute
· One hundred counties compose the state of North Carolina.
Elicit vs. Illicit
Elicit (verb) - to draw forth; evoke
· The teacher elicited answers from the students.
Illicit (adjective) - unlawful; illegal
· The teacher discovered illicit drugs in a student’s desk.
Its vs. It’s
Its (adjective) - of, belonging to, made by, or done by it
· The dog will only eat its food when I am also eating.
It’s - contraction of It + is
· It’s a very strange dog.
Lead vs. Led
Lead (noun) - a heavy, soft, malleable, bluish-gray metallic chemical element used in batteries and in numerous alloys and compounds
· I think it was Mrs. White in the billiard room with the lead pipe.
Led (verb) - past tense and past participle of the verb "to lead"
· The two coaches have each led their teams to numerous championships.
Lose vs. Loose
Lose (verb) - to become unable to find; to mislay; to fail to win or gain
· Did you lose your glasses again?
· How many games did your team lose last season?
Loose (adjective) - not tight; giving enough room
· I’ve lost twenty pounds, and now these jeans are really loose.
Passed vs. Past
Passed (verb) - past tense of the verb "to pass"
· I think we passed the store. Let’s turn around and go back.
Past (adjective) - of a former time; bygone; (noun) - the time that has gone by; days, months, or years gone by
· In the past, I’ve gotten lost a lot, but this time I know where we are.
Precede vs. Proceed
Precede (verb) - to be, come, or go before in time, place, order, rank, or importance
· The election of a new president precedes his inauguration.
Proceed (verb) - to advance or go on, especially after stopping
· After your first assignment has been completed and approved, you may proceed to the second one.
Principal vs. Principle
Principal (noun) - a governing or presiding officer, specifically of a school; (adjective) - first in rank, authority, importance, degree, etc.
· The student’s parents had to have a meeting with the principal.
Principle (noun) - a fundamental truth, law, doctrine, or motivating force, upon which others are based
· The student’s parents thought that they had instilled stronger moral principles in their son.
Stationary vs. Stationery
Stationary (adjective) - not moving or not movable; fixed or still
· I rode the stationary bike at the gym for an hour.
Stationery (noun) - writing materials; specifically, paper and envelopes used for letters
· My grandmother has given me a lot of stationery over the years. I think she wants me to use it to write her.
Than vs. Then
Than (conjunction) - used to introduce the second element in a comparison
· My right foot is bigger than my left foot.
Then (adverb) - at that time; next in order; (adjective) - of that time; (noun) - that time
· Take off all your clothes first. Then get in the shower.
· Emily drove up to New York with her then boyfriend, Nick.
· Let's wait until we're hungry; we can decide what we want to eat then.
Their vs. There vs. They’re
Their (adjective) - of, belonging to, made by, or done by them
· They were proud of their work.
There (noun) - that place or point
· Just put it over there.
They’re - contraction of They + are
· They’re going out to dinner tonight.
To vs. Too vs. Two
To (preposition) - in the direction of and reaching; as far as; to the extent of
· I’m going to Baltimore.
Too (adverb) - in addition; as well; besides; also; more than enough; superfluously; overly; to a regrettable extent; extremely
· I’m going to Baltimore, too.
· I'm too busy. I can't go to Baltimore.
Two - 2
· I have two jobs.
Who vs. Whom
Who (subject pronoun) - what or which person or persons; the person or persons that, or a person that (used to introduce a relative clause)
· Who is going to the party with you?
Whom (object pronoun) - what or which person or persons; the person or persons that, or a person that (used to introduce a relative clause)
· With whom are you going to the party?
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