Confusing Words Clarified Group A
English can be very confusing; for example, a house burns up as it burns down, a form is being filled in as it is being filled out, and an alarm goes off by going on. How about when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible?
As you examine the groups of words in this unit, you will find many examples of confusions; sometimes, just one or two letters in a word can change its meaning completely. There are also times when two different words get confused because their meanings apply to things that are very similar.
Efforts have been made to help you grasp the meanings of various words that may be confusing so you can utilize them with greater accuracy in your communication.
Confusing Words: Group A
Lists of confusing words with the first word in each group beginning with the letter "a".
If you want your child to achieve success with his studies in college, look to his vocabulary.
A.D. Templeman
Our efforts may represent just a few drops of vocabulary-rain in the Sahara Desert of ignorance, but who can predict what will blossom with word knowledge that can equip a person with the light of understanding!
Dr. Scribe
a, eh
a (AY)
One; any; some; each; expressing singleness, unity: "He brought a book to class."
eh (AY)
1. What? A slang term used as an interrogative or to express uncertainty or surprise: "Eh, what did you say?"
2. Used to ask someone to repeat something: "He's only three feet tall!"
"Eh? How's that again?"
3. Urging someone to agree: "Let's have another drink, eh?"
This use of eh occurs especially in British and Canadian English.
A Canadian was chatting with a friend who asked, that I described makes a lot of sense, eh?"
abdication, addiction
abdication (ab" duh KAY shuhn)
A formal resignation and renunciation of powers; such as, a high office, a throne, or an authority; a resignation: "The council denied that their decision represented any abdication of responsibility."
addiction (uh DIK shuhn)
A devotion to or an abnormally strong craving and dependence on something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming; such as, caffeine, smoking, and, especially, alcohol or narcotic drugs: "Our friend was still trying to recover from her drug addiction; as well as, her addiction to smoking."
When my friend decided to end her addiction to smoking, we agreed to support her, including her abdication as organizer of our Friday night social meetings which were often at smoky clubs and restaurants.
Abel, able, -able
Abel (AY buhl)
In the Bible, the second son of Adam and Eve, murdered by his older brother Cain: "Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him." Genesis 4:8.
able (AY buhl)
1. Having enough power, skill, or means to do something [followed by to plus an infinitive); capable: "A cat is able to see in the dark."
2. Having more power or skill than usual; skillful: "She was an able teacher for more than 40 years."
-able (uh buhl; depending on the word to which it is attached).
A suffix that forms adjectives from verbs and nouns; for example, "They were very comfortable sitting around the fireplace."
Do you think you are able to tell the Biblical story of Cain and Abel without becoming uncomfortable about the horror of death by violence?
ability, capacity
ability (uh BIL i tee)
The power, gift, or competence to do or to act physically, mentally, legally, financially, etc.: "She was a young woman with a remarkable musical ability."
capacity (kuh PAS uh tee)
1. Amount of room or space inside; largest amount that can be held by a container: "A gallon can has a capacity of four quarts (3.78 liters)."
2. Capable of learning or doing; power or fitness: "They have a great capacity for learning."
The ability of the speaker to draw a capacity crowd at every town on the lecture circuit was amazing.
It seemed to demonstrate that people have an insatiable capacity for learning new information.
abjure, adjure
abjure (ab JOOR), abjuring
1. To renounce, reject, or give up rights or allegiance on oath: "The man said he would abjure his citizenship if his country continued with its policies of war instead of negotiating peaceful solutions to international problems."
2. To repudiate, renounce or recant publicly; to disclaim: "He abjured his life of bad eating and drinking habits."
adjure (uh JOOR)
1. To appeal to earnestly or to entreat: "The judge had to adjure the spectators to be silent."
2. To charge, to bind, or to command earnestly and solemnly, often under oath or the threat of a penalty: "The judge did indeed adjure the witness that he had better truthfully answer all questions put to him during the trial."
ablution, absolution
ablution (ab LYOO shuhn)
1. A washing of one body; washing, bathing, cleaning, bath, lavation: "Because of the heat, he felt the need for a daily ablution."
2. A washing or cleansing as a religious ceremony of purification; ceremonial washing, ritualistic washing: "After his ablution in the river, the holy man continued on his journey."
absolution (ab" suh LOO shuhn)
A freeing from sin, guilt, or blame; or a declaration that frees a person from guilt or punishment for sin: "The priest gave absolution to church members which always makes the parishioners feel a great deal better."
There were many visitors to the religious shrine earlier today and the water was obviously murky; so, we decided not to take part in the ablution; however, we did participate in the absolution by the religious leader.
abridged, unabridged
abridged (uh BRIJD)
1. Shortened; to decrease, condense, digest: "The book was abridged to a more readable length."
2. Restrict, limit, curtail, diminish, deprive one of, take away: "No one should be allowed to have abridged citizens of their legal rights."
unabridged (un" uh BRIJD)
Entire, in full, not shortened, complete: "There is an unabridged dictionary on the library table; as well as, an unabridged book about etymologies."
After he submitted an unabridged version of his epic poem to the editor, the author was faced with the task of creating an abridged version for publication in a magazine.
abs; adds; ads; adz, adze
abs (ABZ)
An abbreviation for abdominal muscles: "They are doing sit-up exercises and other related activities so they can develop their abs."
adds (ADZ)
1. An increase; mathematical summation; totals: "He usually adds the figures in his head."
2. Including; joining: "She adds special greetings whenever she meets her friends."
ads (ADZ)
A shorter term for advertisements: "I am constantly getting ads, also known as spam, in my e-mail."
adz or adze (ADZ)
A cutting tool for shaping heavy timbers, similar to an ax but with a blade set across the end of the handle and curving inward: "He used an adze to take the bark off the tree he just cut down."
Working out by chopping wood with an adz (adze) really adds to my abs. In fact, I’m looking so great, I have been asked to pose for ads in the local fitness-studio publication.
abstain, abstemious
abstain (ab STAYN, uhb STAYN)
1. To refrain from something by one's own choice: "He promised to abstain from traditional political rhetoric."
2. To refrain from voting: "Forty-five senators voted in favor of the new health bill, forty-five voted against it, and twenty-five decided to abstain."
abstemious (ab STEE mee uhs, uhb STEE mee uhs)
Marked by restraint especially in the consumption of food or alcohol: "Her mother was known as an abstemious eater and drinker who always had healthy meals for her family."
"Her sister's midlife heart attack made her realize the importance of taking care of her body and turned her to a more abstemious and healthful lifestyle."
The terms abstain and abstemious seem to have similar formats and both have meanings involving "self-restraint" or "self-denial".
Although they may appear to come from the same root and both of them start with the Latin prefix abs-, meaning "from" or "away"; abstain is traced back to abs- plus the Latin verb tenēre, "to hold"; while abstemious gets its -temious from a suffix related to the Latin noun temetum, "intoxicating drink".
abundant, redundant
abundant (uh BUN duhnt)
Plentiful, present in great quantities: "Some parts of the world are abundant in natural resources."
redundant (ri DUN duhnt)
1. Exceeding what is necessary or natural; superfluous: "She edited the report and removed any redundant information or statements."
2. Needlessly wordy or repetitive in expression: "Too often student papers are filled with redundant phrases."
3. In Britain, dismissed, laid off, or fired from a job because someone is no longer needed: "More than 500 of the company's employees have already been made redundant and it is likely that more will also be declared as being redundant."
Too often a politician's speeches are abundant with redundant statements; in fact, the mayor of our town became redundant because people were fed up with his abundant unfulfilled promises.
abuse, misuse
abuse (uh BYOOZ)
A corrupt practice or activity; unfair use, improper use: "Too many politicians tend to abuse their positions with dishonest practices."
misuse (mis YOOZ)
1. Improper or incorrect use; misapplication, waste: "Writing ad copy was a misuse of her creative talent, although I noticed a misuse of the word who in her writing."
2. To mistreat or to treat unfairly; to harm or to take advantage of: "An arrogant man will generally misuse his friends."
A politician should be careful not to abuse the rights and responsibilities of his or her elected office. Audits of governmental departments often unearth information suggesting that some officials misuse their privileges.
accede, exceed
accede (ahk SEED)
To comply with; consent to, approve; yield to; to agree with, surrender to, comply with: "The mayor will accede to the citizens?demands."
exceed (iks SEED)
1. To surpass, to go beyond normal requirements or beyond the limit of: "The police will give you a ticket if you exceed the speed limit."
2. To excel, predominate, surpass, be superior: "She actually did exceed all of the other contestants in the singing contest."
accelerate, exhilarate
accelerate (AK SEL uh rayt")
1. To cause anything in motion or process to go or move faster; to speed up: "To avoid being hit by the truck, he had to accelerate his car."
2. To cause to happen sooner; to hasten: "Resting will often accelerate a person’s recovery from an illness."
exhilarate (ig ZIL uh rayt")
To cause someone to feel very happy and excited: "Knowing that our daughter will have passed her exam will certainly exhilarate us."
When I accelerate my car on the highway, the rush of air through the window serves to exhilarate me; however, I need to remember that excessive speed can also accelerate the process of getting a speeding ticket.
accelerator, exhilarator
accelerator (ak SEL ur ay" tur)
A pedal or other device to make something go faster, to speed up, quicken the pace: "The driver of the car suddenly stepped too hard on the accelerator and ran into a tree."
exhilarator (eg ZIL uh ray" tur)
That which cheers up, enlivens, stimulates, and delights: "We were told that it would be a real exhilarator if we were to go for a walk in the beautiful woods and fresh air."
accent, ascent, assent
accent (AK sent")
1. A stress on a syllable to aid in the pronunciation of words; a stress, an emphasis: "The word 'woman' has its accent on the first syllable."
2. Pronunciation, enunciation, or modulation of speech: "He speaks with a French accent."
3. A hint, touch, detail: "The room was painted white with just a slightly blue accent."
ascent (uh SENT)
1. A rising or climbing; an upward movement: "The construction worker made a careful ascent up to the roof of the building."
"The ascent to the top of the mountain was difficult."
2. Incline, slope: "The road made a sharp ascent to the top of the hill."
3. Advancement, progress: "We were amazed about her ascent from secretary to president of the company in just five years."
assent (uh SENT)
To comply or to agree to something; to consent: "The majority would certainly assent to my views on the matter."
"He was willing to assent to her request."
With the assent of the board of directors, the new board room was painted green with an accent or two of white highlighting the ascent of the ceiling to the skylight in the center.
accept, except, expect
accept (ahk SEPT)
1. To receive with consent, agree to, consent to, acknowledge: "I accept your apology."
2. To take what is offered, receive willingly: "She did accept his invitation to dance after all."
except, excepted (ik SEPT, ik SEPT'd)
To leave out, excluding, or showing exclusion: "Put everything in the box except the vase."
"No one will be excepted from taking the test."
"What I said about some people applies to men in general, present company excepted."
expect (ik SPEKT)
1. To look forward to, plan on, look for, anticipate: "The skiers expect deep snow overnight."
2. Assume, presume, calculate, contemplate: "I expect to see her here soon."
What do you expect from us when everyone except you can accept the decision?
access, assess, excess
access (AK ses")
1. Way of approach, a means of reaching, passageway, entry: "Switzerland has access to the sea by way of the Rhine River."
2. A way of getting to something or someone, admittance; entrance: "The thief gained access to the vault."
"The hallway offers good access to the bedroom."
assess (uh SES)
1. To set an estimated value on property, etc. for taxation; estimate, appraise: "The local tax office decided to assess the new houses."
2. To judge, evaluate, appraise, determine look: "The general will assess the situation and call for reinforcements if needed."
excess (ik SES)
1. Surpassing limits, surplus, extra, overflow: "The excess furniture was stored in the cellar."
2. Superabundance, surplus, overabundance, too much, oversupply: "The boy had an excess of energy."
"There is an excess of poverty, hunger, and suffering in the world."
Some people always confuse access and excess. Access is a way of getting to something or someone; excess is a surplus, a state of overabundance: "How could the thief have gained access to the vault?" "Dieting will take off your excess weight."
Excess is what some people always enjoy drinking to.
Evan Esar
Let's assess the situation and decide what we are going to do next because since there was no access to the compartment, we can't pump out the excess water.accessing, assessing
accessing (ak SES ing)
Entering, making an entry: "The thief was accessing the vault while the political rallies were taking place."
assessing (uh SES ing)
Evaluating property or a situation: "The military officers were assessing the battle reports so they could decide what to do next."
accidental, incidental, accidentally, accidently
accidental (ak" suh DEN t'l)
Happening by chance; belonging but not essential; unplanned, unintentional, unpremeditated: "Our meeting on the street was purely accidental."
incidental (in" si DEN t'l)
Happening as a result or in connection with something more important; unexpected: "The incidental costs of repairs for the car added up to much more than expected."
accidentally (ak" suh DEN tuh lee)
Happening in a way that is not planned, intended, nor expected: "It was decided that she died accidentally, not by any intended cause."
accidently (ak" suh DENT li)
This pronunciation and spelling of accidentally is not correct.
Accidentally is often mispronounced and misspelled.
The correct word has five syllables ac-ci-den-tal-ly: "The use of accidently is considered a gross error and displays a lack of knowledge of what is supposed to be the correct spelling and pronunciation."
acclamation, acclimation
acclamation (ak" luh MAY shuhn)
1. Loud applause, shout of approval: "The queen received an acclamation from the crowd."
2. A voice vote, shout of approval: "He was elected president of the union by acclamation."
acclimation (ak" li MAY shuhn, ak" luh MAY shuhn)
1. To be accustomed to a different climate, environment, situation, or circumstance: "More time will be needed for the acclimation of the new workers and their equipment."
2. Adaptation of an organism to its natural climatic environment: "Now that winter is over, the spring acclimation of earthworms will proceed naturally."
There was no need for polling the delegates because they nominated her for prsident with a thunderous acclamation.
In fact, she found that acclimation to the suddenly new heights of power was not at all difficult to experience.
acentric, eccentric
acentric (ay SEN trik)
1. Not near the center, not central: "He used an acentric wheel to grind off the rough places on the edges of his metal sculpture."
eccentric (ik SEN trik, ek SEN trik)
1. Departing from a recognized, conventional, or established norm or pattern: "She was a kind but eccentric woman."
2. Strange or unusual: "He had eccentric behavior and ideas that were weird as indicated by his eccentric clothes."
3. Not following a perfectly circular path: "The asteroid was moving in an eccentric orbit around the star."
-aceous, -acious, -atious
This confusing ending is pronounced the same in all three spellings.
-aceous (AY shuhs)
Characterized by, relating to a group; such as, a plant family. Of the common words, only curvaceous ends in -aceous; however, a great many technical terms from botany, zoology, chemistry, medicine, etc. have this spelling: herbaceous, sebaceous, setaceous, etc.
-acious (AY shuhs)
Full of, characterized by, or tending toward. The most frequent form in use is -acious: audacious, gracious, pugnacious, etc.
-atious (AY shuhs)
Inclined to -ation or, some say, "The suffix is actually -ous and means "full of". The following end in -atious: disputatious, flirtatious, ostentatious, vexatious. Note that for each of these there is a corresponding noun in -ation: disputation, flirtation, ostentation, and vexation.
Keep in mind that -acious is more than likely to be the correct ending whenever there is any serious doubt as to which suffix to use.
acetic, ascetic; aesthetic, esthetic
acetic (uh SEE tik)
1. Sour, acerbic: "These pickles are too acetic; that is, too sour!"
2. A reference to vinegar or other acid characteristics: "The acetic flavor of vinegar is used in salad dressings to give them a little punch."
ascetic (uh SET ik)
A life of rigorous self-discipline and self-denial; an abstainer: "Some believe that most of the early saints chose to be ascetic."
aesthetic, esthetic (es THET ik)
Characterized by a heightened sensitivity to beauty: "There are practical as well as aesthetic reasons for planting trees."
acronym, anagram
acronym (AK ruh nim)
A word formed from the first (or first few) letters of a series of words; such as, radar (radio detecting and ranging): "Some people are confused by what appears to be one acronym after another, especially on the internet and by government organizations."
anagram (AN uh gram")
A word or phrase made from another by rearranging its letters (Ex.: now can become won; dread can be transformed into adder): "The anagram is just one of many kinds of word games that are around."
acts; ax, axe
acts (AKS)
1. Somethings done; deeds: "He did a series of acts of kindness for the poor woman."
2. A process of doing certain things: "He was caught in three acts of stealing."
3. The main divisions of a play or opera: "The play had five acts."
4. Displays of affected or pretended behavior: "She is not really angry; she has been putting on these acts to get attention."
ax or axe (AKS)
1. A tool with a flat, sharp blade fastened on a handle, used for chopping, splitting, and shaping wood: "He used his ax to chop wood for the fireplace."
2. To be dismissed from a job; to be fired (informal): "She got the ax because she would not work overtime when asked to do so by her supervisor."
"Will companies axe ad spending next year?"
acuity, acumen, acute
acuity (uh KYOO uh tee)
1. Perceptual keenness; such as, with hearing, sight, or the intellect: "There is no doubt that tiredness affects visual acuity."
2. Related to acute, with its sense of sharpness, acuity is used with reference to any human faculty and applied to any of the five senses as well as of the mind: "He was a man of great political acuity."
acumen (uh KYOO muhn)
1. Mental sharpness, intelligence, sagacity: "She has considerable business and financial acumen."
2. Quickness in understanding and dealing with a situation; keen insight: "The student contestant had the acumen to figure out which version of the homograph to spell correctly."
acute (uh KYOOT)
1. Having a sharp point: "Angles of less than 90 degrees are called acute angles."
2. Extremely severe and sharp; as an acute pain: "He is suffering from acute appendicitis."
3. Keenly perceptive or discerning, ingenious: "Einstein is said to have been a man of uncommonly acute intelligence."
ad, add
ad (AD)
Short for advertisement: "He placed an ad in the paper."
add (AD)
1. To find the sum of numbers or quantities: "They tried to add the total number of people."
2. To go on to say or to write more: "She said good-by and wanted to add that she had a pleasant visit."
3. To join one thing to another so as to increase the number, quantity, or the importance of something: "They decided to add a new wing to the house."
adapt, adept, adopt
adapt (uh DAPT)
1. To make suitable by changing or adjusting; conform to: "The chameleon can adapt to its surroundings by changing color."
"He could not adapt himself to such a primitive society."
2. To fit for a new use; rework, convert, make suitable, modify, alter: "They will adapt the drama from a short story."
adept (uh DEPT)
Skillful, adroit, proficient: "She is adept at organizational work while he is adept in needlecraft."
adopt (uh DAHPT)
1. To choose as one’s own child: "Many childless couples adopt children."
2. To take up and use (an idea, a practice, etc.) as one’s own: "We wanted to adopt a Latin motto for our business."
3. To accept and to put into effect; formally approve: "Schools must adopt new methods of teaching English vocabulary."
addenda, addendum, agenda
addenda (uh DEN duh) (plural)
Things to be added, as in a supplement or an appendix: "The author included an addenda of new materials in his book."
addendum (uh DEN dum) (singular)
Something that has been added in a written document: "The report has an addendum clarifying certain points."
agenda (uh JEN duh)
A list of things to be done at a meeting; schedule, program: "What is on your agenda today?"
Agenda was originally the plural of Latin agendum (thing to be done) and is still considered by some to be a plural form.
In modern English; however, agenda is usually considered as the singular form with agendas the plural: "What is on the agenda for the meeting?"
"The secretary kept track of the two executives? agendas."
adder, adder
adder (AD uhr)
Someone or something that adds; especially, a computational device that performs arithmetic additions: "She used her adder to determine her total income for the year."
adder (AD uhr)
Any of several nonvenomous snakes; such as, the milk snake of North America, popularly believed to be harmful: "While going for a walk, we suddenly saw what we believed was an adder crawling through the grass."
addible, edible
addible (AD uh b'l)
That which can be increased in size, quantity, quality, or scope: "She found that her yard still had addible areas for the new flowers."
"The new part-time job made it possible to have addible cash for our expenses."
edible (ED uh buhl)
1. Anything which can be safely eaten: "We were looking for edible fruit on the trees in the back."
2. Fit to be eaten; especially, by humans: "Not all of the decorations on the gingerbread house were edible; so, they had to be careful about what they ate."
addition, edition
addition (ad DISH uhn)
1. A mathematical summation: "Addition is usually taught before subtraction."
2. Including: "The addition of a baby to the household changed our lives."
3. Increase, enlargement, extra: "The addition in cost over last year’s tuition is $500."
4. Annex, extension, adjunct: "The addition to the town library will double its size."
edition (i DISH uhn)
1. One of a number of printings of books and newspapers: "The book was so popular that the publisher had to print a fifth edition."
2. The size, style, or form in which a book is published: "The publisher also printed a smaller pocket edition."
adduce, deduce
adduce (uh DOOS, uh DYOOS)
Offer as a reason in support of an argument; cite as pertinent, conclusive, or persuasive: "At least the speaker did adduce three reasons for his actions."
deduce (di DOOS, di DYOOS)
1. Reach a conclusion by reasoning: "The police officer was able to deduce that the criminal was a man."
2. Trace the course, descent, or origin of: "From her conversation, I could deduce that she had a large family."
adherence, adherents
adherence (ad HIR uhns)
1. A steady attachment, as of a person to a rule: "The coach demanded adherence to the rules of the game."
2. Adhesiveness, stickiness: "Put more glue on the wallpaper to increase its adherence."
adherents (ad HIR uhnts)
Supporters, allies, followers; sticking or holding together: "He is a leader with many loyal adherents."
adhesion, cohesion
adhesion (ad HEE zhuhn)
A sticking together, as of substances or tissues: "Glue and paste provide the means of adhesion as well as adhesive tape."
cohesion (koh HEE zhuhn)
1. Particles of the same substance sticking together; unity, particles that are united in a single mass: "By the time she poured the cake batter into the pans, the mixture had a smooth cohesion."
2. A story whose facts all make sense and fit together: "It is much easier to follow the story in the newspaper because of the cohesion of the facts that were presented."
3. A group which is united and sticks together: "Sometimes financial needs can be used as a cohesive social force."
adjoin, adjourn
adjoin (uh JOIN)
To be next to; to be in contact with: "Yes, as strange as it may be, the hospital did adjoin the cemetery."
adjourn (uh JURN)
1. To put off or to suspend until a future time: "The meeting will adjourn until next week."
2. Move, depart for: "Having finished dinner, they decided to adjourn to the living room."
admission, admittance
admission (ad MISH uhn)
1. The act of allowing someone to enter; applies to an acceptance that carries certain rights and privileges: "The admission of aliens into some countries has become a big issue for certain governments."
"He sought admission to the convention."
2. The power or right of entering; permission to enter: "Now is the time to apply for admission into this college."
3. A voluntary acknowledgment of truth: "With his admission of the truth to the police, they were able to solve the mystery."
admittance (ad MIT'ns)
1. The right to enter; permission to enter: "Admittance is by invitation only."
2. Permission to enter or the right of entry: "We had the privilege of being allowed admittance to the private party."
adolescence, adolescents
adolescence (ad'l ES uhns)
Growth from childhood to adulthood: "The period of adolescence is an important introduction to adulthood."
adolescents (ad'l ES uhns)
People growing up from childhood to adulthood, especially those from about 12 to about 20 years of age; youthful, teenagers: "Over 70 percent of today adolescents are expected to finish high school."
adverse, averse
adverse (ad VURS, AD vurs")
Opposed to, hostile to; unfavorable, contrary: "Adverse winds prevented our plane from arriving on time."
"Do not be discouraged by adverse criticism."
averse (uh VURS)
Disliking; unwilling; having a feeling of great distaste or an inclination against something or someone: "My father is always averse to spending money."
"I do not approve of liquor in any form and I am even averse to drinking wine."
The adverse publicity didn't hurt his career; however, the hostility of the crowd did make him averse to performing at the next theatrical performance.
advice, advise
advice (ad VIGHS) (always a noun)
1. A recommended opinion; counsel: "Since this is a legal matter, get a lawyer’s advice."
2. Formal or official information about something; intelligence, news, report: "Advice from abroad indicates that war is about to begin."
advise (ad VIGHZ) (always a verb)
1. To offer an opinion or a course of action; to counsel; to recommend: "I advise you to reconsider your decision to sell your car."
"I advise you to take her advice."
2. To inform, tell, notify, make known: "The weather report did advise us that the roads were too icy for the trip."
I advise you to take his advice and increase your vocabulary skills now.
aerie; airy; eerie, eery
aerie (ER ee, IR ee)
The nest of an eagle, or other bird, of prey which is constructed in a high place: "He was able to see the eagle's aerie on the side of the mountain."
airy (ER ee)
1. Well-ventilated: "The castle halls were large and airy."
2. Jaunty, sprightly, lively, frolicsome: "The little goats hopped around in an airy way."
"The band played an airy tune."
3. Imaginary, fanciful, dreamy, ethereal, unrealistic: "Her head was full of airy thoughts."
eerie, eery (IR ee)
So strange as to inspire a feeling of fear; uneasy because of superstitious fear; ominous, ghostly, spooky: "Seeing the old graveyard; especially, at night, gave us an eerie (or eery) feeling."
affect, effect
affect (uh FEKT)
1. As a verb: To influence, to act on, to modify, to pertain to: "The rain will affect our plans for a picnic."
"The soft, gentle breezes affect her disposition."
2. To pretend, to feign: "She is from New York, but she just had to affect a British accent."
3. As a noun: A feeling, an emotion: "The affect of her speech was to cause anger and great dissension."
effect (i FEKT)
1. As a noun: A result, a change; usually; a consequence: "The farmers felt the effect of the drought for several years."
"The soft gentle breezes have an effect on his disposition."
2. Actuality, fact, reality: "In effect, her insult meant the end of our friendship."
3. Influence, power, force: "The plea for clemency had no effect on the judge."
4. As a verb: to produce, to accomplish, to bring about: "Do you think a new hairdo will effect my appearance?"
The affect of the curve ball did not effect his hitting a home run.
affinity, infinity
affinity (uh FIN uh tee)
1. Natural liking, fondness; rapport: "Many classical musicians have an affinity for jazz."
2. Family resemblance, similarity, likeness: "There is a close affinity between lemons and limes."
infinity (in FIN uh tee)
1. Unlimited space, time, distance; extending beyond any measure or comprehension; without beginning or end: "Beyond the Earth we find infinity."
2. In photography, a distance setting, as on a camera, beyond which the entire field is in focus: "She set the lens on her camera to infinity so objects at a distance would be in focus."
affluence, affluents, effluence, effluents, influence
affluence (AF loo wuhns; af LOO wuhns)
An abundance of riches, wealth, or opulence: "The ideal economy has enough affluence to benefit everyone."
affluents (AF loo wuhns; af LOO wuhns)
Applies to people who have large incomes, usually incomes spent freely: "They were obviously affluents who were members of the international jet set."
effluence (EF loo uhns)
1. The act or process of flowing out: "The effluence of enthusiasm could not be repressed."
2. Something that flows out or forth; the emitting or sending out: "The odor of the gas leak became an effluence that made several people ill."
effluents (EF loo uhns)
Liquids; such as sewage or industrial chemicals, that are released as waste: "The factory has been accused of discharging effluents into the river."
influence (IN floo wuhns)
1. The power of a person or a thing to affect others, seen only in its effect: "Special-interest groups have too much influence on government."
2. The ability to produce effects indirectly by means of power based on wealth, high position, etc.: "She had a strong urge to marry him not for love but because of his affluence (wealth) and influence in politics."
aggravate, annoy, exasperate, irritate
aggravate (AG gruh vayt")
1. To make worse, make more severe; to intensify: "Don't scratch because you will only aggravate the itch."
2. To exasperate, anger, vex: "His bossy attitude tends to aggravate me."
annoy (uh NOI)
1. To cause uneasiness to; especially, by repeated acts; to make somewhat angry: "Please let me know if playing my radio will annoy you during work."
2. To trouble, to upset, to disturb: "Why did you have to annoy me during my afternoon nap?"
exasperate (ig ZAS puh rayte")
1. To provoke, peeve, infuriate; slang, to bug, turn off: "Constant interruptions will only exasperate the speaker."
2. To make someone very angry or frustrated, often by repeatedly doing something agitating: "Please don't exasperate me with your constant bickering."
irritate (IR i tayt")
1. To exasperate, anger, make impatient, provoke: "The mother was afraid that her child whining might irritate the nurse."
2. To make painful, to make sore: "Woolen clothing will irritate the rash."
The sound of the music from the apartment upstairs is starting to annoy me.
If it gets much louder, it will aggravate me to the point that I will become exasperated and I will go upstairs to speak to the person and hope that I don irritate him too much.
agnostic, agnostic
agnostic (ag NAHS tik)
Someone who believes that it is impossible to know whether there is a God or who is skeptical about the existence of God but does not profess true atheism: "The man said that he was an agnostic; that is, he did not know if there is a God or not; he simply did not know."
agnostic (ag NAHS tik)
Anyone who is doubtful, unsure, or noncommittal about something: "President Barack Obama said he is agnostic about raising taxes on households making less than $250,000 as part of a broad effort to rein in the budget deficit."
?Obama 'Agnostic' on Deficit Cuts, Won Prejudge Tax Increases"
By Rich Miller; Business Week; February 11, 2010.
"The woman was considered a political agnostic because she lacked strong political beliefs about supporting the views of the major party."agnostic, atheist, deist, theist
agnostic (ag NOS tik)
Someone who believes that there can be no proof of the existence of God, but does not deny the possibility that God exists: "At our theology lecture, there were several people making presentations, one of whom was an agnostic who explained that there is no proof that God exists."
atheist (AY thee ist)
A disbeliever, denier of God's existence: "I believe in the existence of God, but my brother is an atheist and doesn't have such a belief."
deist (DEE ist)
Someone who believes in God based on reason rather than revelation and involves the view that God has set the universe in motion but does not interfere with how it exists: "My friend is a deist who believes in God as the creator of the universe but that humans are allowed to determine the kind of existence they feel is appropriate whether for good or for bad."
theist (THEE ist)
Someone who believes in a personal God as creator and ruler of the universe, but not necessarily accompanied by a belief in divine revelation; such as, through the Bible: "She is a member of a theist group believing in God but not necessarily as depicted in the Bible."
aid, aide
aid (AYD)
1. To help, assist, give a helping hand: "There are not enough organizations that give aid to the poor."
2. To foster, promote; make easy: "A good dictionary is an essential aid in the improvement of the English language."
aide (AYD)
An assistant or an adjutant: "The colonel served as an aide (aide-de-camp) or military assistant and a confidential assistant, for the general."
If she continues to behave that way, no one will come to her aid; but this time, she was fortunate because the doctor sent a very talented aide to give her the medication that she needed
ail, ale
ail (AYL)
1. To feel sick, be ill, have pain: "This medicine is good for whatever may ail you."
2. To cause uneasiness or pain; to afflict, to sicken: "Showing a little sadness in my demeanor, people were wondering what could possibly ail me."
ale (AYL)
A bitter beer; a fermented alcoholic beverage containing malt and hops, similar to but heavier than beer: "When he went to the store, he had a thirst for ale instead of the more bland lite-beer."
air, ere, err, heir
air (AIR)
1. The atmosphere we breathe: "Air is composed primarily of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and water vapor."
2. Biosphere, stratosphere, sky: "The rocket blasted off into the air."
3. Wind, breeze, draft, current: "Cold air blew in through the open window."
4. To place something in an open area where there is a breeze to make it cool, dry, or clean: "We put the blanket out on the line to air out."
ere (AIR)
Prior to; before in time: "We will have a warm fire ere nightfall and so ere long we will be comfortable."
This is an old-fashioned or a literary term.
err (ER, UR, or AIR)
1. To make a mistake, slip up, miscalculate: "Banks rarely err in figuring a checking account balance."
2. To deviate from an established moral code; to transgress, sin, misbehave: "To err is human, to forgive divine."
heir (AIR; not HAIR)
1. One who is legally entitled to inherit and to own an estate after the previous owner’s death; a beneficiary, an inheritor: "The millionaire’s only heir was his son."
2. A person who succeeds or is in line to succeed to a hereditary rank, title, or office: "The king did not have an heir when he died."
An heir is someone who may be worth more financially than others and still be worthless.
Evan Esar
aisle, I'll, isle
aisle (IGHL)
A passageway or corridor; for example: a narrow aisle between two rows of seats; a path way: "The aisle was crammed with people."
I'll (IGHL)
A contraction of "I will" or "I shall": "I’ll do it as soon as I can."
isle (IGHL)
A very small island, an islet: "He bought his own private isle so he could build a house and have more privacy."
"We’ll go to that beautiful isle where I’ll walk down the aisle with my wonderful bride."
I'll bet after they walk down the aisle, the bride and groom will leave for that distant isle they have talked about so often.
alimentary, elementary
alimentary (al" uh MEN tuh ree, al" uh MEN tree)
Connected with food, nutrition: "The surgeon removed an obstruction in Sam's alimentary canal."
elementary (el" uh MEN tuh ree, el" uh MEN tree)
Connected with rudiments, fundamentals: "The little boy has just started elementary school."
all, awl
all (AWL)
1. The whole of something; the entire contents of: "We drank all the milk that was left in the fridge."
2. Every one of, each of; the whole number of: "All of the people had to be checked before they could get into the aircraft."
3. Everything, every item; the whole quantity: "Is that all that you can carry?"
awl (AWL)
A tool for making holes in wood, leather, etc.: "The shoe repairman used an awl to make a new shoe-lace hole."
allay, alley, alleys, alloy, ally
allay (uh LAY)
1. To make something less severe or strong: "The managers of the store tried to allay fears that some of the workers would lose their jobs."
2. To rest, to relieve: "Medicine will allay a person's pain."
alley (AL ee)
1. A passageway, a narrow thoroughfare, narrow back street: "There was a busy street in front of the house and an alley behind it."
2. Narrow passage: "This alley leads nowhere."
Alley follows the simple rule of adding an ?to become a plural; "alley, alleys": "Cats prowled the alleys of the town."
alleys (AL oi", uh LOI)
Narrow passages: "The city has many blind alleys."
alloy (AL oi", uh LOI)
A metal made by melting and mixing two or more metals or a metal and another material mixed together: "Part of the freezer was made of aluminum alloy."
ally (uh LIGH; AL igh)
1. Associate, partner, friend; collaborator: "The United States was an ally of Great Britain in two world wars."
2. To join with, band together: "Many of the townspeople planned to ally themselves as a group in an effort to lower their taxes."
Don't confuse alleys with allies, the plural of ally: "France was just one of the U.S. allies during the war."
With money you can buy all the allies you want, but they are never worth the price.
Anonymous
alligator, crocodile
alligator (AL i gay" tuhr)
A large reptile that lives near water, has thick scaly skin, powerful jaws, a long tail, and a shorter and broader snout than a crocodile. Native to the southern United States, and the Yangtze river in China: "We were surprised to see an alligator in our back yard during our Florida vacation."
crocodile (KRAWK uh dighl")
A large carnivorous reptile that lives near water, and has a long thick-skinned body and a broad head with strong jaws and which lives in geographical regions with hot weather; especially, the Nile crocodile: "When we went to Egypt, we saw a crocodile on the shore of the Nile river."
In the Alligatoridae, the teeth of the lower jaw fit inside those of the upper jaw, whereas in the Crocodylidae, the teeth of the two jaws form a single interdititating row when the jaws are closed.
In crocodiles, the fourth tooth of the lower jaw fits into an indentation of the upper jaw and is exposed to view when the mouth is closed.
In alligators, this tooth is hidden from view when the mouth is closed, because it fits into a pit which exists in the upper jaw.
Other physical characteristics exist; however, the foregoing information is the most outstanding.
Crocodilians are well-adapted as predators, with few natural enemies. Bony plates, called osteoderms, form a kind of armor in their thick skin.
Their teeth, about 30 to 40 in each jaw, are set into sockets in the jawbones and interlock when the mouth is closed.
Crocodilians are the most vocal reptiles, producing sounds from quiet hisses to fearsome roars and bellows, usually during the mating season. On land, crocodilians move quickly in a belly crawl but can also gallop and walk mammal-like on all four legs.
ompiled from information located in
"Crocodilia", Encyclopaedia Britannica; William Benton, Publisher;
Chicago; Illinois; 1968; pages 787-789.
all mighty, almighty
all mighty (awl MIGH tee)
When all of those in a group are in agreement, or disagreement, about something: "We're all mighty glad to see you."
almighty (awl MIGH tee)
Having absolute power; all-powerful: "Judaism is said to be the first religion to teach the existence of a supreme deity having almighty power."
allowed, aloud
allowed (uh LOUD)
1. To permit someone to do something; give permission to; authorize, approve: "My salary has not allowed me to live extravagantly."
"The teacher allowed us to leave school early."
2. Allocate, grant, provide: "Have you allowed yourself at least an hour to get to the airport?"
aloud (uh LOUD)
Not in a whisper; in a normal speaking voice, audibly: "If you want to say it aloud, go ahead."
"The ancients were in the habit of reading aloud even when they were alone."
all ready, already
all ready (awl RED ee)
Everyone or everything is prepared; quite ready in every particular; completely ready: "I was all ready to start my next job."
"They will go to the office when they are all ready."
already (awl RED ee)
1. By this time; soon: "Are you finished with your work already?"
2. Before this time: "We arrived at noon but you had already gone."
"When he arrived, the bus had already gone."
all right, all-right, alright
all right (awl RIGHT)
1. Healthy, in good health; safe, uninjured: "She was all right in spite of her accident."
2. Satisfactorily, acceptably: "The new cake recipe turned out to be all right."
3. Yes, very well: "All right, I will do it just as you want it to be done."
all-right (awl RIGHT)
When hyphenated, this is the spelling for the slang adjective: "He’s an all-right guy."
This is generally considered to be the only acceptable exception to all right.
alright
This is never an acceptable spelling for all right; regardless of how many times you may see it misspelled in print.
Alright, although often misused by many people, it is still considered substandard English!
Alright's Not All Right
By day and night
I sing this song:
"All right's all right;
Alright's all wrong."
Willard R. Espy
all together, altogether
all together (awl" tuh GETH uhr)
Everyone in a group: "We found the boys all together in the living room."
"We were all together for the whole day."
"All together now, everyone, let's sing!"
altogether (awl" tuh GETH uhr)
1. To the whole extent; completely; entirely: "The house was altogether destroyed by fire."
"We were not altogether pleased by the outcome of the election."
2. On the whole; considering everything: "Altogether, I'm sorry it happened."
3. Informal, naked; nude: "When she opened the door, there her little boy stood in the altogether."
allude, delude, deluge, elude, illude, refer
allude (uh LOOD)
To refer to indirectly without specific identification or details, to mention, to refer to: "He tried to allude to his childhood on the farm."
"The candidate was heard to allude to the recent war by saying, 'We’re all made sacrifices.' "
delude (di LOOD)
1. To cause someone to believe something that is not true: "She said, if he thinks I care, then he will simply delude himself."
2. To deceive the mind or judgment of: "Much of the spam on the internet is done to delude people with some scheme or trickery."
deluge (DEL yooj)
1. To flood with water; inundate; submerge: "The deluge of rain caused severe mudslides."
2. To give or to send someone a large amount of things at the same time: "There will be a deluge of mail after the holidays."
elude (i LOOD)
1. To avoid, escape from, evade as by daring, cleverness, or skill: "The burglar found a way to elude the police by hiding in a dumpster."
"Even later, the suspect continued to elude the police because they couldn't locate him."
2. To escape the understanding or grasp of: "This is a name that has always eluded me and it continues to elude me."
"The true meaning of his speech will elude me unless I can find a dictionary."
illude (il LOOD)
To deceive; to mock; to excite and to disappoint the hopes of: "Any increase in salary will simply illude us in this time of economic slowdown."
refer (ri FUHR)
1. To direct to a source for help or information: "After completing the forms, she was able to refer me to the personnel director."
2. To assign or to attribute to; make reference to: "The writer wanted us to refer to the history book so he could verify his point."
3. To turn, to go; to consult: "Refer to the last page of the book for answers."
To refer to someone or something is to mention directly with specific identification.
allusion, delusion, elusion, illusion
allusion (uh LOO zhuhn)
1. An indirect reference to something; a hint: "This book about American history makes a brief allusion to the ancient Greek idea of democracy."
2. A statement that refers to something without mentioning it directly; an implied or indirect reference: "She made an allusion to her first marriage, but she said nothing more revealing about it."
An allusion is never an outright or explicit mention of the person or thing the speaker seems to have in mind.
delusion (di LOO zhuhn)
1. A false idea, belief, or opinion that is contrary to fact or reality, resulting from deception or a misconception: "He labored under the delusion that he would be successful."
2. A mental disorder; a false belief strongly held in spite of invalidating evidence; especially, as a mental disorder: "He had a delusion that all women hated him."
"She had the delusion of being extraordinarily beautiful."
"He had the delusion that he was a young boy riding his tricycle as he was balanced on his head."
Technically, a delusion is a belief that, though false, has been surrendered to and accepted by the whole mind as the truth.
elusion (i LOO zhuhn)
Evasion, escape by deception: "The embezzlers celebrated their elusion of the police a little too soon because they were caught."
illusion (i LOO zhuhn)
1. A deception; a false, although often pleasant, notion; a misconception: "A person's illusion of youth fades with maturity."
2. A misleading visual impression; hallucination: "Mirrors give an illusion of more space in a room."
3. A deceptive appearance; anything that seems to be something else or something that seems to exist but actually does not: "He had the illusion that the woman was floating above his bed."
allusive, elusive, delusive, illusive,
allusive (uh LOO siv)
Suggestive, indirect reference to something: "He was always allusive regarding anything about his personal life and never provided any specific information."
elusive (i LOO siv)
1. Tending to slip away; hard to grasp or to perceive: "She had an elusive fragrance which we could not identify."
2. Difficult to find or to capture: "The truth is proving to be elusive."
delusive (di LOO siv)
Tending to mislead, to deceive: "She's being delusive when she tells us we can finish this job on time."
illusive (i LOO siv)
Deceptive, unreal, illusory: "He has illusive hopes of finding a better job."
"While he was lost in the desert, he saw an illusive oasis known as a mirage."
all ways, always
all ways (AWL wayz)
1. Every existing possibility, every method: "She investigated all ways that were possible to find her missing sister."
2. The entire distance, from start to finish: "All ways will be checked to see what we need to do to for this poor child."
3. Every way, all possible ways: "The teachers tried in all ways to interest Mary in studying."
always (AWL wiz, AWL wayz)
1. Every time, on every occasion, regularly, consistently: "We always start working at 0800 hours; however, she is always late."
2. Eternally, forever, perpetually: "He vowed that he would always love her."
3. At any time; in any event: "You may always get a new job if you want to."
altar, alter
altar (AWL tur)
Place of worship; a stand or platform in a place of worship: "He placed the Bible on the altar as he read passages to the congregation."
"She knelt at the altar to pray."
alter (ALW tur)
1. To change, transform, make different, modify: "The blond wig seemed to completely alter her appearance. She said she would also alter her dress."
2. To castrate or to spay an animal; such as, a cat or a dog: "The family dog was taken to the animal center so the vet could alter him."
The minister wanted to alter the church altar before the next worship service.
alternate, alternative
alternate (AWL tur nayt [verb]; AWL tur nit [adjective] [noun])
1. Occurring by turns; succeeding each other, take turns, change (verb): "He and his sister alternate washing the supper dishes."
2. One and then the other; every other, successive (adjective): "Each of the two druggists works on alternate Sundays."
"The awning had alternate red and white stripes."
3. Standby, backup, understudy (noun): "He attended the political convention not as a delegate but as an alternate."
alternative (awl TUR nuh tiv)
A choice between two or among more than two things; something remaining to be chosen; an option: "Is there an alternative to going?"
"If he wants to get to Los Angeles by tonight, he has no alternative but to go by plane."
The two words have quite separate and distinct meanings: alternate implies the taking of turns, while alternative implies a choice.
Let's not blow alternately hot and cold on this; the alternative to holding the line is fuzziness of meanings.
altitude, attitude
altitude (AL ti tood", AL ti tyood")
The height of a thing above a reference level, especially above sea level or above the earth's surface: "The aircraft was flying at an altitude of 9,000 feet (2.74 kilometers)."
attitude (AT i tood", AT i tyood")
A feeling or way of thinking which affects a person's behavior: "She has a positive attitude about the kind of work she is doing; however, he has an attitude problem (not friendly or cooperative)."
alumna, alumnae, alumnus, alumni
alumna (singular) (uh LUHM nuh)
A female graduate: "My mother is an alumna of the University of California."
alumnae (plural) (uh LUHM nee)
Female graduates: "My two sisters are both alumnae of Alpha High School."
alumnus (singular) (uh LUHM nuhs)
A male graduate: "He was an alumnus of the University of Iowa."
alumni (plural) (uh LUHM nigh)
1. Male graduates: "All of the graduates at the commencement were alumni because it was a males-only university."
2. Generally used to refer to both the alumni and alumnae of a coeducational institution: "My parents are alumni of the same college."
amateur, armature, neophyte, novice, tyro
amateur (AM uh toor", AM uh tuhr", AM uh choor", AM uh tyoor")
Someone who does something for pleasure rather than for payment and anyone with limited skills in, or knowledge of, an activity; nonprofessional: "An amateur is not allowed to play in most professional golf tournaments."
"An amateur shouldn't play professional poker for high stakes."
armature (AR muh choor")
An armor like covering: "The armature of this dynamo needs repair."
neophyte (NEE uh fight")
Any new participant in some activity; beginner, apprentice; a disciple, convert, proselyte, novitiate: "The neophyte learned the required church procedures very quickly."
novice (NOHV is)
Someone who is beginning, or who is learning, an activity and has acquired little skill in it; a beginner, an apprentice: "He's a novice in the blacksmith's trade."
tyro (TIGH roh)
Someone who is just beginning to learn something and who is new to a field or activity, a beginner, a learner: "The old pro gave the tyro some tips on how to do the job more efficiently."
Additional clarifications regarding amateur, neophyte, novice, and tyro
Amateur, the most widely used of these four terms, is applied to someone who follows or pursues any art, study, or other activity simply from the love of doing it.In certain activities; especially, sports, an amateur is anyone who, regardless of excellence, receives no payment for his or her performance: "Alice played as an amateur for five years before becoming a professional."
Neophyte also refers to a beginner (novice, tyro), but the term is usually applied to a recent church convert; especially, to a novice in a religious order and to a recently ordained priest.
A novice is a beginner, a person new to any field or activity: "Some young brides are novices when it comes to housekeeping."
Tyro is closely related in meaning to novice; because it refers to someone who is inexperienced: "James was a tyro during his first weeks at training camp."
An amateur may be skilled and even experienced, but neophytes, novices, and tyros never are. A neophyte, novice, or tyro may be a professional, but an amateur never is.
Based on information from
Dictionary of Problem Words and Expressions by Harry Shaw;
McGraw-Hill Book Company; New York; 1975; page 71.
amelioration, melioration, pejoration
amelioration (uh meel" yuh RAY shuhn)
A making or becoming better; improvement: "Efforts of amelioration are being made for the suffering of people who have lost their jobs."
melioration (meel" yuh RAY shuhn; mee" lee uh RAY shuhn)
1. The act or process of improving something or the state of being improved: "We are hoping for a melioration of the financial situation for our company."
2. The linguistic process by which a word over a period of time grows more elevated in meaning or more positive in connotation: "The word nice has gone through the process of melioration because it formerly meant 'foolish'."
pejoration (pej uh RAY shuhn; pee" juh RAY shuhn)
1. The process or condition of worsening or degenerating; deterioration: "The global financial situation is going through a process of pejoration."
2. The process by which the meaning of a word becomes negative or less elevated over a period of time: "The word silly, which formerly meant 'deserving sympathy, helpless, or simple', has gone through pejoration, resulting in the meanings of 'showing a lack of good sense, frivolous.' "
amend, emend
amend (uh MEND)
1. To change for the better; to improve; to rectify: "I would advise you to amend your manners."
"He was sincerely trying to amend his bad habits."
2. To change, to revise, to modify: "The members of the club voted to amend the constitution."
emend (i MEND)
To improve by critical editing; to correct, to revise: "We must emend the report by inserting the right data."
"The editor thought it was necessary to emend the punctuation in the author's essay."
amiable, amicable
amiable (AY mee uh buhl)
Friendly and agreeable in disposition; good-natured and likable: "Amiable neighbors help make a house a home."
"He has an amiable personality."
amicable (AM i kuh buhl)
Characterized by or exhibiting friendliness or goodwill; peaceable, agreeable: "If wars are to end, nations must learn amicable means of settling their disputes."
Amiable is more often used to describe people and amicable to describe actions, gestures, etc.
Examples include: "The next-door neighbors are amiable people."
"The union and the company reached an amicable settlement in their contract dispute."
amity, enmity
amity (AM i tee)
A feeling of friendship: "Friendly relations between nations or groups could give mankind an era of international amity."
enmity (EN mi tee)
A very deep unfriendly feeling: "There is a long history of enmity between him and his fellow workers because of his comments against the labor union."
"It's a mistake to ignore the lethal enmity between Bin Laden and Hamas."
his quote is from "The subtext of Bin Laden's message";
The Boston Globe editorial; as seen in the International Herald Tribune;
January 23, 2009; page 6.
amnesia, aphasia
amnesia (am NEE zhuh)
A loss of memory as a result of a shock, an injury, a psychological disturbance, or some kind of medical disorder: "Because of the shock caused by a head injury, the man's amnesia resulted in a total loss of memory regarding his past life."
aphasia (uh FAY zhuh)
One in a group of speech disorders in which there is a defect, or loss, of the power of expression and comprehension of spoken or written language or signs: "My brother suddenly had aphasia as a result of brain damage resulting from the automobile-accident."
among, between
among (uh MUHNG)
1. Relationships involving more than two: "The teachers apparently agreed among themselves that the curricula needed revisions."
2. In the midst of; surrounded by: "We were in the forest among the trees."
3. In the company of; in association with: "We were traveling among a group of tourists."
between (bi TWEEN)
1. Applied to relationships involving only two: "The apple pie was shared between the two sisters."
2. Also applicable to two or more when the items are distinctly separate: "The car was driven between several houses before it came to a stop."
3. Intermediate to, as in quantity, amount, or degree: "We found that it costs between fifteen and twenty dollars."
4. Often used to express a reciprocal relationship: "You will have to choose between riding and walking."
amoral, immoral, unmoral
amoral (ay MOHR uhl)
1. Neither moral nor immoral; that is, not showing concern for what is right or wrong in human behavior: "He is an amoral, selfish man who is only interested in pursuing his own personal goals regardless how others may be harmed."
2. Not caring about right and wrong: "The governor has a cynical and amoral way of striving to increase his personal political objectives."
immoral (i MOR uhl)
Contrary to established social principles; corrupt, evil, wrong: "Selling illegal drugs to anyone is immoral."
unmoral (uhn MOR uhl)
Having no perception of what is right or wrong or unable to distinguish right from wrong: "An infant or any one who is mentally incapable of knowing what is right or wrong is considered to be unmoral; that is, neither moral nor immoral."
amused, bemused
amused (uh MYOOZ'd)
Entertained, occupied; interested: "We amused ourselves by playing games until our parents got back home."
bemused (bi MYOOZ'd)
1. Mildly amused; engrossed, thoughtful: "He gave the child a bemused look."
2. Confused, muddled, bewildered: "The wine left him somewhat bemused."
The people were greatly amused by the antics of the animals in the field, then they became quite bemused when for no apparent reason the creatures suddenly ran and hid in their holes.
an, and
an (AN)
One, each: "This is an excellent report."
and (AND)
Also, plus: "He ate a peach and a pear."
analyst, annalist
analyst (AN uh list)
Someone with specialized knowledge or skill who studies or examines something by separating it into its constituent elements and gives an assessment, description, or explanation of it: "In business, a person must be a good analyst of his or her commercial possibilities."
annalist (AN uh list)
1. Someone who writes records of events arranged chronologically by each year or by successive years; a chronicler: "The annalist wrote a series of chronicles about the events that took place during the existence of the club."
2. A writer, or historian, who compiles the records and reports of an organization or a learned field in chronological order: "The historical annalist compiled a book about the city over the last 100 years."
anecdote, antidote
anecdote (AN ik doht")
An interesting incident or brief history; a short narrative; sometimes, a humorous account: "Have you noticed that many public speakers begin their talks with a humorous anecdote?"
antidote (AN ti doht")
1. A remedy to counteract poison; an antitoxin: "Doctors rushed an antidote to the boy who was bitten by a snake."
2. Anything that works against an unwanted condition; a remedy or a cure: "A hobby is considered a good antidote for boredom and for keeping our minds active."
Be sure you spell and pronounce anecdote properly. Do not confuse it with antidote: "Jane told an anecdote about her early childhood."
"Is there an antidote for strychnine poisoning?"
angel, angle
angel (AYN juhl; soft g)
1. A celestial or heavenly being; a heavenly spirit: "The angel Gabriel is mentioned in the Bible."
2. A financial backer for a play; a patron, a sponsor: "He is an angel of the new play on Broadway."
An angel is a person who puts up money for theatrical plays when it's a case of dough or die.
Evan Esar
angle (ANG guhl; hard g)1. A geometric figure, as of a triangle: "A vertical line will meet a horizontal line at an angle of 90 degrees."
2. A bend, a corner, or an edge: "The road makes a sharp angle just over that hill."
3. To fish with a hook and line: "They wanted to angle for trout today."
4. Trying to get something in a clever or indirect way: "She will angle for a promotion when she tells her boss about her new selling technique."
5. Point of view or a viewpoint; a perspective: "Try to look at the situation from my angle."
"The view of the valley is beautiful from this angle."
angry, mad
angry (ANG gree")
Feeling extremely annoyed, often about an insult or a wrong; enraged, furious; hostile, hateful: "Her rudeness makes me angry."
"She's in an angry mood."
mad (MAD)
1. Angry; resentful, infuriated: "If you keep teasing that dog, you are going to make him mad."
2. Suffering from a disorder of the mind; insane, deranged: "Some people have periods during which they are absolutely mad or out of their heads."
anguish, languish
anguish (ANG gwish)
Extreme anxiety or emotional torment; grief, woe: "The mother waited in anguish for news of her missing child."
languish (LANG gwish)
1. To undergo hardship as a result of being deprived of something, typically attention, independence, or freedom: "He lost his accustomed vigor and was about to languish in the tropical climate."
2. To long for something that is being denied; to pine for: "After days in the hospital without visitors, he could only languish for the sight of his family."
annalize; analyze
annalize (AN nuh lighz)
1. To record; to write in annals: "His main job was to annalize, or to record, events as they were arranged chronologically by the year."
2. To record history in general, as it is recorded in books and other documents: "She was known to annalize the historical past of her city."
analyze (AN uh lighz")
1. To examine something in great detail in order to understand it better or to discover more about it; to separate and examine the parts of something: "The doctor wanted to analyze the blood sample for anemia."
2. To study the structure of something or how its constituent parts are put together: "The mathematician will analyze his figures again."
annual, annul, perennial
annual (AN yoo uhl)
1. Yearly, occurring every year or once a year: "Most people have an annual birthday celebration."
2. A plant that lives for only one year or season: "We planted some annual flowers in front of the house."
3. A book or magazine that is published once a year: "We just received the annual publication about new words which have been created this year."
annul (uh NUHL)
To cancel; to invalidate, to rescind: "The contract was annulled because it was not legally signed by both parties."
perennial (puh REN ee uhl)
1. Lasting through the year; that is, continuous: "Perennial air pollution continues to cause problems in many major cities of the world."
2. Lasting indefinitely; perpetual, continual: "She sits there with that perennial grin on her face."
3. In botany, having a life span of more than two years; such as, a perennial plant: "There are many perennial plants that produce flowers every year."
It is that time of year when annually I plant several new perennial flowers in my garden.
I chose this year’s annuals and perennials from the new seed and flower catalog which I receive on an annual basis. Last year, I had to annul my old subscription for the different catalog.
ant, aunt
ant (ANT)
Any of various social insects of the family Formicidae living in highly organized social colonies: "As I was eating a piece of cake, I saw an ant on my plate."
aunt (ANT, AWNT)
The sister of one’s father or mother, or the wife of a person's uncle: "My aunt and my cousin, her son, went to a movie."
An ant is said to be a small insect that’s always busy; yet, always finds time to go on picnics with your aunt.
antagonist, protagonist
antagonist (an TAG uh nist)
1. Someone, or something, opposing or in conflict with another person or thing; an opponent: "His antagonist in the debate was smarter than he was."
2. A major character in a book, play, or movie whose values or behaviors are in conflict with those of the primary character, or hero: "The objective of the antagonist in the story was to destroy the protagonist in battle."
protagonist (proh TAG uh nist)
The most important, or primary, character (good or evil) in a novel, play, story, or other literary work: "The protagonist had to defend himself against the opposition of the antagonist."
An antagonist is really someone opposed to another person, an "opponent".
ante-, ante, anti-; auntie, aunty
ante- (AN tee)
A prefix meaning "before": "The novel was set in the antebellum South."
ante (AN tee)
1. In poker, to put up a stake before the cards are dealt, or before drawing new cards; "ante up": "The dealer waited until everyone had anted up before he dealt the cards."
2. Often used figuratively: "Parents are usually expected to ante up, or to pay, for their children's college education."
3. To increase an amount or level; such as, to raise the cost or price of something: "The popular actress first demanded twice the salary offered to her but then she kept upping the ante."
4. To increase the risk or possible harm that could result from something: "The new law ups the ante, or increases penalties for, people who cheat on their taxes."
anti- (AN tigh, AN tee)
A prefix meaning against or contrary: "I am definitely antiwar because there must be better ways to settle international disputes."
Exceptions: antipasto (Italian, where anti-, "before" + pasto "food") and anticipate (and their related forms), which in these examples means "before".
auntie, aunty (AN tee, AUN tee)
An informal way of saying "aunt": "My favorite auntie and cousin decided to go to the movies together."
antecedence, antecedents
antecedence (an" ti SEED ns)
The act or state of going before in time; precedence; priority in time, pre-existence: "In any chronology, everything has antecedence (precedence) to something else."
antecedents (ant" uh SEED uhnts)
The history, events, characteristics, etc., of one's earlier life; ancestors, forefathers: "My antecedents were all pioneers."
any one, anyone
any one (EN ee wuhn", EN ee wuhn)
Used to distinguish one person from others in the same group or class; any single person or thing: "Any one of these men could be guilty."
"Not more than twelve new members are admitted to the club in any one year."
anyone (EN ee wuhn", EN ee wuhn)
Any person at all: "Can anyone identify the culprit who committed this crime?"
"If anyone calls, please take a message."
apiary, aviary
apiary (AY pi er" i)
A place for bees: "The farmer had an apiary for his bees so they could produce honey."
aviary (AY vi er" i)
A place for birds; such as, a cage, house, or enclosure: "She kept several birds in her aviary."
aplomb, a plum, a plumb
aplomb (uh PLOM, uh PLUM)
Confidence, skill, and poise; especially, in difficult or challenging circumstances: "A good hostess can handle an embarrassing situation with great aplomb."
a plum (uh PLUM)
A round or oval smooth-skinned fruit, usually red or purple, containing a flattened pit: "She gave me a plum to eat which was delicious."
a plumb (uh PLUM)
1. As a noun, a weight, usually made of lead, attached to a line and used to find the depth of water or to verify a true vertical alignment: "He used a lead ball, a plumb, attached to a line so he could determine the vertical accuracy of the building's walls."
2. Also, as a verb, to examine something in a careful and complete way in order to understand it: "The book strives to plumb the complexities of human relationships."
"As a psychologist, he spent several years trying to plumb the minds of criminals."
apportion, proportion
apportion (uh POR shuhn; uh POHR shuhn)
To divide and to assign according to a plan; to allot: "They will have to apportion the proceeds from the auction to the families."
proportion (pruh POR shuhn, pruh POHR shuhn)
A relationship between things or parts of things with respect to comparative magnitude, quantity, or degree: "Some of the money goes to cover expenses, but a large proportion is donated to charity."
apposite, opposite
apposite (AP uh zit)
Especially well suited to the circumstances; strikingly appropriate and relevant: "When asked about her political choices, she made an apposite answer."
opposite (AHP uh zit)
1. Placed or located directly across from something else or from each other: "The two houses are on opposite sides of the street."
2. Facing the other way; moving or tending away from each other: "They went in opposite directions."
appraise, apprise, a prize
appraise (uh PRAYZ)
To place a value on; to judge the worth of something: "The agent wanted to appraise the house at $100,000 for tax purposes."
apprise (uh PRIGHZ)
To inform or to give notice to someone about something; to notify: "Police should apprise an arrested person of his/her right to remain silent and to be represented by a lawyer."
a prize (uh PRIGHZ)
Something offered or won as an award for superiority or victory, as in a contest or competition: "He won a prize for compiling the best computer program."
appreciate, depreciate, deprecate
appreciate (uh PREE shee ayt")
1. Be grateful for, be thankful for, regard highly: "We appreciate all that you have done for us."
2. To realize the worth of, estimate justly "You don't have to be a connoisseur to appreciate good cooking."
3. To increase in value: "Given the history of this company, your investment could appreciate over the months."
depreciate (di PREE shee ayt")
1. To reduce or to lower the value of: "Runaway inflation can quickly depreciate the country's currency."
2. To belittle, to disparage: "All he can do is to depreciate all of my efforts to help him."
deprecate (DEP ri kayt")
1. To protest or to express strong disapproval of: "The townspeople deprecate the new exhibit."
2. To belittle: "You should not deprecate your own worth to the community."
apprehend, comprehend
apprehend (ap" ri HEND)
1. To arrest, to take into custody: "The police expect to apprehend the kidnappers before nightfall."
2. To understand, to perceive: "The public doesn't fully apprehend the complexity of space flight."
comprehend (kom" pri HEND, komp" ri HEND)
To take in the meaning, nature, or importance of; to grasp: "The child couldn't comprehend the advanced textbook."
aptitude, attitude
aptitude (AP ti tood", AP ti tyood")
An inherent ability, as for learning; a talent: "His son said that he would be taking a new test at school which is supposed to measure his aptitude for learning."
"Anyone who can speak so many languages obviously has a great natural aptitude for learning languages."
attitude (AT i tood", AT i tyood")
1. The way a person feels about someone or something: "The teacher wants to change the hostile attitude some of his students have regarding technology."
2. A feeling or way of thinking that affects a person's behavior: "Since his accident, there has been a change in his attitude."
"The sales lady had a friendly attitude with all of her customers."
arbitrate, mediate
arbitrate (AR bi trayt")
1. To decide or to sit in judgment after listening to both sides: "The United Nations will try to arbitrate the dispute between the nations."
2. A process of settling an argument or disagreement in which the people or groups on both sides present their opinions and ideas to a third person or group for settlement: "The teachers' union agreed to arbitrate its pay differences with the school board."
mediate (MEE dee ayt")
To bring about an agreement: "The lawyer tried to mediate between the car company and the auto union."
To mediate a dispute is to try to find a middle ground or compromise on which both sides may agree.
arc, ark
arc (AHRK)
A curved line, arch, crescent, bow: "The rainbow formed a beautiful arc in the sky."
Both arc and arch come from the Latin element arcus, "bow". Archery and archer also come from this same Latin element.
ark (AHRK)
1. The chest containing the Ten Commandments of God, written on stone tablets and carried by the Hebrews during their long desert wanderings: "As they wandered the desert, the Hebrews carried the Ark with them because it contained their sacred documents."
2. The boat mentioned in the Bible which God commanded Noah to build for shelter during the Great Flood: "Noah was commanded to build an ark, big enough for two of all species of animals, in anticipation of the flood."
3. A large, flat-bottomed or awkward boat: "They lived on an ark, or house boat, on the Seine River in Paris."
archive, archive
archive (AR kighv"), noun
A place or collection containing records, documents, or other materials of historical interest: "The government kept documents about the war in a special archive."
archive (AR kighv"), verb
To collect and to store material; such as recordings, documents, or computer files, so they can be found and used when they are wanted: "She made sure to archive the content of her website on a separate disk in case her computer crashed."
area, aria
area (AIR ee uh)
1. Surface; space: "The apple orchard covers a large area of the farm."
2. Region, territory, district: "Alligators are found in this marshy area."
3. Field, sphere, realm: "France has always excelled in the area of the arts."
aria (AH ri uh)
A melody sung solo or as a duet in an opera, oratorio, or cantata: "The two singers closed the concert with an aria."
are; are, ar; or, our
are (AR)
Second person singular and plural, and first and third person plural of the present indicative of be.: "You are going and we are also going and I understand that they are going, too."
are, ar (AR)
A metric unit of area equal to 100 square meters (119.6 square yards): "By careful measurement, we determined the size of our property to be 100 square meters (119.6 square yards) or one are."
or (OR)
A conjunction suggesting an alternative: "Pay the price or simply leave."
our (OUR)
The possessive form of "we"; used as a modifier before a noun; relating to or belonging to us: "We were reminded of our accomplishments in our hometown newspaper."
"We kept our promise even though we were criticized for our actions."
Armageddon, snowmageddon
Armageddon (ahr" muh GED'n)
1. In the Bible (Revelation 16:16); the scene of a final battle between the forces of good and evil, prophesied to occur at the end of the world: "Armageddon represents the location of the final cosmic battle of the forces of good and of evil."
"Armageddon is often used to mean simply an apocalyptic-scale disaster; for example, news sites refer to financial Armageddon, environmental Armageddon, Toyota Armageddon, etc., where there is no indication of warring parties."
2. A decisive or catastrophic conflict: "Efforts are being made by some to avoid the threat of a nuclear Armageddon."
snowmageddon (snoh" muh GED'n)
An awesome accumulation of snow: "Snomageddon is a hyperbolic exaggeration referring to the monstrous snow storms which took place in parts of the United States in the early days of February, 2010."
"Mid-Atlantic residents in the U.S. were buried by a likely record-setting blizzard which President Obama jokingly labeled Snowmageddon as well as those who were brave enough to try to clear a path through the wet, heavy mounds, of thigh-high snow."
arraign, arrange
arraign (uh RAYN)
1. To call into court for some legal action; accuse, charge: "The district attorney wanted to arraign the suspect immediately."
2. Accuse, call to account: "The medical association met to arraign the doctor for his unethical behavior."
arrange (uh RAYNJ)
1. To put in order; organize: "Please arrange the books in alphabetical order."
2. Plan, schedule: "The travel agent tried to arrange the trip with a stopover in Rome."
3. Orchestrate, adapt: "The musician will arrange the symphony so it can be performed by a marching band."
arrant, arrantly, errant, errantly
arrant (AR uhnt)
1. Used to emphasize that someone or something is an extreme example of something disapproved of: "This arrant nonsense!"
2. Without qualification; used informally as (often pejorative) intensifiers: "He dismissed the rumors as arrant nonsense."
arrantly (AR uhnt li)
Of the worst kind, impudently or not showing respect for other people: "He was arrantly smoking in the non-smoking area of the restaurant."
errant (ER uhnt)
1. Roving or wandering; especially, in search of adventure: "We were reading about an errant traveler."
2. Straying from the proper course or correct standard: "She could no longer tolerate her errant husband."
errantly (ER uhnt li)
A reference to someone or something going out of a specified area: "The calf errantly went into the neighbor's garden."
artist, artiste
artist (AR tist)
A practitioner of a fine art: "The paintings of the artist were displayed at the community center."
artiste (ar TEEST)
A skilled public performer or entertainer; especially, a singer or dancer: "The artiste closed the concert with a new song."
ascension, assumption
ascension (uh SEN shuhn)
Rising, climbing, scaling: "The climbers' ascension of the mountain was more difficult than they expected."
assumption (uh SUMP shuhn)
1. A belief, supposition, or premise: "The couple rented the old house on the assumption that the landlord would renovate it."
2. Becoming responsible for, undertaking: "His assumption of his brother's debts was considered to be very admirable."
asinine, ass
asinine (AHS uh nighn")
Stupid, foolish, simpleminded, irrational: "It is certainly asinine to buy a house so close to a river that over flows every year."
ass (AHS)
1. A donkey or similar horse-like animal with long ears and a braying call; male jackass; a burro: "One small ass was hitched to the cart."
2. A fool, an idiot, a nitwit: "Don't be an ass and quit your job before arranging for another one."
ask, ax
ask (ASK)
1. The use of words when seeking the answer to (a question); try to find out about by inquiring: "I will ask the librarian where I can find that book."
2. To request; to express a desire for: "I had no choice but to ask him for help in changing the tire."
3. To demand or to expect; such as, a price: "The antique dealer would ask $25.00 for the watch."
ax (AKS); sometimes misused for "ask" (ASK)
A mispronunciation of ask used by a large number of people including those who are considered to be educated: "I will ax my friend if she wants to go to the dance with me."
"Didn’t you ax me that yesterday?"
This pronunciation still exists in many dialects, but it is no longer considered acceptable in standard English.
aspiration, inspiration, perspiration
aspiration (as" puh RAY shuhn)
1. A strong desire or high ambition; something that a person wants very much to achieve: "Her aspiration for the future is to become a successful business woman."
2. In linguistics, the act of pronouncing the sound of a breath: "The aspiration of the letter "h" as in "a house" is one example of pronouncing aspirated letters."
3. In medicine, removing liquid from a person's body: "She was treated with the aspiration of stomach fluids."
4. Breathing something into the lungs: "He was having problems caused by the aspiration of fluids into his lungs."
inspiration (in" spuh RAY shuhn)
1. Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or some creative effort or activity: "Her early childhood experiences provided the inspiration for her first novel."
2. The act of breathing in, especially the inhalation of air into the lungs: "The doctor was trying to help his patient improve her inspiration after years of lung problems."
perspiration (pur" spuh RAY shuhn)
The fluid, consisting of water with small amounts of urea and salts, which is excreted through the pores of the skin by the sweat glands; sweating: "She wiped the perspiration from her forehead as she anticipated making her speech to a group of teachers."
Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.
Thomas Alva Edison
aspire, expire, inspire
aspire (uh SPIHR)
1. To strive toward an end: "The university students aspire to greater knowledge in their chosen career fields."
2. To want to have or to achieve something; such as, a particular career or level of success: "These young men and women aspire to careers in medicine."
expire (ik SPIGHR)
1. To come to an end; to terminate: "Our memberships in the club will expire next month."
2. To breathe one's last breath; to die: "It is medically obvious that this patient will expire sometime today."
3. To exhale; to breathe out: "The doctor wanted to measure the volume of air which the patient could expire."
inspire (in SPIGHR)
1. To stimulate others to do something; for example, any creative or artistic work: "Her teaching techniques are done with the idea that they will inspire her students to become scientists."
2. To inhale air or a gas into the lungs: "As a result of the high mountains, we had to inspire oxygen before we could proceed higher."
assailant, assassin
assailant (uh SAY luhnt)
Someone who attacks another person; an attacker, an aggressor: "The assailant was later identified by the man he had attacked and beaten."
assassin (uh SAHS sin)
Someone who murders by surprise attack; especially, anyone who carries out a plot to kill a prominent person: "John Wilkes Booth was Abraham Lincoln's assassin."
Assassin came from Arabic hashshashin, "hashish-users", a name of an Islamic order founded about 1090, whose members were said to take hashish before being sent forth to assassinate leading Crusaders.
assassinate, assail, assault
assassinate (uh SAS uh nayt")
To murder (a prominent person) with a surprise attack, often for political reasons: "Someone did indeed assassinate President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, in 1963."
assail (uh SAYL)
To attack with or as if with violent blows: "A mugger tried to assail him on the dark street as he was walking home."
assault (uh SALT)
1. A violent physical or verbal attack: "He was heard to verbally assault one of his coworkers."
2. To attack with or as if with violent blows: "She was wanted by the police for assault because she attacked a man with her umbrella."
assay, essay
assay (uh SAY, AS ay)
1. The chemical analysis or testing of an alloy or ore; especially, of gold or silver, to determine the ingredients and their proportions: "Specialists will assay the gold they found in the stream to find out how pure it is."
2. Any examination or testing: "The officials will assay the votes to determine the final results of the election."
"Take time to assay the information before drawing a conclusion."
essay (ES ay, e SAY)
1. A short piece of writing that reveals a person's thoughts or opinions about a subject: "Her assignment was to write a 500-word essay on one of the topics given by the teacher."
2. To try to do, to perform, or to deal with something: "There is no hint as to which of the approaches he will essay that will prove useful for this project."
assimilate, simulate
assimilate (uh SIM uh layt")
1. To consume and incorporate (nutrients) into the body after digestion: "What we eat will assimilate into our bodily systems."
2. To learn something so that it is fully understood and can be used: "Children need to assimilate new ideas and there is a lot of information to assimilate in schools."
3. To cause a person or group to become part of a different society, country, etc.: "Schools have been used to assimilate the children of immigrants."
simulate (SIM yuh layt")
1. To make a pretense of; to feign: "The woman tried to simulate tears to get our sympathy."
2. To have or to take on the appearance, form, or sound of: "The wall surface was constructed to simulate stone."
assistance, assistants
assistance (uh SIS tuhns)
1. Support; cooperation: "The pilot needed the copilot assistance in landing the plane."
2. Financial support: "Public assistance is needed to build the orphanage."
assistants (uh SIS tuhnts)
Those who help someone, or who support a number of higher ranking people, to complete work assignments: "The new assistants in the office are very hard workers."
assume, presume
assume (uh SOOM)
1. To take for granted, to speculate: "We assume that we will see the speaker at the meeting next week."
2. To take on, become responsible for, take care of: "The new buyer will assume the mortgage on the house."
presume (pri ZOOM)
1. Take for granted, believe, deduce: "Dr. Livingston, I presume?"
2. To rely on too much: "She wants to presume on his writing talents to compile her memoirs."
These words have related but distinguishable meanings
To assume is to take for granted, to infer without proof: "Mrs. Blake assumed that her husband had paid the bill."To presume is to believe something to be a fact: to infer as true without actual proof to the contrary.
When Stanley came upon another explorer in Africa, he didn't say "Dr. Livingstone, I assume" but "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" This was because circumstances clearly indicated that the man he was meeting could be no one else.
In ordinary conversation; however, the words may be used interchangeably.
Based on information from
Dictionary of Problem Words and Expressions
by Harry Shaw; McGraw-Hill Book Company;
New York; 1987; page 82.
assurance, insurance
assurance (uh SHOOR uhns)
The state of being sure or certain about something; a strong feeling of confidence: "He spoke with quiet assurance about his future plans."
insurance (in SHOOR uhns)
An agreement in which a person makes regular payments to a company and the company promises to pay money if the person is injured or dies; or to pay money equal to the value of something; such as, a house or a car, if it is damaged, lost, or stolen: "After the fire destroyed our home, we used the money from the insurance to buy a new house."
assure, ensure, insure
assure (uh SHOOR)
1. To promise, to guarantee: "The witness tried to assure the judge that he was telling the truth."
2. To make something certain: "Winning the literary award should assure her publisher that the novel will be a success."
ensure (en SHOOR)
1. To make sure or certain that something will take place: "We took steps to ensure the safety of the passengers on the tour."
2. To make safe or secure: "The government took steps to ensure the people that they would be safe from tyranny and terrorism."
3. To make or to take steps to provide for the safety of an object, individual, or situation: "Shoveling snow after a snow fall was a way to ensure the safety of people walking on the sidewalks."
insure (in SHOOR)
1. To buy insurance for something; such as, property or health: "They want to insure their house and car against fire and flood damage."
"The owner of the new house tried to insure it for $500,000."
2. To take steps or precautions for the safety of a situation; often done in an anticipatory or precautionary manner: "She bought a bag of sand for the sidewalk before the major storm to insure she was prepared for any icy conditions."
"They always try to take great care to insure the safety and security of their home."
Apparently assure, ensure, and insure all include the meaning "to make secure or certain". The use of assure refers to a person as in the sense of "to set the mind at ease"; as "she wanted to assure her employer that she was ready to handle the new assignment".
A person can ensure that there will be prompt deliver of an item while insure is the only proper verb to use when someone means "to protect against loss".
So, although ensure and insure can be interchangeable in some situations, insure is normally used in American English in the sense of "to guarantee people or property against the risk of physical harm, damage, or loss" as when people have health insurance, property insurance, etc.
astrology, astronomy
astrology (uh STRAHL uh jee)
A form of divination based on the theory that the movements of the celestial bodies; such as, the stars, the planets, the sun, and the moon influence human affairs and determine the course of events: "Each day he would check the astrology section in his newspaper to see what it said about his astrological sign."
astronomy (uh STRAHN uh mee)
The scientific study of heavenly bodies, particularly stars: "She wanted to study astronomy so she could learn more about the science of the universe."
My astronomy professor was very well informed and had a good sense of humor.
He was patient when people would ask him about astrology, seemingly confusing the scientific study of the universe with the suggestion that the stars and constellations influence human affairs.
ate, eight
ate (AYT)
Past tense of eat: "They ate their dinner earlier than usual."
eight (AYT)
The cardinal number 8 is equal to 7 + 1: "There were eight people waiting for the bus."
I ate the eight small pieces of chicken that were on my plate.
Later, I saw an octet consuming their food or eight ate at the table in the restaurant.
a tire, attire
a tire (uh TIGHR)
A rubber ring that usually contains air and which fits around he wheel of a car, a bicycle, a truck, etc: "She had to get a tire repaired because it was leaking air."
attire (uh TIGHR)
To dress or to clothe; especially, clothing worn on a specific occasion: "The principal notified the students that they must wear proper attire to the prom or they would not be permitted to attend."
attendance, attendants
attendance (uh TEN duhns)
1. Presence, appearance: "Your attendance at the monthly club meeting is necessary."
2. Number present, audience, crowd: "The attendance at the game was over 75,000."
attendants (uh TEN duhnts)
1. Escorts, followers, companions, servants, or associates: "The queen was always surrounded by her attendants."
2. Accompanying, associated, related: "We always dread winter and its related attendants of hardships."
The attendants danced in attendance at the dance at which the attendance was estimated at about 300 people with the attendant confusion of hats and coats.
auger, augur
auger (AW gur)
A tool for boring holes into wood, leather, etc.: "He used an auger to make holes in the shoes for the shoelaces."
augur (AW gur)
1. Verb: To foretell, predict, forewarn: "Dark clouds augur the coming of the thunderstorm."
2. Noun: A prophet, a prognosticator, an oracle: "A ancient Roman augur told Julius Caesar to 'Beware the Ides of March'."
3. A priest who was a member of the College of Augurs that numbered twelve, six patricians, and six plebeians: "Marc Anthony distinguished himself as a member of the College of Augurs."
aught, naught, naughty, ought
aught (AWT)
1. Anything; any part or item; by any chance; in any respect (considered to be literary and old-fashioned): "For aught I know, he could have left an hour ago."
2. The figure "0"; a cipher of zero: "He had aught, or naught, available to pay for the bread."
naught (NAWT)
1. Nothing, nonexistent, insignificant; zero, a cipher; worthless, useless: "All of our work was for naught."
2. Zero (usually a naught): "All of their efforts to complete the project on time was for naught."
Naught: Something that is nothing.
Evan Esar
naughty (NAW tee)
1. Behaving disobediently or mischievously: "His mother called him a naughty boy because he tracked mud into the house without even trying to either take his shoes off or at least trying to clean them before going in."
2. Used especially to describe a child who does not behave properly or does not obey a parent, teacher, etc.: "The mother received a call from the principal of her daughter's school today saying that the girl was naughty because she wouldn't quit talking while the teacher was trying to explain how to do arithmetic problems."
3. As a play on the word: a reference to anything with a zero, or zeros: "Years that include zeros could be described as being naughty years; not because they behaved badly or were disobedient, but because they include naughts or numbers with zeros."
ought (AWT)
1. Used to indicate what is expected: "They ought to be here by now and you ought to be able to read this book until they arrive."
2. Used to say or to suggest what should be done: "You ought to get some rest now and then after that you ought to do your homework."
Someone has suggested that since zero means naught, then anyone who is born during a year that has zeros in it ought to be described as a naughty person (not with the meaning of "bad") because he/she was born in a year with a naught or naughts in its numerical composition; such as, 2001 or 2010; in other words, naughty years.
For aught I know, the more zeros in a year the naughtier the people are who were born in those years and the naughtiest, we must agree, ought to be those who came into existence in the year 2000 which has the most naughts.
aural, oral
aural (OR uhl)
Related to the ear or the sense of hearing: "Hearing aids overcome some aural deficiencies."
oral (OR uhl)
1. Something uttered by the mouth or in words; spoken, vocal, using speech: "Each student had to stand up and give an oral report in front of the class."
2. Treating the mouth, of the mouth; swallowed, taken into the body through the mouth: "An oral surgeon removed the impacted wisdom tooth."
"The dog obeys both oral commands and hand gestures."
aureole, oriole
aureole (OR ree ohl")
1. A circle of light or radiance surrounding the head or body of a representation of a deity or holy person; a halo: "The picture of the saint in the stained glass has a beautiful aureole surrounding the head."
2. The outermost region of the sun's atmosphere; visible as a white halo during a solar eclipse: "By using the special telescope, the students were able to see the aureole of the sun during the eclipse."
oriole (OR ree ohl")
1. Mostly a tropical songbird; the male is usually bright orange and black: "During her travels up the jungle river, she saw a beautiful oriole flitting through the trees."
2. An American songbird; the male is black and orange or yellow: "The American baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles, was named after the colorful bird, the oriole."
auricle, oracle
auricle (OR i kuhl)
1. An ear or ear-shaped appendage or part; pinna:: "Many animals, including humans, have a dual auricle for hearing."
2. An ear-shaped muscular part that sticks out from the surface of each upper chamber atrium of the heart: "Cardiologists are quite aware of each auricle of the heart."
oracle (OR i kuhl)
1. A person; such as, a priestess, through whom a god was believed to speak: "Some people from the past would go to a shrine so they could consult an oracle."
2. Someone who has a great deal of knowledge about something and whose opinions and advice are highly valued: "I knew him long before he became the oracle of linguistics."
The auricle should not to be confused with oracle because neither the ear shape nor the upper chamber of the heart possess oracular powers.
automation, automaton
automation (aw" tuh MAY shuhn)
1. The technique, method, or system of operating or controlling a process with electronic devices, reducing human intervention to a minimum: "The door uses a system of automation so you don't have to push it open."
2. The self-moving transfer of one unit of a complex industrial assembly to a succession of machines, each of which completes another stage in a manufacturing process: "Modern automobile companies are using more automation procedures than were used decades ago."
automaton (aw TOM uh tuhn)
1. Anything capable of spontaneous movement or action: "They had an incredible automaton, or robot, that was vacuuming the rugs in the living room."
2. A person who acts in a mechanical or machinelike way: "He was behaving like an unfeeling automaton."
avenge, revenge, vengeance
avenge (uh VENJ)
The act of doing something to hurt another person in the sense of achieving justice because that party caused harm to someone; to repay: "Sam wants to avenge and to punish the person who caused his mother's injuries."
"Bill planned to avenge his brother's death by burning the murderer's house down."
revenge (ri VENJ)
1. Revenge usually stresses reprisal for the person wronged or offended; to pay back: "He still plans to revenge the injury done to him by getting even."
2. An action taken in return for an injury or harmful offense: "They humiliated me, but I will get my revenge."
vengeance (VEN juhns)
An act of punishment in retaliation for an injury or offense: "He sought vengeance for the murder of his sister."
aver, avert, divert, evert
aver (uh VUR)
To affirm positively; to declare, to proclaim: "Yes, the witness did aver that he had seen the suspect at the scene of the crime."
avert (uh VURT)
1. To turn aside, to turn away: "She had to avert her head so we could not see her face."
2. To prevent, to turn away: "The quick arrival of fire-fighters would avert a major forest fire."
divert (di VURT)
1. To turn aside from a course or direction: "Traffic had to divert around the scene of the accident."
2. To distract; to turn from serious thoughts: "Divert her attention by pointing up to the sky."
3. To entertain by distracting attention of someone from worrisome thoughts or concerns; to amuse or to entertain: "The teacher's funny stories helped to divert the children in the class from being so noisy."
evert (i VURT)
To turn outward or inside out, as any saclike object: "The doctor had to evert her eyelid so he could remove the irritating grain of sand."
avocation, vocation
avocation (av" oh KAY shuhn)
An activity taken up in addition to one's regular work or profession, usually for enjoyment; a hobby: "Her favorite avocation is reading."
vocation (voh KAY shuhn)
A regular occupation, especially one for which a person is particularly suited or qualified: "I'm a carpenter by vocation, but my avocation is painting."
avoid, devoid
avoid (uh VOID)
1. To keep something from happening: "He tried very hard to avoid falling down on the icy sidewalk."
2. To stay clear of or away from someone or something: "He took a detour onto another street to avoid the heavy traffic."
3. To keep from doing something or participating in something: "I promise I won't be late; that is, if I can avoid it."
devoid (di VOID)
Completely lacking; destitute or empty: "The landscape in this area seems to be devoid of any life."
award, reward
award (uh WARD)
1. Something that is bestowed or granted, as for merit: "They award a scholarship to the student with the highest grades."
2. A decision, such as one made by a judge or an arbitrator: "The judge will award $500 to the plaintiff."
reward (ri WARD)
1. Something given or received in recompense for worthy behavior; a token of appreciation: "A large reward was offered for the return of the necklace."
2. Retribution for evil acts; receiving what someone deserves: "Eventually all evildoers get their just rewards."
3. Money offered or given for the capture of a criminal: "The man received a monetary reward for providing information that lead to the apprehension of the bank robber."
away, aweigh
away (uh WAY)
1. From a particular thing or place: "We ran away from the lion."
"They sent the children away to boarding school."
2. At or to a distance in space or time: "They lived a block away from the park."
3. At or by a considerable interval: "The scientist lived away back in the 17th century."
aweigh (uh WAY)
A reference to an anchor; just clear of the bottom of a body of water: "The ship raised its anchor aweigh."
"The position of an anchor as it is raised clear of the bottom is referred to as being aweigh."
awful, offal
awful (AW fuhl)
1. Dreadful, bad, terrible: "What awful weather!"
"He was guilty of the awful crime of murder."
2. Awe-inspiring, awesome, wondrous: "The astronauts know the awful expanse of the solar system."
offal (AWFL)
The waste parts of butchered animals, carrion, carcass; such as, entrails: "The hunters took the meat and left the offal for the buzzards."
The word offal is actually the waste parts that fall off a butchered animal. The word comes from "off" + "fall".
English borrowed the word from Middle Dutch afval, a compound formed from af, "off" and vallen, "fall" which referred to both the "extremities of animals cut off by the butcher; such as, feet, tail, etc." and "shavings, peelings", or "general refuse". By the 15th century, offal had the meaning of "animals' entrails".
Compiled from information presented in
Dictionary of Word Origins by John Ayto; Arcade Publishing;
New York; 1990; pages 371-372.
Garbage is an offal waste.
Evan Esar
awhile, a while
awhile (uh HWIGHL, uh WIGHL)
For a short time; an adverb which is never preceded by a preposition such as for: "Let us wait awhile; not for awhile."
"I'm going to sit and rest awhile."
"This cold weather has been around awhile."
a while (uh HWIGHL, uh WIGHL)
A noun meaning "a period of time". This form may be preceded by a preposition: "Stay for a while or stay a while."
"I'm going to be away for a while."
"We had to wait quite a while."
"We had to wait for a while before our meals were served."
His mother asked him to stay awhile, just a little while longer.
axes, axis
axes (AHK sis)
1. Tools that have heavy metal blades and long handles that are used for chopping wood, etc.: "The men used the axes to clear the trees blocking the highway after the storm."
2. Cutting or removing something: "The program director thought the only solution was a series of axes of television programs from the new seasonal schedule."
axis (AHK sis)
1. The imaginary straight line that something; such as, the earth, turns around: "The earth rotates on its axis."
2. A straight line that divides a shape evenly into two parts: "An axis is a central line around which the parts of an object are symmetrically or evenly arranged."
3. An affiliation of two or more nations to promote and ensure mutual interest, cooperation, and solidarity in their relations with foreign powers: "The axis, or alliance, of Germany and Italy in 1936, later including Japan and other nations, opposed the Allies in World War II."
aye, eye, I
aye (IGH as in hIGH)
1. Yes, used especially in Scotland and in the language of sailors: "The sailor said, 'Aye, aye, sir!' when the captain gave him an order."
2. Applied to indicate an affirmative or yes vote: "All in favor, say 'aye'."
"We have six nays and twelve ayes, so the ayes have it."
eye (IGH)
1. As a noun, that part of the body used for seeing or the organ of vision in animals: "He is wearing a patch over one eye and I have something in my eye."
2. As a verb, to watch or to look at someone or something in a very close or careful way: "The guards were instructed to eye everyone who entered the bank; especially, because of the recent robbery that took place there."
i, I (IGH as in hIGH)
1. The ninth letter of the English alphabet: "The word 'ice' begins with an i."
2. A person who is speaking or writing; used as the subject of a verb: "I feel fine, but I think that I should leave now."
"Aye, Aye,, Sir", said I when asked to eye the horizon.
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