Commonly Confused Words

Question 1

“to border” or “to lie next to” - “almost” or “nearly”

Answer 1

abut - about

Question 2

“to agree to something or to receive something willingly” - “to exclude or omit” or “but or excluding”

Answer 2

accept - except

Question 3

“to make apt or suitable; to adjust” - “to opt or choose as one’s own; to accept”

Answer 3

adapt - adopt

Question 4

“takes in” “takes up” or “votes for” - always incorrect

Answer 4

adopts - adepts

Question 5

advertisements - “combines” or “expands”

Answer 5

ads - adds

Question 6

“suggestion” or “guidance” - “to suggest” or “to give advice to”

Answer 6

advice - advise

Question 7

“to influence” or “to pretend” - “to accomplish or to produce as a result” or “result”

Answer 7

affect - effect

Question 8

you agree to something such as a plan of action - you agree with someone else or something such as spinach does not agree with you - you agree with others on a course of action

Answer 8

agree to - with - on

Question 9

“help” or “assistance” - “helper”

Answer 9

aid - aide

Question 10

“to feel unwell” or “to have pain” - a type of drink

Answer 10

ail - ale

Question 11

the of is unnecessary except before pronouns NO: China sent all of their invitations YES: China sent all the invitations YES: China sent all of them

Answer 11

all of

Question 12

a reference to something - a false idea or faulty interpretation of the facts

Answer 12

allusion - illusion

Question 13

“even now” or “previously” - “completely prepared”

Answer 13

already - all ready

Question 14

“changes” - referring to tables used in religious ceremonies

Answer 14

alters - altars

Question 15

“entirely” or “on the whole” - all parts of a group are considered together

Answer 15

altogether - all together

Question 16

angry with a person - angry at a thing

Answer 16

angry with - at

Question 17

“to evaluate” - referring to the animal

Answer 17

assess - asses

Question 18

a prophet or the act of prophesying - referring to the tool

Answer 18

augur - auger

Question 19

“undressed” “simple” or “to reveal” - the animal or “to support” or “to produce”

Answer 19

bare - bear

Question 20

the plant - “to hit” “to win” or the rhythm

Answer 20

beet - beat

Question 21

“at the side of” - “in addition to”

Answer 21

beside - besides

Question 22

a person who bets - “superior” or “to improve”

Answer 22

bettor - better

Question 23

not followed by a singular noun e.g. NO: between each house was a row of bushes YES: between the house was a row of bushes

Answer 23

between

Question 24

“edge” or “to be alongside of” - “a paying guest”

Answer 24

border - boarder

Question 25

the process of breathing, inhalation or exhalation - "to inhale or exhale"

Answer 25

breath - breathe

Question 26

referring to a wedding - "a harness" or "to show resentment"

Answer 26

bridal - bridle

Question 27

referring to the tool or "to bring up" or "to pierce" - a pin or clasp

Answer 27

broach - brooch

Question 28

eyebrows - "to scan through"

Answer 28

brows - browse

Question 29

"unfeeling" - "a thickened part of the skin" or "to develop a thickened part of the skin"

Answer 29

callous - callus

Question 30

"slope" or a type of speech - "cannot"

Answer 30

cant - can’t

Question 31

"fabric" - "to dress"

Answer 31

cloth - clothe

Question 32

"assured - "a friend"

Answer 32

confident - confidant

Question 33

"proper" or "adequate" - "a slope" or "a downward motion"

Answer 33

decent - descent

Question 34

the context of relying someone or something - alternative spelling of the noun form

Answer 34

dependent - dependant

Question 35

sweet treat and the second syllable is stressed - arid place and the first syllable is stressed

Answer 35

dessert - desert

Question 36

differs from another in characteristics - differ with someone when you disagree with him or her

Answer 36

differ from - with

Question 37

"dirty" or "worn" - type of boat

Answer 37

dingy - dinghy

Question 38

"neutral; unbiased by personal advantage" - "having no interest"

Answer 38

disinterested - uninterested

Question 39

"most influential" or "prominent" - "to control" or "to rule over"

Answer 39

dominant - dominate

Question 40

adv or adj "descending" or "declining" - only adv "descending" or "declining"

Answer 40

downward - downwards

Question 41

"experiencing uneasiness caused by anticipated anger of misfortune" - "longing or enthusiastic"

Answer 41

anxious - eager

Question 42

"to obtain" - "illegal"

Answer 42

elicit - illicit

Question 43

to leave someone's homeland - to enter a country in order to settle there

Answer 43

emigrate - immigrate

Question 44

"to enclose completely" - "a type of container"

Answer 44

envelop - envelope

Question 45

"still in existence" - "the range or area that a thing covers"

Answer 45

extant - extent

Question 46

"to disturb" - "certain stage or condition"

Answer 46

faze - phase

Question 47

"an act of courage or achievement" - "a part of a body, the lower end of an object, or a unit of measurement"

Answer 47

feat - feet

Question 48

"to locate" "to detect" or "a discovery" - having been required to pay an amount of money

Answer 48

find - fined

Question 49

"to flame up" or "a blaze of light" - "talent"

Answer 49

flare - flair

Question 50

referring to an insect - "to run away"

Answer 50

flea - flee

Question 51

"to resist" "to stop" or "an ancestor" - noun "an ancestor"

Answer 51

forbear - forebear

Question 52

referring to a type of musical instrument or when playing the instrument - "leaving" "proceeding" or "working"

Answer 52

gong - going

Question 53

"to shred" "to irritate" or "a structure made of metal bars" - "big" "important" or "outstanding"

Answer 53

grate - great

Question 54

the tool - "bigger" or "more important"

Answer 54

grater - greater

Question 55

"to flock" or "to assemble" - "perceiving sound" or "listening"

Answer 55

herd - heard

Question 56

"to cut" - referring to a color or appearance

Answer 56

hew - hue

Question 57

"riches" or "to accumulate" - "a large crowd"

Answer 57

hoard - horde

Question 58

type of lodging - "unfriendly" or "one who is unfriendly"

Answer 58

hostel - hostile

Question 59

"to urge" or "to simulate" - "perceptiveness or "understanding"

Answer 59

incite - insight

Question 60

modify a noun or pronoun "indoor pool" - modify a verb adjective or another adverb "walked indoors"

Answer 60

indoor - indoors

Question 61

modify a noun or pronoun "inward chamber" - modify a verb adjective or another adverb "go inwards"

Answer 61

inward - inwards

Question 62

indicating possession - contraction "it is"

Answer 62

its - it’s

Question 63

the a is unnecessary and nonstandard e.g. NO: what kind of party do you want? YES: what kind of part do you want?

Answer 63

kind of a - sort of a

Question 64

"to drink" "the motions of waves" or "to overlap" - "to decline" or "to revert"

Answer 64

laps - lapse

Question 65

"decreases" - "instructions"

Answer 65

lessens - lessons

Question 66

contraction "let us" - "allows" or "rents"

Answer 66

let’s - lets

Question 67

"to put or place something" " being in a horizontal position, or to remain, or to be situated" - intransive verb; never has an object

Answer 67

lay - lie

Question 68

"unwilling" or "afraid" - "to dislike"

Answer 68

loath - loathe

Question 69

can only be used with items that can be counted e.g. NO: the majority of the book was in english YES: most of the book was in english

Answer 69

majority

Question 70

referring to a part of the horse or other animal - "most important" or "most important point"

Answer 70

mane - main

Question 71

"intellect" "sense" or "to obey" - "tunneled" or "excavated"

Answer 71

mind - mined

Question 72

type of worker - "lesser" or "a child"

Answer 72

miner - minor

Question 73

"the animal" or "an amount of money" - "strength" or "a sense of possibility"

Answer 73

mite - might

Question 74

"virtuous" or "a kind of truth" - "a group's attitude"

Answer 74

moral - morale

Question 75

"morning" - "to express sorrow"

Answer 75

morn - mourn

Question 76

"a denial" or "not any" - "to recognize" "to understand" or "to experience"

Answer 76

no - know

Question 77

preposition e.g. made of silk - verb e.g. the silk scarves have embroidered flowers

Answer 77

of - have

Question 78

modify a noun or pronoun - modify a verb adjective or another adverb

Answer 78

outdoor - outdoors

Question 79

adj or adv "outer" - adv "outer" or "toward the outside"

Answer 79

outward - outwards

Question 80

"to sell" - "a part of an instrument or machine" or "to operate with pedals"

Answer 80

peddle - pedal

Question 81

referring to people - noun "numerous" or "crowded"

Answer 81

populace - populous

Question 82

"to ask" or "to plead" - "a hunted animal or a victim"

Answer 82

pray - prey

Question 83

"self-respect" or "to be proud" - "to inquire too closely" or "to force open"

Answer 83

pride - pried

Question 84

"main" "the main participant" or "the head of a school" - "a rule or a standard"

Answer 84

principal - principle

Question 85

"to predict" e.g. he says he can prophesize the future - "prediction" e.g. the prophecy came true

Answer 85

prophesy - prophecy

Question 86

"the gland" - "to bow down" or "lying down"

Answer 86

prostate - prostrate

Question 87

"to go to a higher position" - "to lift to a higher position" e.g. things do not rise by themselves; they are raised by something else

Answer 87

rise - raise

Question 88

"a type of speaking" - "having formed letters or words"

Answer 88

rote - wrote

Question 89

the ever is unnecessary and nonstandard; use seldom, very seldom, or hardly ever instead

Answer 89

ever - seldom

Question 90

"to rest with the legs bent and the back upright" - "to put or place something"

Answer 90

sit - set

Question 91

"not moving" - "writing paper"

Answer 91

stationary - stationery

Question 92

"group" or "to form a team" - "to overflow" or " to swarm"

Answer 92

team - teem

Question 93

contraction "that is" - incorrect

Answer 93

that’s - thats

Question 94

indicating possession "their house" - "a particular location, time, or action" - contraction "they are"

Answer 94

their - there - they're

Question 95

indicating possession - always incorrectly

Answer 95

theirs - their's

Question 96

"to rise and fall of the ocean" - "bound" or " connected"

Answer 96

tide - tied

Question 97

"to reverse" or "to open" - "excessive" or "not proper"

Answer 97

undo - undue

Question 98

"overhead" "above" or "toward a higher place" e.g. there was an upward trend in the market today - "toward a higher place" e.g. she looked upwards

Answer 98

upward - upwards

Question 99

"vase" - "acquire" or "to gain"

Answer 99

urn - earn

Question 100

"one of a kind" ; a few other absolute words do not take comparatives or superlatives are equal, fatal, final , absolute, favorite, and perfect e.g. NO: the wound was completely fatal YES: the wound was fatal

Answer 100

unique

Question 101

"a blood vessel, a fissure, or a mood" - "fruitless" or "proud"

Answer 101

vein - vain

Question 102

contraction "who is" - indicate possession

Answer 102

who’s - whose

Question 103

"trick" or "to trick" - "time" or "an interval of time"

Answer 103

wile - while

Question 104

"to shrivel up" or "to fade" - "to what place or condition"

Answer 104

wither - whither

Question 105

contraction "will not" - "accustomed to" or "likely"

Answer 105

won’t - wont

Question 106

"a part of an egg" - "a type of harness" or "to harness"

Answer 106

yolk - yoke

Question 107

contraction "you are" - indicating possession

Answer 107

you’re - your