Commonly Confused Words Flashcards
“to border” or “to lie next to” - “almost” or “nearly”
abut - about
“to agree to something or to receive something willingly” - “to exclude or omit” or “but or excluding”
accept - except
“to make apt or suitable; to adjust” - “to opt or choose as one’s own; to accept”
adapt - adopt
“takes in” “takes up” or “votes for” - always incorrect
adopts - adepts
advertisements - “combines” or “expands”
ads - adds
“suggestion” or “guidance” - “to suggest” or “to give advice to”
advice - advise
“to influence” or “to pretend” - “to accomplish or to produce as a result” or “result”
affect - effect
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
agree to - with - on
“help” or “assistance” - “helper”
aid - aide
“to feel unwell” or “to have pain” - a type of drink
ail - ale
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
all of
a reference to something - a false idea or faulty interpretation of the facts
allusion - illusion
“even now” or “previously” - “completely prepared”
already - all ready
“changes” - referring to tables used in religious ceremonies
alters - altars
“entirely” or “on the whole” - all parts of a group are considered together
altogether - all together
angry with a person - angry at a thing
angry with - at
“to evaluate” - referring to the animal
assess - asses
a prophet or the act of prophesying - referring to the tool
augur - auger
“undressed” “simple” or “to reveal” - the animal or “to support” or “to produce”
bare - bear
the plant - “to hit” “to win” or the rhythm
beet - beat
“at the side of” - “in addition to”
beside - besides
a person who bets - “superior” or “to improve”
bettor - better
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
between
“edge” or “to be alongside of” - “a paying guest”
border - boarder
the process of breathing, inhalation or exhalation - “to inhale or exhale”
breath - breathe
referring to a wedding - “a harness” or “to show resentment”
bridal - bridle
referring to the tool or “to bring up” or “to pierce” - a pin or clasp
broach - brooch
eyebrows - “to scan through”
brows - browse
“unfeeling” - “a thickened part of the skin” or “to develop a thickened part of the skin”
callous - callus
“slope” or a type of speech - “cannot”
cant - can’t
“fabric” - “to dress”
cloth - clothe
“assured - “a friend”
confident - confidant
“proper” or “adequate” - “a slope” or “a downward motion”
decent - descent
the context of relying someone or something - alternative spelling of the noun form
dependent - dependant
sweet treat and the second syllable is stressed - arid place and the first syllable is stressed
dessert - desert
differs from another in characteristics - differ with someone when you disagree with him or her
differ from - with
“dirty” or “worn” - type of boat
dingy - dinghy
“neutral; unbiased by personal advantage” - “having no interest”
disinterested - uninterested
“most influential” or “prominent” - “to control” or “to rule over”
dominant - dominate
adv or adj “descending” or “declining” - only adv “descending” or “declining”
downward - downwards
“experiencing uneasiness caused by anticipated anger of misfortune” - “longing or enthusiastic”
anxious - eager
“to obtain” - “illegal”
elicit - illicit
to leave someone’s homeland - to enter a country in order to settle there
emigrate - immigrate
“to enclose completely” - “a type of container”
envelop - envelope
“still in existence” - “the range or area that a thing covers”
extant - extent
“to disturb” - “certain stage or condition”
faze - phase
“an act of courage or achievement” - “a part of a body, the lower end of an object, or a unit of measurement”
feat - feet
“to locate” “to detect” or “a discovery” - having been required to pay an amount of money
find - fined
“to flame up” or “a blaze of light” - “talent”
flare - flair
referring to an insect - “to run away”
flea - flee
“to resist” “to stop” or “an ancestor” - noun “an ancestor”
forbear - forebear
referring to a type of musical instrument or when playing the instrument - “leaving” “proceeding” or “working”
gong - going
“to shred” “to irritate” or “a structure made of metal bars” - “big” “important” or “outstanding”
grate - great
the tool - “bigger” or “more important”
grater - greater
“to flock” or “to assemble” - “perceiving sound” or “listening”
herd - heard
“to cut” - referring to a color or appearance
hew - hue
“riches” or “to accumulate” - “a large crowd”
hoard - horde
type of lodging - “unfriendly” or “one who is unfriendly”
hostel - hostile
“to urge” or “to simulate” - “perceptiveness or “understanding”
incite - insight
modify a noun or pronoun “indoor pool” - modify a verb adjective or another adverb “walked indoors”
indoor - indoors
modify a noun or pronoun “inward chamber” - modify a verb adjective or another adverb “go inwards”
inward - inwards
indicating possession - contraction “it is”
its - it’s
the a is unnecessary and nonstandard e.g. NO: what kind of party do you want? YES: what kind of part do you want?
kind of a - sort of a
“to drink” “the motions of waves” or “to overlap” - “to decline” or “to revert”
laps - lapse
“decreases” - “instructions”
lessens - lessons
contraction “let us” - “allows” or “rents”
let’s - lets
“to put or place something” “ being in a horizontal position, or to remain, or to be situated” - intransive verb; never has an object
lay - lie
“unwilling” or “afraid” - “to dislike”
loath - loathe
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
majority
referring to a part of the horse or other animal - “most important” or “most important point”
mane - main
“intellect” “sense” or “to obey” - “tunneled” or “excavated”
mind - mined
type of worker - “lesser” or “a child”
miner - minor
“the animal” or “an amount of money” - “strength” or “a sense of possibility”
mite - might
“virtuous” or “a kind of truth” - “a group’s attitude”
moral - morale
“morning” - “to express sorrow”
morn - mourn
“a denial” or “not any” - “to recognize” “to understand” or “to experience”
no - know
preposition e.g. made of silk - verb e.g. the silk scarves have embroidered flowers
of - have
modify a noun or pronoun - modify a verb adjective or another adverb
outdoor - outdoors
adj or adv “outer” - adv “outer” or “toward the outside”
outward - outwards
“to sell” - “a part of an instrument or machine” or “to operate with pedals”
peddle - pedal
referring to people - noun “numerous” or “crowded”
populace - populous
“to ask” or “to plead” - “a hunted animal or a victim”
pray - prey
“self-respect” or “to be proud” - “to inquire too closely” or “to force open”
pride - pried
“main” “the main participant” or “the head of a school” - “a rule or a standard”
principal - principle
“to predict” e.g. he says he can prophesize the future - “prediction” e.g. the prophecy came true
prophesy - prophecy
“the gland” - “to bow down” or “lying down”
prostate - prostrate
“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
rise - raise
“a type of speaking” - “having formed letters or words”
rote - wrote
the ever is unnecessary and nonstandard; use seldom, very seldom, or hardly ever instead
ever - seldom
“to rest with the legs bent and the back upright” - “to put or place something”
sit - set
“not moving” - “writing paper”
stationary - stationery
“group” or “to form a team” - “to overflow” or “ to swarm”
team - teem
contraction “that is” - incorrect
that’s - thats
indicating possession “their house” - “a particular location, time, or action” - contraction “they are”
their - there - they’re
indicating possession - always incorrectly
theirs - their’s
“to rise and fall of the ocean” - “bound” or “ connected”
tide - tied
“to reverse” or “to open” - “excessive” or “not proper”
undo - undue
“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
upward - upwards
“vase” - “acquire” or “to gain”
urn - earn
“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
unique
“a blood vessel, a fissure, or a mood” - “fruitless” or “proud”
vein - vain
contraction “who is” - indicate possession
who’s - whose
“trick” or “to trick” - “time” or “an interval of time”
wile - while
“to shrivel up” or “to fade” - “to what place or condition”
wither - whither
contraction “will not” - “accustomed to” or “likely”
won’t - wont
“a part of an egg” - “a type of harness” or “to harness”
yolk - yoke
contraction “you are” - indicating possession
you’re - your
