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Confuse Words

Homonyms (sound like but are different)

Ensure that you save this for reference when writing resumes or essays etc.

 

Most of the Examination papers in English contain a question on the use of words of similar sound but different in meaning. The question usually takes a form something like the following:

Use these words in sentences to show that you know their meanings:
aisle     diary    principal          stationary         compliment

isle       dairy    principle          stationery         complement

A comprehensive list of these words is found in most good spelling books and it is not intended to repeat these here.

It is, however, important for the student to remember that when he is asked to use these words in sentences in order to illustrate their meaning, his sentences should be explicit enough as to leave no doubt in the examiner's mind that the writer knows the exact meaning of the words which he is using.

Take for example the words stationary, stationery. When used in the following sentences the meaning is not fully brought out.

(a) The bus is stationary, (b) I bought some stationery at the store.

Sentences (c) and (d) however, leave no doubt in the reader's mind that the writer is fully acquainted with the meaning of the words:

Wait until the bus is stationary before attempting to get off.

I will need a good deal of stationery to write all these letters.

Note also that it is a good plan to underline the significant word in the sentence.

 

See also Words

 (These are some of the pairs of words that are most often confused with each other.)

DO NOT CONFUSE

adoptive with adopted:	children are adopted,	but parents are adoptive.
adverse, with averse,	adverse, `unfavourable, bad',	with averse, which means `strongly disliking or opposed to', as in I am not averse to helping out.
affect and effect:	affect means `make a difference to',	whereas effect means `a result' or `bring about (a result)'.
ambiguous with ambivalent:	ambiguous primarily means `having more than one meaning, open to different interpretations',	while ambivalent means `having mixed feelings'.
amoral with immoral:	amoral means `not concerned with morality',	while immoral means `not conforming to accepted standards of morality'.
appraise with apprise	appraise means `assess',	while apprise means `inform'.
apposite with opposite	apposite is suitable for or appropriate to what is happening or being discussed.	Opposite: situated on the other or further side when seen from a specified or implicit viewpoint
augur with auger	augur`be a sign of (a likely outcome)',	with auger (a tool used for boring).
censure with censor:	censure means `express strong disapproval of',	whereas censor means `suppress unacceptable parts of (a book, film, etc.)'.
climactic, with climatic	climactic, `forming a climax',	with climatic, which means `relating to climate'.
complacent, with complaisant	complacent, `smug and self-satisfied',	with complaisant, which means `willing to please'.
complement, with compliment	complement, `a thing that enhances something by contributing extra features',	with compliment, which means `an expression of praise' or `politely congratulate'.
continuous and continual: with continuous	continuous primarily means `without interruption', and can refer to space as well as time, as in the cliffs form a continuous line along the coast;	continual, on the other hand, typically means `happening frequently, with intervals between', as in the bus service has been disrupted by continual breakdowns.
council with counsel	council, an administrative or advisory body,	with counsel, advice or guidance.
councillor with counsellor	a councillor is a member of a council,	whereas a counsellor is someone who gives guidance on personal or psychological problems.
credible with creditable	credible means `believable, convincing',	whereas creditable means `deserving acknowledgement and praise'.
definite with definitive	definite (`certain, sure')	with definitive, which means `decisive and with authority'.
defuse with diffuse	defuse, `remove the fuse from (an explosive device)' or `reduce the danger or tension in (a difficult situation)',	with diffuse, which means `spread over a wide area'.
desert with dessert	desert (a waterless area)	with dessert (the sweet course)!
discreet with discrete	discreet, `careful not to attract attention or give offence',	with discrete, which means `separate, distinct'.
draft with draught	draft and draught. In British English draft means `a preliminary version' or `an order to pay a sum',	whereas a draught is a current of air or an act of drinking; in North American English the spelling draft is used for all senses. The verb is usually spelled draft.
draw with drawer	draw, which is primarily a verb,	with drawer meaning `sliding storage compartment'.
egoism with egotism	egoism and egotism: it is egotism, not egoism, that means `excessive conceit or self-absorption';	egoism is a less common and more technical word, for an ethical theory that treats self-interest as the foundation of morality.
envelop with envelope	envelop without an e at the end means `wrap up, cover, or surround completely',	whereas an envelope with an e is a paper container used to enclose a letter or document.
exceptionable with exceptional	exceptionable (`open to objection; causing disapproval or offence')	with exceptional (`not typical' or `unusually good').
fawn with faun	a fawn is a young deer, and a light brown colour;	a faun is a Roman deity that is part man, part goat.
flaunt with flout	flaunt means `display ostentatiously',	while flout means `openly disregard (a rule)'.
flounder with founder	flounder generally means `have trouble doing or understanding something, be confused',	while founder means `fail or come to nothing'.
forego with forgo	forego means `precede',	but is also a less common spelling for forgo, `go without`.
grisly with grizzly	grisly with grizzly, as in grizzly bear: whereas grizzly is from the same root as grizzled and refers to the bear's white-tipped fur.	grisly means `causing horror or revulsion',
hoard with horde	a hoard is a store of something valuable;	horde is a disparaging term for a large group of people.
imply with infer	Imply is used with a speaker as its subject, as in he implied that the General was a traitor, and indicates that the speaker is suggesting something though not making an explicit statement.	Infer is used in sentences such as we inferred from his words that the General was a traitor, and indicates that something in the speaker's words enabled the listeners to deduce that the man was a traitor.
the possessive its with the contraction it's	the possessive its (as in turn the camera on its side)	with the contraction it's (short for either it is or it has, as in it's my fault; it's been a hot day).
loath with loathe	loath (`reluctant; unwilling')	with loathe, `dislike greatly'.
loose with lose	loose with lose: as a verb loose means `unfasten or set free',	while lose means `cease to have' or `become unable to find'.
luxuriant with luxurious	luxuriant, `rich and profuse in growth',	with luxurious, which means `characterized by luxury; very comfortable and extravagant'.
marital with martial	marital, `of marriage',	with martial, `of war'!
militate with mitigate	militate, which is used in the form militate against to mean `be an important factor in preventing',	with mitigate, which means `make (something bad) less severe'.
naturism with naturalism	naturism (nudism) and naturist (a nudist) with naturalism and naturalist: naturalism is an artistic or literary approach or style;	a naturalist is an expert in natural history, or an exponent of naturalism.
officious with official	officious, `asserting authority or interfering in an annoyingly domineering way',	with official, which means `relating to an authority or public body' and `having the approval or authorization of such a body'.
ordinance with ordnance	ordinance, `an authoritative order',	with ordnance, which means `guns' or `munitions'.
palate with palette	palate and palette: the palate is the roof of the mouth;	a palette, on the other hand, is an artist's board for mixing colours.
pedal with peddle	pedal and peddle. Pedal is a noun denoting a foot-operated lever; as a verb it means `move by means of pedals'.	Peddle is a verb meaning `sell (goods)'. The associated noun from pedal is pedaller (US pedaler), and the noun from peddle is pedlar or peddler.
perquisite with prerequisite	perquisite and prerequisite: a perquisite is a special right or privilege enjoyed as a result of one's position;	prerequisite is something that is required as a prior condition for something else; prerequisite can also be an adjective, meaning `required as a prior condition'.
perspicuous with perspicacious	perspicuous, `expressing things clearly',	with perspicacious, which means `having a ready understanding of things'.
principal with principle	principal, `first in order of importance; main', with	principle, which is a noun meaning chiefly `a basis of a system of thought or belief'.
proscribe with prescribe	proscribe with prescribe: proscribe is a rather formal word meaning `condemn or forbid',	whereas prescribe means either `issue a medical prescription' or `recommend with authority'.
regretful with regrettable	regretful, `feeling or showing regret',	with regrettable, which means `giving rise to regret; undesirable'.
shear with sheer	shear, `cut the wool off (a sheep)',	with sheer, which as a verb means `swerve or change course quickly' or `avoid an unpleasant topic', and as an adjective means `nothing but; absolute', `perpendicular', or `(of a fabric) very thin'.
stationary with stationery	stationary and stationery: stationary is an adjective with the sense `not moving or changing',	whereas stationery is a noun meaning `paper and other writing materials'.
story with storey	story and storey: a story is a tale or account,	while a storey is a floor of a building.In North America the spelling story is sometimes used for storey.
titillate with titivate	titillate and titivate: titillate means `excite',	whereas titivate means `adorn or smarten up'.
tortuous with torturous	tortuous, `full of twists and turns' or `excessively lengthy and complex',	with torturous, which means `characterized by pain or suffering'.
turbid with turgid	turbid and turgid: turbid is generally used in reference to a liquid and means `cloudy or opaque';	turgid tends to mean `tediously pompous' or, in reference to a river, `swollen, overflowing'.
unexceptionable with unexceptional	unexceptionable, `that cannot be taken exception to, inoffensive',	with unexceptional, `not exceptional; ordinary'.
unsociable with unsocial and antisocial	unsociable with unsocial and antisocial: unsociable means `not enjoying the company of or engaging in activities with others'; unsocial usually means `socially inconvenient' and typically refers to the hours of work of a job;	antisocial means `contrary to accepted social customs and therefore annoying'.
venal with venial	venal (`susceptible to bribery; corruptible')	with venial, which is used in Christian theology in reference to sin (a venial sin, unlike a mortal sin, is not regarded as depriving the soul of divine grace).
who's with whose	who's with whose; who's is a contraction of who is or who has,	while whose is used in questions such as whose is this? and whose turn is it?
wreath with wreath	wreath and wreathe: wreath with no e at the end means `arrangement of flowers',	while wreathe with an e is a verb meaning `envelop, surround, or encircle'.
your with you're	your with you're; you're is a contraction of you are,	while your is a possessive determiner used in phrases such as your turn.

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Homonyms

Altar	Alter
Ant	Aunt
Arc	Ark
Ate	Eight
Auger	Augur
Aural	Oral
Baize	Bays
Bald	Bawled
Ball	Bawl
Band	Banned
Bard	Barred
Bare	Bear
Baron	Barren
Be	Bee
Beach	Beech
Bean	Been
Beer	Bier
Berry	Bury
Berth	Birth
Billed	Build
Blue	Blew
Bored	Board
Braid	Brayed
Break	Brake
Brews	Bruise
Bridal	Bridle
Broach	Brooch
Buy	By/ Bye
Capital	Capitol
Cellar	Seller
Census	Sense
Cereal	Serial
Chili	Chilly
Choral	Coral
Cite	Sight / Site
Coarse	Course
Complement	Compliment
Coun	Counsel
Deer	Dear
Die	Dye
Discreet	Discrete
Doe	Dough
Done	Dun
Draft	Draught
Dual	Duel
Earn	Urn
Ewe	You
Farther	Father
Faze	Phase
File	Phial
Find	Fined
Fir	Fur
Flaw	Floor
Flea	Flee
Flew	Flu/ Flue
Flex	Flecks
Flour	Flower
For	Four
Foreword	Forward
Fort	Fought
Foul	Fowl
Gait	Gate
Gamble	Gambol
Genes	Jeans
Gored	Gourd
Great	Grate
Groan	Grown
Hart	Heart
Hear	Here
Heel	Heal
Hi	High
Him	Hymn
Hoard	Horde
Hole	Whole
Holy	Wholly
Hour	Our
I	Eye
Idle	Idol
Incite	Insight
Knead	Need
Knew	New
Knight	Night
Knot	Not
Know	No
Leak	Leek
Lessen	Lesson
Levee	Levy
Links	Lynx
Loan	Lone
Loot	Lute
Made	Maid
Mail	Male
Main	Mane
Manna	Manner
Marshal	Martial
Mask	Masque
Maw	More
Medal	Meddle
Meet	Meat
Might	Mite
Mist	Missed
Moose	Mousse
Muscle	Mussel
None	Nun
Oar	Or
Overdo	Overdue
Pail	Pale
Pain	Pane
Pair	Pear
Passed	Past
Peace	Piece
Peak	Peek
Pedal	Peddle
Plane	Plain
Principal	Principle
Profit	Prophet
Rain	Reign
Red	Read
Right	Write
Ring	Wring
Rode	Road
Role	Roll
Rouse	Rows
Rung	Wrung
Sail	Sale
Sauce	Seen
Scull	Skull
See	Sea
Shoe	Shoo
Side	Sighed
Slay	Sleigh
Soar	Sore
Sole	Soul
Some	Sum
Sort	Sought
Staid	Stayed
Stalk	Stork
Stare	Stair
Stationary	Stationery
Steal	Steel
Stile	Style
Sun	Son
Tail	Tale
Team	Teem
Than	Then
Their	There
Throne	Thrown
Tide	Tied
To	Too / Two
Toe	Tow
Vain	Vein
Vary	Very
Wail	Whale
Waste	Waist
Way	Weigh
Weak	Week
Weather	Whether
Where	Wear
Which	Witch
Who’s	Whose
Won	One
Would	Wood
You're	Your

 

 

Explanation for Student Compendium
File	Includes
Abbreviations	A shortened form of a word or phrase. ANU - Australian National University
Acronyms	An acronym is a pronounceable word formed from the first letter (or first few letters) of each word in a phrase or title. Sometimes, the newly combined letters create a new word that becomes a part of everyday language. An example of this is the acronym radar. Also includes Mnemonics Educational Acronyms, Information Technolgy Acronyms,
Adjectives	a word naming an attribute of a noun, such as sweet, red, or technical. Adjectives are words that describe or modify other words * Priest = Sacerdotal
Animals	Types of animals, Sounds the make, Where do they live, Collective names of animals Apes - gibber, Camel live in Australia, Sahara & Arabia, names = Bull - is called a heifer
Antonyms	a word opposite in meaning to another (e.g. bad - good ). Opposites = Absent - present
Big_Words for small	Small word with big word alternative Anger - Dudgeon * bold - Audacious
Business_Terms_Glossary	Terms used in business
Characteristics	A feature or quality belonging typically to a person, place, or thing and serving to identify them A partner in crime - accomplice
Church	Words pertaining to the church A passage between the pews in a church - Aisle
Commonly_confused_words	Similar sounding words with different meanings also Homonyms Council, an administrative or advisory body, do not confuse with counsel, advice or guidance.
Communication	All about communication see also A History of Communication
Computer_terms	All computer terms (ASCII, Binary, Unicode)
Countries	Names given to certain towns or countries includes facts about climate Aberdeen - The Granite City The Torrid Zone has the hottest climate Zinc - Mexico, U.S.A., Spain
Death	Words pertaining to death Occurring after death - posthumous
Diminutives	A diminutive person is short and small. A diminutive wordis a "cute" version of a word or name: for example, "duckling" is a diminutive of "duck" and Billy is a diminutive form of the name William Cask - casket
Famous_People	Famous world discoveries of countries continents, includes Australian discoverers Matthew Flinders -discovered Bass Strait. * Lord Robert Baden-Powell founded the Boy Scouts in 1908
Figurative_Expressions	Explanation of a word, words in literal expressions denote what they mean according to common or dictionary usage Aloof -To keep to oneself and not mix with others.
Flags of the world	Flags of countries in the world includes a countries quiz
Gender	Gender list of male female Actor - Actress
Geography	Countries of the world and Geographical facts The Circumference of the earth is approxinmately 24,800 miles.
Gods	List of gods and goddesses War - Mars
Government	Australian and UK government with words denoting government Australian Government
Grammar	Explains grammar syntax and verbs adjectives nouns etc. Explains various uses of nouns verbs etc.
Homonyms	each of two or more words having the same spelling or pronunciation but different meanings and origins Shoe Shoo
Human_Relationships	The art of living together includes senses, elements, cardinal numbers, cardinal virtues THE ART OF LIVING - Consideration for the feelings of others
Inventions	Alphabetical list of the most important inventions Clock (pendulum) - Christian Huygens
Kings_Queens	List of kings and queens of Britain with facts and information EGBERT 827 - 839
Literary	Practical list of  words explained in a sentence or phrase A book in which the events of each day are recorded - Diary
Marriage	Words pertaining to marriage included anniversary gifts A hater of marriage - misogamist
Medical	Medical terms in use today A disease confined to a particular district or place - endemic
Metaphors	Metaphor is a figure of speech that makes an implicit, implied, or hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated
Miscellaneous	Sounds that things make, description of various venues or habitats, special calendar dates, Aussie slang words, Mnemonics All Fools' Day - 1st April - Aussie slang - sounds that things make etc.
Names	Names of persons or things, occupations, and a description of word meanings i.e. Terrestrial = Earth Various names explained Bird of night - Owl
Nature	Words connected to nature A four-footed animal - quadruped
Negatives	a word or statement that expresses denial, disagreement, or refusal That which cannot be pierced or penetrated - impenetrable
Nouns	Explanation of nouns, COMMON Nouns, PROPER Nouns, COLLECTIVE  Nouns and ABSTRACT Nouns. sit - seat (when to use Nouns)
Numbers	Numbers of animals things i.e. A number of Cattle = herd A number of fish taken in a net - catch, haul
Opposites	a person or thing that is totally different from or the reverse of someone or something else. Unable to read - il-literate
Other	Special days, Aussies slang and any other items not covered in this list Any other items that might be of interest
Patron Saints	List of Patron Saints St. George of England, St. Andrew of Scotland
Phobias	Noctiphobia - Fear of the night
Places	A list of places A place where bees are kept = apiary A place where fishes are kept - aquarium
Possessive_Case	The case which is used to show possession is called the possessive case or genitive case. In case of nouns, an apostrophe is used to show it. Is the case which denotes the owner or possessor
Prefixes	All Prefixes
Professions	List of various professions The commander of a fleet - Admiral
Proverbs	Famous proverbs A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush A bad beginning makes a good ending.
Quotes	Serious Quotes and some Witty funny one liners Someone has glued my pack of cards together...I cannot deal with it!
Sayings	Famous sayings as a drowned rat. - as ancient as the sun—as the stars.
Science_and_Arts	List of words used in Science or Art An instrument for detecting earthquakes - seismograph
Scientific_Terms	Explanation of scientific items like barometer The science of land management - agronomics
Seven_Wonders	The seven wonders of the ancient world with explanations The Pyramids of Egypt
Similes	Words to use as a Simile which is a phrase that describes one thing in terms of another.  A simile usually begins with like or as. Archates - a good friend * Belt = to hit below the belt
Synonyms	List of words or phrases that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another  abandon....... desert, forsake, leave.
Thesaurus	Understanding words, Incorrect Use of Words, Thesaurus of Words :Thesaurus - abandon = abandoned, abandoning, abandonment, abandons affluent =having an abundant supply of money or possessions of value,words explained and incorrect use of words
UrbanMyths	The floor was dirt.  Only the wealthy had something other than dirt, hence the saying "dirt poor."
War	Words used in war Nations carrying on warfare - belligerents
Weddings	Anniversary dates and wedding information
Words_to_Verbs	Words shown in noun or verb strong - strengthen
Zodiac_signs	Signs of the Zodiac

Please note there are some excellent links to assist with these pages

see at the end for the links for further information. 

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