Commonly Confused Words

Next - Skating Pears
Reprinted with special permission of King Features Syndicate.

    The English language has many words that cause confusion because their spelling and pronunciation are either the same or similar.

    Group 1

      1.

      accept - to receive: "She would not accept my proposal."

      except - all but: "Everyone went except John."

      2.

      access - admittance, a way of approach: "No one had access to the office."

      excess - larger amount than needed: "He had an excess of cash."

      3.

      accent - particular way of speaking "She had a Philadelphia accent."

      ascent - upward climb: "Rocky had a long ascent up the Art Museum's stairs."

      assent - to agree: "The professor assented to accepting a late paper."

      4.

      advice (noun) - recommendation: "His advice was to study."

      advise (verb) - to make recommendations: "He advised me to look for a new job."

      5.

      affect - influence (verb): "Pat's actions will affect the rest of the class."

      affect - an emotional response (noun): "Even when his father died, he showed little affect."

      effect - result (noun): "The effect of his good grades helped him get a scholarship."

      6.

      alter - change:" She had to alter her plans for the prom."

      altar - platform in a church: "The priest stands at the altar."

      Practice QuizClick Here For Practice Exercise - Group 1

    Group 2

      1.

      capital - (1) major city of a state or nation: "Harrisburg is the capital of PA." (2) supply of wealth: "You need capital to start a new business."

      capitol - (1) a building in Washington, D.C. for Congress: "You can tour the capitol even when Congress is in session." (2) a building where a legislature meets: "You can go to Harrisburg to see the capitol where the legislative body meets."

      2.

      cite - quote or mention: "When you write a paper, you have to cite your references."

      sight - ability to see: "Some people have to wear glasses because their eyesight is poor."

      site - location: "This looks like a good site to build a new home."

      3.

      conscience - sense of right and wrong: "Some people seem to have no conscience."

      conscious - aware of: "He made a conscious decision to practice his piano lessons every day."

      4.

      consul - an official who represents her country in a foreign country: "A terrorist group kidnapped the consul."

      council - group of people appointed or elected to make decisions: "Most towns have a council which governs them."

      counsel - (to give advice): "The lawyer tried to counsel the divorcing couple." (2) attorney: "The counsel did an excellent job with my case."

      5.

      decent - proper, in good taste: "We should all have decent manners." (2) good, honest: "John was a decent, hardworking man."

      descent - downward slope: "His descent down the ski slope was fast." (2) family origin: "The descent of man is a fascinating topic."

      dissent - disagreement: "There was much dissent among the students."

      6.

      device - gadget (noun): "The telephone is a useful device."

      devise - think of (verb): " The prisoners devised a plan to escape."

      Practice QuizClick Here For Practice Exercise - Group 2

    Group 3

      1.

      principal - (1) chief, most important: "The principal reason for her research into her past was that she wanted to learn her history. (2) head of a school: "After the student saved the principal's life, she gave him special favors."

      principle - rule or basic truth: "You must learn the principles behind math in order to solve the problems."

      2.

      quiet - silence: "Please be quiet in the library."

      quit - stop: "Many people have quit smoking."

      quite - really: "My husband was quite angry with our dog because she wouldn't stop barking."

      3.

      moral - good, honorable: "She is a moral woman."

      morale - spirit: "The captain was able to keep up the morale of his unit despite all the fighting."

      4.

      patience - ability to wait: "Patience is a virtue."

      patients - people suffering from an illness: "The doctor saw 25 patients in a day."

      Practice QuizClick Here For Practice Exercise - Group 3

    Group 4

      1.

      stationary - unable to move: "I rode my stationary bike for exercise."

      stationery - paper for letter writing: "I bought new stationery so I could send prettier letters to my friends."

      2.

      than - compare: "My son is taller than I am."

      then - at that time: " We were married then."

      then (used with if) - in that case: "If it rains, then there will be no picnic."

      3.

      thorough - complete, careful: "She did a thorough job of researching her paper."

      threw - form of the verb throw: "He threw the ball to third base."

      through - in one side and out the other: " He walked through the kitchen to get to the dining room."

      4.

      to - (1) toward: "Throw the ball to me." (2) used before a verb form: "She hoped to run in the race.

      too - (1) more than enough: "I have gained too much weight." (2) also: "I wanted to go, too."

      two - the number 2: " I need two tickets, please."

      5.

      eminent - well known: "Professor Epstein is very eminent in his fields of psychology and reading."

      imminent - about to happen: "The storm was imminent."

      6.

      farther - greater distance; can be measured: "I have to walk farther than you do to get to the school."

      further - more, in addition: "The group was told to discuss the matter of debt further."

      7.

      formally - traditional, formal rules: "He wore a tuxedo and was formally dressed for the wedding."

      formerly - happened before: "Jesse Ventura was formerly known as The Body."

      8.

      irrelevant - inappropriate or unrelated: "The lawyer proved that the evidence was irrelevant."

      irreverent - disrespectful: "It is irreverent to eat during a religious service."

      9.

      its - ownership: "The dog cried for its owner."

      it's - contraction of it is: "It's never too late to change your ways."

      10.

      later - after the expected time: "He arrived later than I expected."

      latter - the second of two things mentioned: "Betty agreed with the latter debater."

      11.

      lessen - decrease: "Drugs tend to lessen the pain."

      lesson - something to be learned: "In a way, this is a spelling lesson."

      12.

      loose - (adjective) (1) not tight: "Her dress was loose because she lost weight." (2) free: "The dog was set loose to sniff for drugs."

      lose - (verb) (1) misplace: "Did you lose your glasses again?" (2)suffer defeat: "Will the Eagles lose again?"

      Practice QuizClick Here For Practice Exercise - Group 4

    Group 5

      1.

      ware - something to be marketed: "The traveling salesman sold his wares on the road.

      wear - have on: "She will wear her new dress to the dance."

      where - in or from what place: "Where did you put your glasses?"

      2.

      your - possession or ownership: "The accident is your problem."

      you're - contraction of you are: "You're kidding, I hope."

      3.

      obvious - easy to grasp: "The answer to the problem is so obvious that even a child can answer it."

      oblivious - unmindful of: "Jane was oblivious to the hole in her jeans."

      4.

      complement - something that completes or makes perfect: "A good wine complements a good meal."

      compliment - expression of praise: " The young boy's mother complimented him on his outstanding behavior."

      5.

      whose - possessive case of who; ownership: "Whose hat is this?"

      who's - contraction of who has or who is: "Who's going to the store?"

      6.

      all ready - (everyone or everything) completely prepared "Are you all ready for the party?"

      already - (1) prior to or at some specific time; "When we arrived, we found that they had arrived already."

      Practice QuizClick Here For Practice Exercise - Group 5

    Lightbulb

    Now that you have practiced working with easily confused words, you might need a way to help you remember the information.

    Concept Cards

    Use a 3 x 5 index card and write the word that is causing you difficulty. Then draw a simple picture to help you associate the idea of the word with the printed form of the word.

    Mnemonics

    Mnemonics are "memory tricks" to help you remember information such as words. Mnemonics can be rhymes, nonsense words, sentences or mental pictures that help you recall information.

      (to, too, two) When you go to the store, will you buy me two cans of beans, too?

        Think about when you go to the store.

      (threw, through) Tom threw the ball through the window.

        Visualize Tom throwing a ball through the window.

      (accept, except) I'll accept gifts except when strings are attached.

        Visualize a gift with a lot of strings attached.