Most Commonly Misused Words!
The English language has many, many words that are being misused daily or are commonly confused. Here is a list of 25 of the ones that can stop even the best writers in their tracks, from time to time.
Accept:
| Except:
| |
|---|---|---|
to agree
| to exclude
| |
to receive
| excluding
| |
ie: He was eagerly awaiting to accept his winnings.
| ie: I loved everything about the wedding gown except the neckline.
|
Adapt:
| Adept:
| Adopt:
|
|---|---|---|
to change in order to handle new situations
| to be handy
| to make it ones own
|
to deal with new conditions
| to be skillful
| to endorse
|
ie: He was unable to adapt to the environment.
| ie: She has always been an adept knitter.
| ie: It is common for us to adopt many New Years resolutions.
|
Adverse:
| Averse to:
| |
|---|---|---|
hostile
| reluctant
| |
difficult
| being against it
| |
ie: Adverse weather conditions are making the Olympic games harder to accomplish.
| ie: He is averse to accepting charity from any source.
|
Advice:
| Advise:
| |
|---|---|---|
is the noun
| is the verb
| |
ie: My advice to you would be to invest in gold not in those stocks.
| ie: I advise you to think about your investments carefully.
| |
All ready
| Already
| |
|---|---|---|
all set
| previously done
| |
all prepared
| previously said
| |
ie: The hub-nugget hub was all ready by Wednesday.
| ie: Mom already told me.
|
All together
| Altogether
| |
|---|---|---|
joined
| totally
| |
joined in a group
| thoroughly
| |
ie: For once, the party was all together on that important issue.
| ie: The reasons for that are altogether obscure.
|
Allusion
| Illusion
| |
|---|---|---|
the verb form for allude
| a figment of imagination
| |
an indirect reference, covert
| an idea not at all real
| |
ie: Her allusion effectively called up parallels in two historic moments.
| ie: Chris Angel has many illusions up his sleeve.
|
A while
| Awhile
| |
|---|---|---|
a noun
| an adverb
| |
a period of indeterminate length
| for a short time
| |
ie: I saw her a while ago.
| ie: They settled awhile in town before moving to the country.
|
Censor
| Censure
| |
|---|---|---|
to see if mail,art,books etc should be banned
| an expression of strong disapproval or harsh criticism
| |
to suppress in whole or part those considered obscene, politically unacceptable, etc
| an official rebuke
| |
ie: The school authorities censored the scholl reading list.
| ie: It remains to be seen whether he will be censured for conflict of interest"
|
Cite
| Site
| Sight
|
|---|---|---|
a verb
| a noun
| a noun
|
to mention
| a location
| the ability to see or to forsee the future
|
ie: She was able to cite many examples.
| ie: The site of the new house is on the west side of town.
| ie: She has the sight; she can foretell the future.
|
Complement
| Compliment
| |
|---|---|---|
to bring to perfection
| to praise
| |
to complete or makes up a whole
| to express respect or esteem for
| |
ie: Wine and cheese complement each other.
| ie: I don't like insincere compliments.
|
Device
| Devise
| |
|---|---|---|
a noun, an invention for some specific purpose
| a verb, to invent, to plot
| |
a mechanical gadget
| to plan or to design
| |
ie: Sometimes the simplest devices are the cleverest.
| ie: The safety pin in one of those cleverly devised gadgets.
|
Discreet
| Discrete
| |
|---|---|---|
tactful
| distinct, individual,
| |
wise self-restraint
| Non-continuous
| |
ie: Everyone could use a trusted discreet aide
| ie: Rising rates can have several discrete effects on our economy.
|
Expand
| Expend
| |
|---|---|---|
to increase
| to spend
| |
to enlarge or to fill out
| to use up
| |
ie: It is so busy that we will have to think about expanding.
| ie: To get the gold medal the athletes at the Olympics are expending all of their energy.
|
Farther
| Further
| |
|---|---|---|
a geographic distance
| used for everything else except geographic distances
| |
a physical distance
| further is also used for the concept of addition
| |
ie: Toronto is another 50 kilometers farther down the highway.
| ie: If there are no further comments we can adjourn the meeting.
|
It's
| Its
| |
|---|---|---|
stands either for 'it is' or 'it has'
| is a possessive pronoun
| |
It's is a contraction for it is or it has.
| 'of it' or 'belonging to it'. Also is the neuter version of his and her
| |
ie: To check if 'it's' is right try replacing it with it is or it has.
| ie: The ostrich is known for its inability to fly.
|
Loose
| Lose
| |
|---|---|---|
not tight
| to misplace
| |
easy way to remember is loose rhymes with 'moose'
| easy way to remember is lose rhymes with 'whose'
| |
ie: It's better to wear loose clothes in a hot climate.
| ie: I lose my carkeys at least once a day.
|
Medal
| Metal
| Mettle
| Meddle
|
|---|---|---|---|
A piece of metal stamped with a design to commemorate a person, place, or event
| a group of chemical elements
| courage, valor or spunk
| to interfere
|
an award
| such as iron, gold, copper, lead, and magnesium etc.
| stuff of which a person is made of
| To intrude into other people's business
|
ie: The Canadian Olympic team has been awarded quite a few gold medals.
| ie: Some metals can be hammered into thin sheets.
| ie: Our troops are showing their mettle in combat.
| ie: Stop meddling in my personal affairs.
|
Patience
| Patients
| |
|---|---|---|
not being in a hurry
| people seeking medical help
| |
being calm and collected
| persons in a doctors care
| |
ie: I have patients galore when I'm embroidering.
| ie: Doctors seem to have more patients then they can handle.
|
Then
| Than
| |
|---|---|---|
a certain time, at another time, later, again
| a comparing word
| |
at that time
| express comparison or diversity
| |
ie: Once your homework is finished then you can play your games.
| ie: Better than many words are actions.
|
There
| Their
| They're
|
|---|---|---|
a place
| a groups ownership
| a contraction for 'they are'
|
ie: Was it there?
| ie: It's their house.
| To see if the sentence is correct replace 'the're' by they are
|
ie: Life is too short, there is just not enough time
| ie: Was it their house that was broken into?
| ie: They're here again. (They are here again)
|
Two
| Too
| To
|
|---|---|---|
the number two
| very, more than enough,
| shows direction
|
likewise, also, in addition to, over
| towards, for, at
| |
ie: Two birds of a feather.
| ie: One cow produces too much milk for one household.
| ie: To win gold medals an athlete has to be focused.
|
Weather
| Whether
| |
|---|---|---|
climate
| alternative possibilities
| |
the atmospheric conditions in terms of temperature, wind, clouds and precipitation
| or choices
| |
ie: In winter I check the weather report daily, often twice.
| ie: She will have to decide whether to go college or university.
|
Who's
| Whose
| |
|---|---|---|
a contraction of who is or who has
| the possessive form of who
| |
which person or people
| of whom
| |
ie: Who's coming to dinner?
| ie: Whose socks are these?
|
Your
| You're
| |
|---|---|---|
belonging to you
| you are
| |
ownership
| substitute the two words for the contraction to see if the sentence is right.
| |
ie: Is this your book?
| ie: Hope you're well!
|
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