Common Confusing English Words with Meaning

Confusing Pairs Of Words (3)

Accept or expect or aspect or except? These words are so confusing we all know! And do you know? There are a lot of words like these confusing ones! But you cannot ignore them as well, these are important in our daily conversations and communication! So, that’s why we are here with some of these common confusing pairs of words to help you learn and distinguish each one of them! This article has a book of flashcards on the basic words that confuse you when someone speaks them! You will be given the worst with their exact meaning to help you understand when and where they are used and what is the difference in their spellings and pronunciation!

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Commonly Confusing English Words

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Confusing Pairs Of Words (1)

Accept – Consent, to receive

eg: She accepted my offer.

Except-Excluding

eg: All except her mother joined the party.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (2)

Alter-To change

eg: Do not alter your decision now.

Altar – A place of worship

eg: Take off your shoes before reaching the altar.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (3)

Adapt -To fit

eg: One should adapt oneself to new circumstances.

Adept -Expert

eg: Detective Roy is adept at solving crime mysteries.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (4)

Access -Approach

eg: He has easy access to the minister.

Excess -The amount by which a thing exceeds

eg: Excess to everything is bad.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (5)

Advise – Guidance or recommendation (Verb)

eg: I advised him to go there.

Advice – Guidance or Recommendation (Noun)

eg: He refused to accept my advice.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (6)

Angle -Space between two lines meeting a point

eg: Draw an angle equal to the given angle.

Angel -A heavenly being

eg: My good angel saved me from sin.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (7)

Incident -Any occurrence

eg: He related an amusing incident.

Accident -An unexpected happening

eg: A serious railway accident took place yesterday.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (8)

Amiable -Lovable

eg: Her manners are amiable.

Amicable – Peaceful

eg: They want an amicable settlement of the dispute.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (9)

Affect – Verb

eg: The unwholesome food affected her health adversely.

Effect – Noun

eg: The bad effect of alcohol was soon felt.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (10)

Artisan -Craftsman

eg: A goldsmith is an artisan.

Artist -Expert in some fine art

eg: Roy is a budding artist. His Paintings are very realistic.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (11)

Bail -Security

eg: She was released on bail.

Bale -Large bundle

eg: She stole eight bales of cotton.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (12)

Bare -Uncovered

eg: He went out in the sun with his head bare.

Bear -Tolerate, wild animal

eg:

  • Will he bear this heavy loss?
  • I have seen bears and tigers in the zoo.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (13)

Break -split or shatter into pieces

eg: Can you break this stick?

Brake -An appliance to check the speed

eg: She applied the brakes and stopped the car.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (14)

Canon -Rule

eg: We must observe the basic canons of the business.

Cannon -A big gun

eg: A cannon was fired in the evening.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (15)

Canvas -Woven cloth

eg: Military tents are generally made of canvas.

Canvass -To try to get political support/votes

eg: A quarrel arose when they were canvassing the votes.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (16)

Carrier -One that carries

eg: Germs are carriers of disease.

Career -Course of life

eg: Her service career is good.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (17)

Cast -Throw off

eg: Cast off your shoes.

Caste -A class by birth

eg: She is Hindu by caste.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (18)

Childish -Like a child

eg: Nobody likes her childish ways.

Childlike -Innocent

eg: Her childlike simplicity won us over.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (19)

Cite -Quote in support

eg: She cited several examples to prove her point.

Site -A selected spot

eg: This site is good for the shop.

Sight -View

eg: What a lovely sight!

Confusing Pairs Of Words (20)

Cord -Thin rope

eg: Loosen the cords of this pocket a bit.

Chord -A line in a circle

eg: Draw a chord in a circle.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (21)

 

Course -A fixed syllabus

eg: The teacher finished the course.

Coarse -Rough

eg: This is a coarse cloth.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (22)

Council -Assembly

eg: Roy was elected to the student council.

Counsel -Advice

eg: Your counsel has helped me a lot

Confusing Pairs Of Words (23)

Dose  -Amount to be taken at one time

eg: The doctor gave a dose of medicine to the patient.

Doze -Light sleep

eg: He was found dozing in the class.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (24)

Discover -Find out

eg: Columbus discovered America.

Invent -Create

eg: Graham Bell invented the telephone.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (25)

Disease -Illness

eg: Jaundice is a common disease.

Decease -Death

eg: Her sudden decease was shocking.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (26)

Drown -Suffocated (living things)

eg: The girl drowned in the sea.

Sink -Disappear below the surface(things)

eg: The ship sank and all the passengers were drowned.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (27)

Due -Owing

eg: Her failure is due to her carelessness.

Dew -Moisture on grass

eg: The dew drops offer a pleasing sight.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (28)

Dying -Expiring

eg: She has not written any will before her death.

Dyeing -The act of coloring

eg: She is an expert in dyeing.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (29)

Diary -A book for daily record

eg: Rik writes his diary daily.

Dairy -A place where milk is kept

eg: Roy likes dairy products.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (30)

Envelop -To surround

eg: The mist enveloped us.

Envelope -The cover of a letter

eg: Please put my letter in the envelope.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (31)

Fair -Beautiful, fine, good

eg: He has a fair amount of sense.

Fare -Cost of transportation

eg: I am entitled to first-class fare.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (32)

Feet -Part of body

eg: His feet are dirty.

Feat -Surprising performance

eg: We saw the feats of a juggler.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (33)

Farther -Expresses distance

eg: He will not go a step farther.

Further -Something additional

eg: we need further information.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (34)

Flour -Ground wheat

eg: The bread is made of flour.

Floor -The lower surface

eg: This house has a beautiful floor.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (35)

Fore -In front

eg: The manager joined in the forenoon.

Four -A number

eg: The cat has four legs.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (36)

Foul -Dirty

eg: The rubbish in the street emitted a foul smell.

Fowl -A bird

eg: We are not fond of hunting waterfowl.

Confusing Pairs Of Words (37)

Forth – Forward

eg: The candidate came forth for the interview.

Fourth – A numeral

eg: He has secured the fourth position.

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