There are many common words that are frequently misused because they look and sound alike, leading to embarrassing errors in writing.
The following are pairs of words that are often mistaken for one another, as well as a few individual words that are frequently misused.
Adverse/Averse
- Adverse: harmful, unfavourable, acting in opposition
- Averse: having a feeling of distaste, opposition, or aversion; strongly disinclined
Affect/Effect
- Affect: (as a verb) influence; change, imitate/adopt something (i.e., accents, styles of dress); (as a noun) emotion expressed in body language and facial expression
- Effect: (as a noun) the result of an agent or cause, an impression; (as a verb) cause to occur
Altogether/All Together
- Altogether: entirely, totally, completely, utterly
- All together: Refers to a group experiencing something simultaneously or performing a collective action
Assure/Ensure/Insure
- Assure: remove doubt, make certain, give confidence, reassure, promise
- Ensure: make certain, guarantee
- Insure: arrange, provide, or acquire insurance for; make secure
Auger/Augur
- Auger: tool used to bore holes in ice or wood; drill bit; earth-boring machine with helical shaft; rotating helical shaft that is used for conveying material (i.e., part of a snow blower); (as a verb) bore a hole using an auger
- Augur: (as a verb) predict, foretell, serve as an omen or sign; (as a noun) prophet, seer, soothsayer
Capital/Capitol
- Capital: (as a noun) city or town with official seat of government within a given political entity (i.e., nation or state); city that is an activity hub or center; money, property, other resources; net worth of a business; advantage or asset; (as an adjective) excellent, first-rate; punishable by death (i.e., capital offense); involving the use of wealth for investment
- Capitol: building or building complex where state legislature/U.S. Congress meets
Complement/Compliment
- Complement: complete, make whole, balance
- Compliment: (as a noun) expression of admiration, congratulation, or praise; formal act of courtesy, civility, or respect (compliments – good wishes or regard); (as a verb) praise, flatter
Console/Consul
- Console: control panel for a piece of electronic equipment; TV or audio system cabinet
- Consul: government-appointed official who resides in a foreign country to represent her own government’s commercial interests and citizens
Counsel/Council
- Counsel: (as a noun) guidance, advice; the act of exchanging ideas and opinions; (as a verb) advise, give counsel, recommend
- Council: assembly whose purpose is consultation or discussion; advisory or legislative body
Discreet/Discrete
- Discreet: exercising wise self-restraint or prudence in behaviour and speech
- Discrete: separate or distinct
Enervate/Energize
- Enervate: destroy or weaken the vitality or strength of something
- Energize: invigorate, excite
Fewer/Less
- Fewer: used for things that can be counted as individual units (i.e., people, trees, kilometres, minutes)
- Less: used for things that cannot be counted as individual units (i.e., time, distance, sugar, water)
Flammable/Inflammable
- Flammable: easily ignited, able to burn rapidly
- Inflammable: means the same as flammable, but many people mistakenly assume that this word means “not flammable”
Flaunt/Flout
- Flaunt: exhibit shamelessly or ostentatiously
- Flout: show scorn or contempt
Incredible/Incredulous
- Incredible: sufficiently implausible to cause disbelief, extraordinary
- Incredulous: doubtful, sceptical, disbelieving (does not mean difficult or impossible to believe)
Irregardless
- Not actually a real word, but rather a casual hybrid of irrespective and regardless
Its/It’s
- Its: the possessive form (The butterfly spread its wings.)
- It’s: It is – (It’s raining today.)
Literally
- Refers to something accurate, factual, and exact, but is often misused in figurative expressions (i.e., He ate so much food that he literally had to roll home.)
Penultimate
- Second to last – often mistakenly used in place of “ultimate”
Precipitate/Precipitous
- Precipitate: hurl downward (usually from great height); cause to happen prematurely or suddenly, condense and fall from the sky (i.e., rain); be separated as a solid from a solution
- Precipitous: steep, sheer, resembling a precipice, having several precipices
Prescribe/Proscribe
- Prescribe: impose or direct, set down as a guide or rule, order to be used (i.e., prescribe antibiotics), establish laws or rules
- Proscribe: prohibit, forbid, denounce, condemn, banish, outlaw
Principal/Principle
- Principal: (as an adjective) first or highest in rank, degree, worth, or importance; (as a noun) a person who holds the highest rank (i.e., school principal); financial holding that does not include revenue or interest; sum of money that is owed, on which interest must be calculated
- Principle: basic truth, standard, or rule
Seasonal/Seasonable
- Seasonal: dependent on or belonging to a specific season, occurring only during that season
- Seasonable: appropriate to a given season (i.e., clothing such as scarves in winter)
Sensual/Sensuous
- Sensual: related to and/or providing gratification for physical appetites (particularly sexual)
- Sensuous: means the same as sensual but more often refers to senses involved in aesthetic enjoyment (i.e., music or art)
Unexceptionable/Unexceptional
- Unexceptionable: beyond reasonable objection, irreproachable
- Unexceptional: usual, normal
Wherefore
- Means “why” or “for what purpose,” but is often mistakenly believed to be a synonym for “where”
Reference:
- Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. (2004). 100 Words Almost Everyone Confuses & Misuses. Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin Company.
The copyright of the article Commonly Misused Words in Language & Style is owned by Jennifer Copley. Permission to republish Commonly Misused Words in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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