Some Commonly Misused Words
© Copyright 2002, Jim LoyThese are commonly confused words (some are obvious, others are not):
| accept: to take | except: exclude |
| adapt: to change | adopt: to take as one's own |
| adverse: unfavorable | averse: disinclined |
| advice: recommendation | advise: to recommend |
| affect: to influence | effect: to bring about (when it is a verb) |
| appraise: to set a value on | apprise: to inform |
| allusion: indirect reference | illusion: something unreal |
| bloc: political group | block: obstruction, cube |
| born: to be given birth | borne: to be carried |
| brake: to stop or slow | break: to fracture, to stop work temporarily |
| can: able | may: allowed |
| cannon: gun | canon: law |
| canvas: cloth | canvass: solicit opinions or votes |
| capital: seat of goverment (like Washington DC), larger alphabetic letter | capitol: legislative building (often upper case) |
| censor: person who checks for objectionable material | censer: container for incense |
| complement: to make complete | compliment: to praise |
| compose: to make up | comprise: to include |
| council: assembly | counsel: advice, lawyer |
| corpse: dead body | corps: group of people |
| credible: believable | creditable: praiseworthy |
| denote: to mean | connote: to suggest in addition to the simple meaning |
| desert: arid region, to abandon | dessert: end of a meal |
| discreet: prudent | discrete: separate |
| disinterested: impartial | uninterested: without interest |
| elicit: to draw out | illicit: illegal |
| emigrate: leave | immigrate: come from somewhere else |
| farther: greater distance | further: more |
| flair: style | flare: to burn |
| flaunt: to make a boastful display | flout: to treat with contempt |
| former: first of two | latter: second of two |
| forward: onward | foreword: introduction to a book |
| fortuitous: happens by chance (not necessarily lucky) | fortunate: lucky |
| grisly: horrible | grizzly: streaked with gray |
| hanger: object for hanging clothes | hangar: place for airplanes |
| historic: important in history | historical: relating to history |
| imminent: soon to take place | eminent: important |
| imply: to suggest without stating | infer: to judge from evidence |
| include: to be some parts of a whole | comprise: to be the parts of a whole |
| lay: place, put, past tense of "lie" | lie: to recline |
| lead: a metal (pronounced led), to guide (pronounced leed) | led: past tense of lead |
| lend: (verb) | loan: amount lent (noun) |
| literal: real meaning | figurative: implied meaning |
| loathe: to hate | loath: reluctant |
| lose: to experience loss | loose: not tight |
| luxuriant: abundant | luxurious: sumptuous |
| minor: underage person, lesser | miner: person who mines |
| moral: ethical | morale: spirit |
| oral: spoken | verbal: relating to language |
| palate: roof of mouth | palette: artist's paint holder |
| pallet: platform | |
| peace: calmness | piece: part |
| persecute: to harrass | prosecute: to pursue a legal case against |
| plain: simple | plane: airplane, to smooth, a flat surface |
| precede: to go before | proceed: to continue |
| prescribe: to recommend | proscribe: to prohibit |
| principal: chief, head person | principle: rule |
| prophecy: prediction | prophesy: to predict |
| roll: to turn | role: part to play |
| session: meeting | cession: act of giving away |
| shear: to clip | sheer: transparent, utter |
| stationary: fixed | stationery: paper |
| than: as in "greater than" or "more than" etc. | then: at that time |
| to: toward | too: also, excessive |
| trooper: soldier | trouper: actor |
| weather: state of the air (rain, sunny, etc.) | whether: if |
Here are some commonly misspelled (and perhaps mispronounced) words:
| incorrect | correct |
| accidently | accidentally |
| alright ("alright" is gaining support) | all right |
| defendent | defendant |
| existance | existence |
| Febuary | February |
| fourty | forty |
| goverment | government |
| harrass | harass |
| incidently | incidentally |
| independant | independent |
| indispensible | indispensable |
| innoculate | inoculate |
| irregardless | regardless |
| judgement (acceptable) | judgment |
| labratory | laboratory |
| milennium | millennium |
| miniscule | minuscule |
| mischevious | mischievous |
| noticable | noticeable |
| perserverence | perseverance |
| preformance | performance |
| seperate | separate |
| supercede (acceptable) | supersede |
| wierd | weird |
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