Commonly Confused Words in English
English is known for its homophones, which are words that sound the same but have different meanings, like their, they’re, and there.
Confusion frequently emerges with words that sound similar.
English is perplexing, with a complex past of words evolving from different languages, cultures, and geographical regions. To clear up the confusion and improve your English, ensure you know the differences between these frequently confused words below.
15 Commonly Confused Words in English
1. Infer vs Imply
While infer and imply sound similar and are two-syllable transitive verbs, their meanings are almost opposites. To imply something is a way of saying it without directly or explicitly stating it, whereas to infer means to arrive at a conclusion based on information presented or gathered.
2. Elude vs Allude
To elude and allude, both verbs that derive from Latin (ludere, “to play”), though they should not be confused with each other.
To elude is to evade or escape from something in a skillful or cunning manner, whereas allude is the verb form of allusion and describes an indirect reference to something.
| Sentence with ‘elude’ | Sentence with ‘allude’ |
| He thought he would elude the police for weeks. | Her comments allude to a preference for earlier forms of art. |
3. Affect vs Effect
Perhaps the most notorious pair of words in the English language, affect and effect have contributed to English’s reputation for being truly perplexing.
Affect is a verb describing something as having an impact, whereas effect is a noun that refers to an outcome of some sort.
| Examples with “affect” | Examples with “effect” |
| I see how social media affects people, especially in their consumer behaviour. | The results show a statistically significant effect. |
4. Invoke vs Evoke
To invoke or evoke, what’s the difference, or is there even a difference to be mentioned? Both come from Latin, though they mean different things.
| Sentences with “evoke” | Sentences with ‘invoke” |
| The novel’s ending evoked a feeling of loneliness in me. | The article invokes numerous scholars to help support its argument. |
5. To vs Too
‘To‘ is a preposition that expresses motion or change. ‘Too‘ is an adverb that means also, as well, or in addition.
| “To“, used in sentences | “Too”, used in sentences |
|---|---|
| Let’s go to the mall. He said he was going to the store. | I’ll have the fish, too. I was too tired to work today. |
6. Imminent, Eminent & Immanent
Imminent, eminent, and immanent are all adjectives brought down from French, but are initially Latin.
7. Weather and Whether
Weather and whether: Also, the difference between the temperature outside and a subordinating conjunction referring to two or more options.
| Sentences with “weather“ | Sentences with “whether“ |
| You can’t go out in this weather! | Anyway, it’s a good story, whether or not it’s true. |
8. There, Their and They’re
There, their, they’re can be known as the confusion between contractions vs. adverbs vs. possessive pronouns:
- ‘They’re‘ is a contraction (smush together two words, use an apostrophe) of they + are = they’re.
- ‘Their‘ is the possessive pronoun form of ‘they‘, and indicates belonging, possession, or association.
- ‘There‘ is often used as an adverb of place, meaning ‘over there’ or ‘in that place.’
| There | Stay there! I will be right back! |
| They’re | They’re the cutest puppies ever! |
| Their | She thanked the staff for their dedication. |
9. Lose vs Loose
Did you ‘lose weight or loose weight?’ Loose is an adverb used to say something is slack, or doesn’t fit well. Lose is a verb that describes something as missing or failing at something. E.g., the team lost the championship game.
10. Accept vs Except
Do you accept a job or except it? Accept is a transitive verb that means “to receive (something offered) willingly: I’ll accept her gift; an idea that is widely accepted“.
Except is a preposition that means “with the exclusion of”. For example, ‘we are open every day, except Sundays‘.
11. A lot vs Allot
Do you want to allocate resources amongst a group? If not, the correct choice is probably a lot (with a space between).
12. Illusion vs Allusion
Are you describing an indirect reference to something, or an optical illusion? Illusions have to do with deceptions of the mind, whereas allusions are references often made in literature and poetry.
13. Ensure, Assure, Insure
These words are the same, but different. To assure is similar to reassure, and has to do with giving someone confidence or assurance about something. Ensure is to make certain of something, whereas to insure pertains more to insurance (as in, ‘Is this house insured?’)
This is a tricky one. To understand the distinction better, we recommend reading the post on the difference between assure, insure and ensure.
14. Advise vs Advice
Are you giving counsel or advising someone on something? Did they take your advice? To advise someone of something is a verb that describes giving counsel or guidance. The actual recommendation or guidance given is the advice, which is a noun. Make sense? Great!
15. Principle vs Principal
Are you talking about a fundamental belief or a school headmaster? In other words, the difference between principal and principle is that a principle is the former (a fundamental rule or tenet), and principal is the latter (the school headmaster).
