17 sets of similar words you used incorrectly
These words often confused the same sounds, but they have very different meanings.
In English, just because two words seem similar to do not mean they are. In fact, sometimes two seemingly similar words are actually complete and totally opposite! To help you avoid ringing the idiot, we have rounded some of the most commonly confused words and highlighted their differences. Time toI accept truthexceptions.
1 Accept
Some people simply can not seem to accept the fact that wordsI accept andexcept are not interchangeable. However, there is no exception to this rule:I accept is a verb that means believing or receiving something, andexcept is a preposition used to designate something excluded.
2 Continuous and continuous
Although the wordscontinued andcontinual Are similar, they are not synonyms. AsGrammarifier Notes, things that occur without interruption (such as the circulation of a river) are continuous, while things that occur regularly with breaks (like bus departures) are continual.
3 Infamous and famous
You really do not want to mix these commonly confused words. Whilepopular means "widely known" without positive or negative connotation, the adjectiveinfamous is defined byMerriam Webster like "have a worst kind reputation". People who are infamous are usually as famous, but famous people are not necessarily infamous.
4 Unfavorable and obverse
Do not let these similar words confuse you.Negative is an adjectivesynonym of unfavorable andharmful.Opposite, during this time, is an adjective used when someone does not like something. Remember that you can have an unwanted reaction to a medicine, but you are opposed to resume it.
5 Entitled
It does not have a lot of sense to say that a book, an article or any other written work is "entitled" during the reference to its name. ThroughMerriam Webster,entitled is an adjective sense "entitled to certain benefits or privileges" or "show a sense of law". Unless you are trying to say a piece of literature thinks it's more happy than you're goingtitle.
6 Evoke and invoke
Recall andinvoke both come fromThe Latin word lectory To "call", so it is logical that they are two of the most commonly confused words in English. However, these verbs are not interchangeable.
Recall means "use" and is generally used with reference to memories or emotions.InvokeIn parallel, means "appeal to" and is most often heard before a court.
7 Ensure and ensure
The problem with the wordsto assure andto assure Do some experts believe they are synonymous. If you want to keep it easy,Merriam Webstersuggests limiting the use ofto assure Financial issues and only usingto assure When you mean "to make sure, certain or safe."
8 Precede and proceed
Precede andproceed might seem similar, but their meanings could not be more different. Whileprecede means "going or come before" -as in: "The dinner always precedes the dessert" -proceed means "pursue an action, a process or movement" -as in: "after dinner, we can proceed to the dessert."
9 Sympathy and empathy
Have a sympathy for someone and have an empathy for someone is two different things. When you are friendly, you personally experienced what someone else is going through and can relate to their struggle. When you are empathetic, you are sensitive to someone's struggle, but you have never experienced something similar.
10 Bemuse and amused
Amused people are generally not also bêmes. Whileamused is synonymous withentertain,bummyis synonymous withconfused andswallowed.
11 Disinterested and unwilling
Disinterested andindifferent are very similar adjectives. However, these commonly confused words are not exactly the same. Be disinterested must be impartial. To be indifferent, meanwhile, is simply not worrying about it.
Fun, although: according toMerriam Webster, the meaning of these words used to be reversed. In other words,disinterested used to mean "Not interested," andindifferent Used to signify "impartial".
12 Adapt and adopt
The wordsadapt andadopt Are only similar in spelling and style, really. Otherwise, these two verbs could not be more different.
According toMerriam Webster,adaptmeans "to adapt (as for new use) often by modification". Animals adapt to their environments.AdoptMeanwhile, means "Taking and practicing or using" "parents adopt a severe tone when their children are mean.
13 Especially and especially
It's easy to understand how adverbsabove all andespecially are usually mistaken for each other. Not only do they look identical, but they also have very similar meanings. Whileabove all"In particular" meansespecially means "for a particular purpose. »
Especially andabove all Can sometimes be used interchangeably, for example, you can say that you have purchased a snack both especially and especially after work, but in general they are not the same.
14 And further
The difference betweenfurther away andfurther away Perhaps subtle, but it's important anyway. Although the two words mean "more distant"further away refers to the physical distance, andfurther away Refers to the figurative distance.
15 Illusion and allusion
aallusion is a reference, most often a fact in the literature. aillusionOn the other hand, is a mirage or another kind of deceptive appearance. These words could look alike, but they are not synonymous.
16 Amoral and immoral
Something or someone who isamoral is morally neutral. Something or someone who isimmoral, Meanwhile, is not moral and knows that their behavior is bad. If you ever these words confused, remember that an amoral person is apathetic and perhaps even an unknown, while an immoral person is unethical.
17 And immigrate to emigrate
The difference between these two words is subtle but important. When you emigrate, you leave a country to live in another. When immigrated, you go to another country to live there permanently. So, if you are a resident of Germany move to the United States, you emigrate from Germany and to the immigrant state.