Easily Confused Words

A
accept and except
adoptive and adopted
advice and advise
adverse and averse
affect and effect
aid and aide
airplane and aeroplane
a lot, allot, and alot
aisle, isle, and I'll
allowed and aloud
allude and elude
allusion and illusion
already and all ready
alright or all right
altar and alter
alternate and alternative
altogether and all together
among and amongst
among and between
amoral and immoral
amount, quantity, and number
angel and angle
any one and anyone
any thing and anything
appraise and apprise
are and our
assistance and assistants
assure, ensure, and insure
avenge and revenge
awe, or, oar, and ore

B
bare and bear
balk, baulk, and bulk
ball and bawl
bazaar and bizarre
being or been
beside and besides
between and among
block and bloc
blond and blonde
borrow and lend
bought and brought
brake and break
breathe and breath

C
capital and Capitol
can and may
can not and cannot
canvas and canvass
censor, censure, and sensor
center on and center around
choose and choice
chord or cord
cite, sight, and site
climactic and climatic
coarse and course
collectable or collectible
complement and compliment
compose and comprise (comprise of and 'is comprised of')
confident, confidant, and confidante
coral and corral
council and counsel
cow's milk or cows' milk
curb and kerb

D
dependant and dependent
decent, descent, and dissent
defuse and diffuse
definite and definitive
desert and dessert
discreet and discrete
disloyal and unloyal
disinterested and uninterested
dived and dove
dual and duel

E
economic and economical
effect and affect
e.g. and i.e.
elicit and illicit
elude and allude
envelop and envelope
empathy and sympathy
emigrate and immigrate
enquiry and inquiry
ensure, assure, and insure
envy and jealousy
every one and everyone
every day and everyday
except and accept 
explicit and implicit

F
fewer or less
flair and flare
flier and flyer
foul and fowl
forego/forgo, forewent/forwent, foregone/forgone
fourth and forth
further and farther

G
getaway and get away
good and well
gotten or got
gray and grey
grisly and grizzly

H
hangar and hanger
hanged and hung
he'll, heel, and heal
hear and listen
heroine and heroin
historic and historical

I
i.e. and e.g.
idol, idle, and idyll
if or whether
illicit and elicit
illusion and allusion
immigrate and emigrate
immoral and amoral
impending and pending
imply and infer
incidence and incidents
incite and insight
inquiry and enquiry
instance and instants
insure, assure, and ensure
into, onto, and up to
its and it's

J
jealousy and envy
jewelry and jewellery

K
kerb and curb


L
law and lore
lay and lie
lead and led
learned and learnt
lend and borrow
let and let's
less and fewer
licence and license
lightening or lightning
loath and loathe
loose and lose

M
makeup, make-up, or make up
male and mail
many and much
mantel or mantle
marinade and marinate
material and materiel
may and can
may and might
may be and maybe
me and myself
moral and morale
Ms, Miss, and Mrs
mucous mucus
mute and moot

N
no-one and no one
notable and noticeable
number, amount, and quantity

O
oar, or, ore, and awe
obligated or obliged
off and of
ordinance or ordnance
onto, into, and up to

P
past and passed
palate, palette, and pallet
patients and patience
peak, peek, and pique
plain and plane
pleaded or pled
pendant and pendent
peace and piece
pending and impending
personal and personnel
poisonous or venomous
pore, pour, and poor
practice and practise
precedence and precedent
pray and prey
principal and principle
precede and proceed
premise and premises
program and programme
prophecy and prophesy
proscribe and prescribe
provided and providing

Q
qualitative and quantitative
quantity, amount, and number
quicker and more quickly
quiet and quite

R
raise, rise, and raze
rain, rein, and reign
rational and rationale
regard or regards
revenge and avenge
role and roll

S
shall and will
site, cite, and sight
spelled and spelt
spilled and spilt
stationary and stationery
sensor, censor, and censure
story and storey
sympathy and empathy

T
tenant and tenet
that, which, and who
the and thee
their, there, and they're
then and than
tic or tick
too or to
tortuous or torturous
toward or towards
try and or try to

U
up to, into, and onto
uninterested and disinterested
unloyal and disloyal
upmost and utmost

V
vain, vein, and vane
vie or vye
venomous or poisonous


W
waist and waste
wait and weight
ware, wear, were, we're, and where
weather, whether, and wether
well and good
whoever and whomever
whether or if
which, who, and that
which and witch
while or whilst
who or whom
who's and whose
will and shall
with regard to or with regards to

X


Y
you're and your

Z

See Also

Grammar glossary Punctuation lessons Common grammar errors Grammar tests Sayings and proverbs Tattoo fails