Commonly Cnfused Words

[iufrenchman]

ACCEPT - to receive
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EXCEPT - apart from; excluding; to take or leave out
We welcome donations of all books, except romance novels.


ADVICE - recommendation; guidance
The police officer offered advice on how best to secure the business.

ADVISE - to offer guidance or wisdom
The former President advised the Senator to stop lying to voters.


ALL READY - complete; prepared
He was certain it was all ready for scrutiny, but soon discovered it was still full of errors.

ALREADY - by this time; previously
His book was already in print when they discovered it wasn't factual.


ALLOWED - permitted; acceptable
The politician said dead voters would be allowed to vote in general elections, but not primaries.

ALOUD - audibly; out loud
Only one person had the nerve to say aloud what we were all thinking about the corrupt politician.


ALLUSION - an indirect reference
The scholar made an allusion to William H. Prescott's work.

ILLUSION - a false perception; a magic trick
The illusion was not convincing, as the cards were visible up his sleeve.


ALTOGETHER - completely; entirely; all in all
The study was full of inaccuracies, but its conclusions weren't altogether wrong.

ALL TOGETHER - in unison; gathered, with everyone in one place
We were all together at the book club when we discovered all the typographical errors.


ASCENT - climb
His rapid ascent in the scientific world was quickly reversed when they discovered he lied in the book.

ASSENT - agreement; consent; concur
The scientist assented to the scientific review after admitting he falsified the study results.


BARE - exposed; naked; stripped
Once the carpeting was torn up, the room looked bare.

BEAR - to endure; to tolerate; a large, heavy mammal
He had to bear the burden alone as the bear attacked him, since onlookers thought it was all part of the show.


BOARDER - paying guest in a house
He was going to take in more boarders until the severed head of a missing boarder was found in his yard.

BORDER - boundary or edge, particularly of a geographical region.
Illegal aliens continue to stream across the border in record numbers.


BRAKE - a mechanical device that causes a vehicle to slow or stop
Most drivers brake for children, pets and stoplights, but not lawyers and politicians.

BREAK - to shatter; destroy
He would have to break all the rules to get elected after he was caught in the barn with that hooker.


BREATH - noun, air inhaled or exhaled
His honesty was a breath of fresh air.

BREATHE - verb, to inhale or exhale
I will breathe a sigh of relief when errors in reference books are eliminated.


CAPITAL - an upper case letter; seat of government; assets, funds or financial resources
His company had sufficient capital to open new facilities in the state capital of Topeka.

CAPITOL - the actual building in which the legislature of a country or state meets
The governor announced she would outlaw stupidity in a speech given today at the capitol.


CENT - a 100th of certain monetary units, such as the dollar; a coin of this value; a penny
Bananas are on sale for just 29 cents a pound.

SENT - past tense and past participle of send
He sent a postcard, but forgot all about the recent postage increase.

SCENT - a smell; aroma; a clue by which something is tracked or discovered
The scent was captivating in the perfume bottle, but smelled like rotten onions once applied.

SENSE - any of the five senses; a feeling or perception; sound judgment
He ended up in Two Egg, Florida, due to his terrible sense of direction.


CITE - refer to; to quote; document
The research paper would ultimately cite twelve sources that were later proven not to exist.

SIGHT - vision; spectacle
The snow-covered peaks surrounding Mammoth Mountain are a sight to behold.

SITE - location; position; place
The site of the new bank was abandoned when it was discovered to be haunted by the ghost of Jesse James.


COMPLEMENT - something that completes; brings to perfection; is in harmony with
The wine complemented the lavish feast.

COMPLIMENT - an expression of praise or flattery
She received many compliments on her new book until they discovered it was all plagiarized.


CONSCIENCE - principles; a sense of right and wrong; ethics
The politician claimed his conscience kept him from cheating on his wife.

CONSCIOUS - awake; aware; cognizant
Both passengers remained conscious following the auto accident.


COUNCIL - a group that consults or advises
The city council voted unanimously to impose the death penalty on all smokers.

COUNSEL - to advise
The student was counseled before deciding to take the popular course in zombie resurrection.


DAM - a barrier built to hold back water
The entire valley flooded when the dam collapsed.

DAMN - to condemn; to not care at all
Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.


DESERT - arid region; abandon
Contrary to popular belief, many deserts are teeming with plant and animal life.

DESSERT - a sweet course served at the end of a meal
The easiest way to differentiate the spelling of these two words, is to remember that you always want two servings of that scrumptious dessert. The scorching desert is spelled with just one "s" but that delicious dessert is spelled with two.

[iufrenchman]

ELICIT - to draw out; to bring out
The police officer tried to elicit the truth from the unresponsive suspect.

ILLICIT - illegal
The disgraced mayor refused to admit his part in the illicit activities.


EMINENT - famous; renowned; respected
The eminent surgeon was fired after he removed a kidney from the wrong patient.

IMMANENT - inherent; intrinsic; present everywhere
The meaning of the sonnet was immanent, but not easily recognized.

IMMINENT - about to happen; ready to take place
A fight between the talk show guests was imminent from the moment they walked out on stage.


FLAIR - style; stylishness; panache
The room was decorated with great flair.

FLARE - a burst of light; an outward curve to a shape
They placed a flare in the road to warn approaching motorists of the alien spacecraft crash.


FOR - with the purpose of; in favor of; on behalf of; instead of
He searched for Jot 'Em Down, Texas on the list of bizarre U.S. town names.

FORE - toward the front; first in order; a warning calling attention to a errant golf ball
President Ford shouted "fore" to warn the golf course spectators they were in danger of being struck by his wayward golf ball.

FOUR - the cardinal number between three and five; 4; IV
The price they were charging was actually four dollars more than the advertised sale price.


FORMALLY - officially; in a polite, mannered fashion
The Governor formally signed into law a new ordinance that imposes the death penalty on jaywalking.

FORMERLY - previously; in the past
The new Joan Crawford Day Care Center, formerly the Bette Davis Stop Smoking Clinic, opened today.


HEAR - to perceive sound
He could hear the footsteps of the approaching zombies, but it was too late to escape.

HERE - at this place; at this point in time
Here at Internet Accuracy Project, we work to improve the accuracy of the reference sources we all rely on, both online and off.


INTERMENT - burial
His interment at the local cemetery was interrupted when his casket was found to be filled with gold.

INTERNMENT - imprisonment; confinement
In times of war, individuals classified as "enemy aliens" have occasionally been placed in internment camps by some countries.


ITS - of, or belonging to
The book and its author were both found to be lacking in credibility.

IT'S - contraction for "it is"
It's going to take months before all the errors are documented.


LEAD - (noun) a type of metal
He had lead poisoning from all the old paint he consumed.

LEAD - (verb) guide; show the way
The outdoorsman will lead the hikers from Lake Mary, up to Duck Lake.

LED - (verb) past tense of the verb "to lead"
The criminal led his victims into the woods before forcing them at gunpoint to clean his cabin.


LOSE - to misplace; be defeated; not win
He was certain to lose the election because of the infamous video.

LOOSE - not tight; baggy
The lawyer's pants were so loose that they actually fell to his ankles, causing him to trip and fall.


PASSED - to go by; to have moved
He was killed as he passed the truck on a blind curve.

PAST - belonging to a earlier time; long-ago
In the past he had been a respectable attorney, but was disbarred after he tried to bribe a judge.


PEAK - mountaintop; summit
It was at the peak of his political career that he accepted the bride from Tony Soprano.

PEEK - glance; sneak a quick look
The video clearly showed the 3-term Senator peeking into the women's restroom at the strip club.

PIQUE - (Noun) offend; resentment; (Verb) to arouse curiosity
His curiosity was piqued when he saw the photo of the aliens and their landing craft.


PRECEDE - to come before
The King always precedes his entourage.

PROCEED - to go forward; carry on
He would proceed with the task, though he knew it was a lost cause.


PRINCIPAL - a person who has authority; primary; most important
The school principal resigned when it was discovered he was actually a bank robber.

PRINCIPLE - a fundamental truth; the original source; integrity
He was a man of principle.


RAIN - precipitation in the form of water
The mosquitoes will soon be out in force as a result of all the rain we've had lately.

REIGN - period of a monarch's rule; the act of presiding over a country or group
The King's reign ended abruptly when he was killed in battle.

REIN - the strap used to control a horse (usually plural)
He frantically pulled the reins to stop the runaway horse

ROLE - one's position; a part in the theatre, movies or television
Google played a role in helping improve the accuracy of Web searches.

ROLL - revolve; turn over
The car rolled several times before coming to rest on its roof.


STATIONARY - motionless; standing still
Contrary to the Senator's testimony, the police report indicated his car was not stationary at the time of the accident.

STATIONERY - writing paper and envelopes
She purchased office supplies downtown at the new stationery store.

[iufrenchman]

THAN - used with comparisons
I'd rather hear the truth, no matter how unpleasant, than some preposterous lie.

THEN - at that time; after that
He signed the ethics bill, then went and spent the night with his mistress.


THEIR - possessive form of they
Their scientific study was full of inaccuracies and falsified data.

THERE - indicates location; in attendance
He went there to do some research on former U.S. Secretary of State John W. Foster.

THEY'RE - contraction for "they are"
They're going to fire him because he faked patient data in the medical study.


THROUGH - from side to side; into or out of
Passing through the tunnel is quicker than ever, now that time warp technology is used to move traffic.

THRU - abbreviated slang for through; NOT appropriate in standard writing
When will he be thru with this endless lecture?

THREW - past tense of throw
The politician threw a punch at the reporter when informed his marital indiscretion had been caught on tape.

THOROUGH - methodical; careful; complete
The doctor claimed he was thorough in all aspects of his research, but he actually falsified the entire study.

THOUGH - however; nevertheless
The mayor was caught repeatedly lying, though his constituents still reelected him to two additional terms.


TO - toward; in the direction of; on the way to
He went to the Internet Accuracy Project site to do some research on the life of poet John Davidson.

TOO - also; in addition; excessively
There are far too many errors on the Web.

TWO - the number 2
"The Barefoot Boy" and "Barbara Frietchie" are two of John Greenleaf Whittier's most celebrated poems.


WHO'S - contraction of "who is"; contraction of "who has"
Who's that guy that was married to actress Sharon Tate?

WHOSE - belonging to
Whose car is parked in my parking space?


YOU'RE - contraction of "you are"
You're barking up the wrong tree if you think you're and your are interchangeable.

YOUR - belonging to; done by you
Our records indicate that your father died 23 years ago, yet has voted in each of the last five elections

[squigg58]

There are also a number of words which are incorrectly defined in many dictionaries. Examples, with the correct definitions:

Bicycle: A sexually confused mode of transport.
Blanket: A small empty space.
Boycott: A small bed for a male child.
Bratwurst: The very naughtiest of children.
Catacomb: Feline grooming device.
Doldrums: Barbie's percussion set.
Fallible: Something that is likely to fall over.
Filibuster: A rodeo rider who only breaks in female horses.
Finesse: A female Finn.
Florist: An expert on floors.
Fundamental: To provide financial support to a Scientologist.
Hamstring: Sexy underwear for pigs.
Ingnorant: To totally disregard an insect.

(With thanks to The Uxbridge Dictionary!)

[vierenweg]

Hi.....Do you know the old joke about the foreign-language student who committed suicide after reading the newspaper headline: "Snow spells disaster!"

[TCO95]

Weather : Concerning the atmospheric environment.
If it's cold, cloudy and raining the weather sucks.

Whether : To indicate an option.
Stanley was so confused he didn't know whether to shit or wind his watch.

Affect : Usually a verb meaning to influence.
My alibi had no affect on the juries decision.

Effect : Usually a noun indicating a result.
Taking recreational drugs can have many undesired side effects.

Effect as a verb
Hitting the isopod with the axe had the desired effect of killing the beast.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...woodlouse.html

[knobby109]

Discrete - seatate, individual
Discreet - careful, inconspicuous

[rotobott]

Originally Posted by knobby109

Discrete - seatate, individual
Discreet - careful, inconspicuous

Seatate eh.

Here's an aid for punctuation and spelling etc.

Only for the open minded contains strong language.

[iufrenchman]

Everyday
Everyday is an adjective that means commonplace, ordinary, or normal.

These shoes are great for everyday wear

You shouldn't wear an everyday outfit to the wedding
Don't use the everyday dishes - it's a special occasion

Every day
Every day means "each day."

I go to the park every day

I have to work every day this we

[iufrenchman]

Assure
Assure most commonly means "to remove doubt about, to guarantee, to set one's mind at rest." It is a verbal statement of certainty. Assure is the only one of these three verbs that can be used with a person as the direct object.

I assure you that we will be on time.
He assured us that there were no delays.

Assure can also mean ensure (see below).
In British English, assurance is used as a synonym for a particular type of insurance (see below).

Ensure
Ensure means "to make sure or certain" and must be followed by a direct object. Ensure indicates the action of guaranteeing, as opposed to the spoken guarantee indicated by assure.

Winning the lottery ensured our happiness.
His loyalty will ensure your safety.

Insure
Insure refers to the provision of insurance: coverage against a specified loss.

My new car is not yet insured.
Our house was insured when the storm hit.

In British English, assure is used instead of insure when referring to insurance that is guaranteed to be paid (e.g., life insurance, because you are definitely going to die at some point), as opposed to car or fire insurance (which cover you against a loss that may or may not occur).
Insure can also mean ensure - to make sure of.

The Bottom Line
Assure, ensure, and insure can all mean "to make sure or certain of":

Hard work will assure/ensure/insure your success.

In my opinion, however, ensure is the only word that should be used here.
Beyond that meaning, assure also indicates a verbal guarantee, and insure refers to the action of guaranteeing coverage in the case of loss.