Whether we are writing a business or examination report/essay on economics or marketing paper, we need to be careful on some frequently misused or confusing pairs of words. Many pairs of words sound alike or nearly alike, but each has a different meaning.
You should be careful to use the correct word from a pair of such confusing words when you are writing and speaking. Otherwise, you may express something different than what you mean to express.
Append below some frequently misused words and commonly confused pairs of words:
| A lot – Means many Allot – Means to divide something up into segments or portions Accept – to take something that is given to you Affect – to influence something Altar – a raised place used in religious services Ascent – to climb Assent – To agree with something or someone
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| Brake – a device for stopping or slowing a vehicle Break – to come apart
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| Cite – to document Site – a place Coarse – rough Complement – something that makes a thing whole or perfect Could have–Something had a possibility of coming true or coming to pass Could of–A mispronunciation of could have. This phrase should never be used in written work. Conscience – a sense of right and wrong |
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Descent – coming from a higher place to a lower one Desert – a dry, hot, sandy area Device – something made for a certain purpose
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Elicit – to bring out Eminent – famous or well respected
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| Faint – weak Feint – a movement meant to deceive Forth – forward
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| Here – at or in a place Hear – to receive sound through one’s ears Hoard – to save and store away Hole – an opening through something
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Its –A possessive that means something belongs to someone. It’s –Is a contraction of it is.
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Lose –A verb that means to misplace something or to fail to win a contest. Loath – reluctant
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| Martial refers to war.
Marital refers to marriage.
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| Principle means a fundamental truth.
Principal refers to the head of a school.
Palate – the roof of the mouth
Peace – absence of fighting
Plain – clearly seen, heard, or understood
Pore – a very small opening in the skin
Precede – to come before
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Shear – to cut the wool off a sheep
Stationary – to stand still
Suppose-To make a guess about something. Supposed to-A verb that means a person is obligated to do something. Example: I suppose that I must attend the party at Tom’s house, but I am supposed to have dinner with my family.
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Than-A comparisons between two people or objects. Then-Means next or something that will happen at a specific time.
To-A preposition that means going toward something. Too-Means also or over much. Two-Is a number.
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Waist – the part of the human body between the ribs and the hips
Weak – without strength
Who-A pronoun that refers to one or more people. Which-A pronoun that usually indicates a question about a specific thing. That-Is used to refer to a thing or a group of people.
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Yours- A possessive that means that something belongs to the person you are addressing You’re-Is a contraction of you are.
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