Commonly Confused Words

accept, except
Accept is a verb that means to receive or agree to. The principal accepted the boy’s story about the
broken window. Except is usually a preposition that means aside from or excluding. I want all of the
mugs to be washed except for the blue one.

affect, effect
As a verb, affect means to influence. His money affected the way people treated him. Used in the past as a
noun also, though almost exclusively in the mental health field, affect referred to a person’s mood. The
patient presented with a somber affect. Effect is usually a noun meaning a result. The drug had several
adverse side effects. But it is also used as a verb meaning to cause. The new laws effected less cultural
change than anticipated.

allusion, illusion
An allusion is an indirect reference. Did you catch my allusion to Shakespeare? An illusion is a false or
misleading appearance. Mirrors give the room an illusion of depth.

assure, ensure, insure

Assure and ensure are generally interchangeable, though assure is more often used for people. I assure
you, sir, I am unarmed. Please ensure that the lid is tight. Insure is almost exclusively used in a financial
sense. Have you insured your car yet?

a while, awhile
A while is a noun phrase. Let’s sit for a while. Awhile is an adverb. Let’s sit awhile. Many agree this is a
nitpicky distinction, since the only difference seems to be the use of a preposition before a while.

bring, take
If the action is directed toward you, use bring. Bring home the bacon. If the action is away from you, use
take. Take out the trash.

censer, censor(n), sensor

A censer is either a container of burning incense or the person who carries it. A censor is someone who
suppresses objectionable subject matter. A sensor is a mechanical or electronic detector.

censor(v), censure
To censor is to suppress objectionable subject matter. Many school libraries censored The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn. To censure is to criticize strongly or disapprove. The press will often censure the
government if they disagree.

conscience, conscious
Conscience is a noun referring to a sense of right and wrong. I would have stayed in bed, but my
conscience said I should get up. Conscious is an adjective meaning awake or aware. Being conscious now
of the light, how could I live in the dark?

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continuous, continual
Continuous means constant, without interruption. Continual means recurring or frequently repeated.
could have, could of
Promoting the confusion is the contraction “could’ve,” which sounds like “could of.” In formal prose,
have should follow “could,” “would,” “should,” or “might.” Compromise could have ensured our success
.
different than, different from
People commonly use than with different, but than is used for comparisons, and different is not
comparative. Different from is preferred. The second blast was not bigger, just different from the first.

elicit, illicit
The verb elicit means to evoke or draw out. The police elicited from the criminal the names of his
accomplices. The adjective illicit means illegal. George was guilty of committing illicit acts.

emigrate, immigrate, migrate

Emigrate means to move away from one’s country. We emigrated from Canada in 2002. Immigrate
means to move into another country. We immigrated to the United States. Migrate, when referring to
people, means to relocate within the same land. Thousands of pioneers sought their freedoms by
migrating west. For animals, migrate means to relocate. Geese spend much of the spring and fall
migrating between warm and cool climates.

eminent, imminent, immanent

Eminent means prominent or famous. We have gathered this evening to honor three eminent authors.
Imminent means pending or expected soon. Sir, core breach is imminent. Immanent means inherent or
ever-present. God’s immanence is most apparent in the phenomenon of creation.

empathy, sympathy
Empathy is a psychological attachment in which one imagines another’s experience. Sympathy is
compassion for or emotional alignment with a person or other entity.

every day, everyday

Every day is a noun phrase. What time do you wake up every day? Everyday is an adjective. How do you
like my everyday attire?

every one, everyone

Every one is a noun phrase meaning each. Every one of the flowers bloomed. Everyone is a noun
meaning all, and usually refers exclusively to people. Everyone finished the course with ease.

fewer, less; many, much; number, amount

Use fewer, many, and number with nouns that can be counted. I have fewer pieces than you do. Use
less, much, and amount with general amounts that cannot be counted. I have less candy than you do.

height, heighth
While both of these spellings are etymologically sound (heighth is an Old English variant of height),
most sources recommend using the more commonly accepted spelling height.

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I, me; he, him; who, whom

I refers to the subject (the actor) in a sentence or clause; me refers to the object (the thing or person being
acted upon). Who will attend the conference, he or I? Please send your abstract to my assistant or me .
The same applies for he(s), him(o); who(s), whom(o); and whoever(s), whomever(o).

I am done, I am finished
Pedants pounce on I am done, often “correcting” it with I am finished. To get even more persnickety,
whether one uses done or finished is not really the issue. The confusion—if you’re really confused—is
caused by the passive voice of the sentence. The construction I am done uses the passive voice to say that
someone or something did you. However, I have finished keeps the sentence in active voice and the
meaning clear. Of course, it could also be argued that the construction I am done treats the word done as
an adjective describing the state of having finished, in which case I am done would be just fine.

infer, imply
To imply something is to hint it, basically. But that statement implies that my involvement was deliberate.
To infer something is to gather it, surmise it, or come to the conclusion. Am I to infer, Governor, that if
we do not surrender our land we will be evicted or killed?

lay, lie

Lay means to put or place. It takes a direct object specifying the thing that is put or placed. She laid her
books on the desk. Lie does not take a direct object. For living things, lie means to recline. She lay awake
until two. For nonliving things, it means to exist or be located. That valley lies to the north. The confusion
is caused by the conjugation of lay and lie. Here are the verb forms: Base Form

Base Form Past Tense Past Participle Present - S Form

Participle
Lie (recline) lay lain lying lies
Lay (put) laid laid laying lays

led, lead
Led is the past-tense form of the verb lead (to direct or escort). Lead is the element.

log in, login, log-in

Use log in as a verb phrase. Go ahead and log in. Login and log-in are used as nouns or adjectives. Use
your own login information.

okay, OK
Okay is a younger variant of OK, but either is acceptable if kept consistent.

phenomena, phenomenon
Phenomena is the plural form of phenomenon.

than, then
Use then with sequenced events. I laughed, and then I cried. Use than in comparisons. The cat was
bigger than the dog.

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there, their, they’re

The adverb there is used to point out a location. Do you see them over there? Their is a possessive
pronoun. Their dog is always chasing cars. And there is the contraction for “they are.” They’re quite a
couple.

to, too
To is a preposition meaning toward or in the direction of. Are you going to the store? It can also be used
to form an infinitive verb. The divers must be careful to swim. Too has two meanings: also (I like candy
too) and to an excessive degree (In fact, I like it too much).
toward, towards
The preferred form is without the s in American English, with the s in British English. The same is true
for other directional words, such as upward, downward, backward, and forward.

uninterested, disinterested
Uninterested means not interested. She was uninterested in my art. Disinterested means unbiased.
Finding a disinterested judge in this matter may prove difficult.

utilize, use
Utilize, which means to use to the best effect, is an overused version of use and is only occasionally the
better choice. Use is generally the best choice for simplicity.

when, whenever
These are not interchangeable. Use whenever only to emphasize uncertainty in the time of an event. Well
whenever you get here, I guess just I’ll be waiting. Use when in all other cases. When I was ten, I went to
Disneyworld.

your, you’re
Your is a possessive pronoun. Bring your sleeping bag along. You’re is the contraction for you are.
You’re in the wrong sleeping bag.

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