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FREQUENTLY CONFUSED WORDS
The following table lists some of the most frequently confused word pairs along
with a brief definition of each word.
CONFUSING WORDS QUICK DEFINITION
accept to recognize
except excluding
access (verb) to gain entry to
access (noun) means of approaching
excess extra
adapt to adjust
adopt to take as one’s own
affect to influence
effect (noun) result
effect (verb) to bring about
all ready totally prepared
already by this time
all ways every method
always forever
among in the middle of several
between in an interval separating (two)
assure to make certain (assure someone)
ensure to make certain (to check for yourself)
insure to make certain (financial value)
beside next to
besides in addition to
bibliography list of writings
biography a life story
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CONFUSING WORDS QUICK DEFINITION
personal individual
personnel employees
precede to go before
proceed to continue
proceeds profits
principal (adjective) main
principal (noun) person in charge; sum of interest-earning money
principle standard
stationary still, not moving
stationery writing material
than in contrast to
then next in time
their belonging to them
there in a place
they’re they are
weather climate
whether if
who substitute for he, she, or they
whom substitute for him, her, or them
whose belonging to whom
who’s who is
your belonging to you
you’re you are
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Another important reason to review homonyms like team/teem and waive/wave is
to avoid a “trap” sometimes set by the test developers. That is, you might encounter

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HERE’S A HINT
TRICKY VERBS
These verbs confuse even native speakers of English. To keep them straight, think
about which verb in a pair needs an object (a noun or pronoun that’s acted on by
a verb). Practice using these verbs in context and you will become more comfort-
able with them.
Lie Lay
Lie means to rest, to recline. Lay means to place, to set down.
(subject) (needs an object)
past tense: lay, had lain I always lay my purse on the table.
Don’t just lie there, do something!
Sit Set
Sit means to rest. Set means to put or place.
(subject) (needs an object)
She always sits in the third row. He set the newspaper on the desk.
Rise Raise
Rise means to go up. Raise means to move something up.
(subject) (needs an object)
After it is filled with helium, the The state is raising taxes this year.
balloon rises.
You already know many homophones and commonly confused words inside and
out. The ones you don’t know, you simply need to memorize. The question is, how
do you remember these differences in meaning, especially when the words seem so
much alike? The key is to capitalize on the differences in the words. And when it
comes to frequently confused words, mnemonic devices come in especially handy.
Take the commonly confused pair ingenious and ingenuous, for example:
➥ ingenious: marked by inventive skill or creativity; showing inventiveness

'sen·so˘r) v. to forbid the publication, distribution, or other public dis-
semination of something because it is considered obscene or otherwise polit-
ically or morally unacceptable. n. an official who reviews books, films, etc.
to remove what is considered morally, politically, or otherwise objectionable
censure (
'sen·shu˘r) n. expression of strong criticism or disapproval; a rebuke
or condemnation. v. to criticize strongly, rebuke, condemn
sensor (
'sen·so˘r) n. a device that receives and responds to a stimulus such as
light, smoke, etc.
cue (kyoo) n. 1. a signal, such as a word or action, given to prompt or remind
someone of something; a hint or suggestion. 2. a line of waiting people or
vehicles; a queue
queue (kyoo) n. 1. a line of waiting people or vehicles. 2. (in information pro-
cessing) an ordered list of tasks to be performed or sequence of programs
awaiting processing
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decent ('dee·se˘nt) adj. 1. conforming to what is socially or morally suitable or
correct. 2. meeting acceptable standards; sufficient, adequate
descent (di·
'sent) n. 1. the act of descending or moving downward; a down-
ward slope or movement. 2. hereditary derivation; lineage
dissent (di·
'sent) v. 1. to differ in opinion, disagree. 2. to withhold approval
or assent. n. 1. a difference of opinion. 2. nonconformity
deprecate (
'dep·re˘·kayt) v. to express disapproval of; to belittle, depreciate
depreciate (di·

amass and store in secret
horde (hohrd) n. a large group or crowd; a vast multitude
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incredible (in·'kred·˘·be˘l) adj. 1. implausible, beyond belief. 2. astonishing
incredulous (in·
'krej·u˘·lu˘s) adj. skeptical, unwilling to believe
ingenious (in·
'jeen·yu˘s) adj. marked by inventive skill or creativity; showing
inventiveness and skill, remarkably clever
ingenuous (in·
'jen·yoo·u˘s) adj. 1. not cunning or deceitful, unable to mask
feelings; artless, frank, sincere. 2. lacking sophistication or worldliness
meddle (
'med·e˘l) v. to intrude in other people’s affairs; interfere
mettle (
'met·e˘l) n. courage, fortitude, spirit
peak (peek) v. to reach its highest point or maximum development, activity,
or intensity. n. 1. the sharp end of something tapering to a point. 2. the
pointed top of a mountain, summit. 3. the highest possible point of devel-
opment, activity, or intensity
peek (peek) v. to glance quickly or peer at furtively. n. a brief or furtive look.
pique (peek) v. 1. to cause annoyance or irritation; to vex or create resentment.
2. to provoke or arouse
persecute (
'pur·se˘·kyoot) v. to oppress, harass, or mistreat, especially because
of race, religious or political beliefs, or sexual orientation
prosecute (
'pros·e˘·kyoot) v. 1. to bring a criminal action against. 2. to carry

Spelling is often the key to distinguishing between commonly confused
words. Meddle, for example, differs from mettle only because it contains the
letter d instead of t. Use this key difference to help you remember the dif-
ference in meaning as well. For example, you might remember that meddle
with a d is something you d
on’t want to do unless you want to annoy others.
●
Review, review, review. Use flash cards or other study strategies to review
these commonly confused words until you have them memorized. And then
review them again.
●
Use these words. If you use these words in your everyday writing and con-
versations, you will remember which word has which meaning. Or teach
them to someone else. Teaching something to another person is one of the
most effective ways to master that material.
●
Remember to make the most of your learning style. Use whatever study or
memorization techniques work best for you. For example, if you are a visual
learner, create pictures that will help you remember word meanings. If you
are an auditory learner, rhymes will be more effective.
●
Pay attention to details, and use them to help you remember the words and
their meanings. The more carefully you read each definition and the closer
you look at the spelling of each word, the more likely you are to find a “key”
for you to remember the differences between them. For example, appraise
has the word praise in it. You can associate praise with a good evaluation, and
appraise means to evaluate.
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