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Commonly Confused Words


The Gun Of Bavaria

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Commonly Confused Words

ACCEPT - to receive

He enthusiastically accepted the trophy for his winning entry in the contest.

EXCEPT - apart from; excluding; to take or leave out

She had visited every community in Colorado, except the tiny town of Tincup.

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 removed, 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.

The bank robber tried to cross the border to avoid pursuing police.

BRAKE - a mechanical device that causes a vehicle to slow or stop

The driver had to brake to avoid hitting a dog.

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 a ghost.

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.

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.

FLEW - past tense of fly

The birds flew past the theater showing the Alfred Hitchcock retrospective.

FLU - influenza

She caught the flu after failing to get her annual flu shot.

FLUE - a pipe or enclosed passage that conveys smoke or exhaust

The flue needs to be cleaned before the cold winter weather arrives.

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.

MAIN - the most important; largest

Roast beef was the main dish at dinner.

MANE - long, heavy hair on the back of or around the neck of a horse or lion; a person's long hair

The horse had a beautiful braided mane.

PAIN - a feeling of being hurt; suffering

He was in great pain following the accident.

PANE - a single sheet of glass in a division of a window

The pane of glass no longer leaked after it was caulked.

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

Angela Lansbury played the role of Jessica Fletcher, on the long-running television series Murder, She Wrote.

ROLL - revolve; turn over

The car rolled several times before coming to rest on its roof.

STALKING - to relentlessly pursue without being detected

The convict resorted to stalking the woman after she repeatedly rebuffed his vulgar, unwanted advances.

STOCKING - close-fitting hosiery; nylons

Her new silk stockings perfectly accented her glamorous attire.

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.

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" "who was" or "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.

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Ask: transitive verb. to use words in seeking the answer to (a question); try to find out about by inquiring; to put a question to (a person); to inquire of

Aks: an ebonics non-word used by morons who never took the time to learn or were never taught to correctly pronounce real words, such as "ask".

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