Confusing Words
First Quarter 2010
What Are Confusing
Words?
• Confusing words are words that
sound alike but have different
meanings and different spellings.
Meat/Meet
• Meet (verb) to come into presence
• Meat (noun) animal tissue considered
as food
Cent/ Scent/Sent
• Cent (noun) a bronze colored coin of
the U.S. worth 1/100 of a dollar
• Scent (noun) a distinctive odor
• Sent (verb) past tense of the verb
“to send”
Course/Coarse
• Course (n) a route taken by
something that moves
• Coarse (adj.) rough or crude
Hey/Hay
• Hey (interj.) expression used to call
attention to or to express doubt or
surprise
• Hay (n.) mowed cured grass used as
fodder to feed animals
Grown/Groan
• Groan (vb.) to utter a deep moan
indicative of pain grief or annoyance
• Grown (adj.) fully mature, not
childish
Emigrate/Immigrate
• Emigrate (v) to leave one’s place of
residence or country to live
elsewhere
• Immigrate (v) to come to a country
of which one is not a native for
permanent residence
Their/There/They’re
• Their- (pronoun) the possessive case
of the pronoun they indicating
ownership; usually used as an
adjective
• There- (adverb) of or at a place; to,
into, or towards a place
• They’re- contraction of “They are”
Knot/not
• Knot (noun) an interlacement of the
parts of one or more flexible bodies
forming a lump
or knob
• Not-(adv.) used as a functional word
to make negative a group of words or
word
Know/No
• No, Know
• No-(interj.) used to express a
negative; an act or instance of
denying
• Know (v)- to have an understanding
of
Led/Lead
• Led (vb.) past tense of lead
• Lead (vb.) to go before a first; to
conduct or escort ; to guide a
decision
• Lead (n.) a person who leads ; a heavy
metal; graphite in a pencil
Already/All ready
• Already (adj.) prepared; completed
ready
• All ready (adv.) before some
specified time
Passed/Past
• Passed (vb.) past tense of the verb
pass; to go by without stopping
• Past (n.) a time before now
Piece/Peace
• Peace (n.) a state of tranquility and
quiet
• Piece (n.) a part of a whole
Plane/Plain
• Plane (vb.) to make smooth
• Plain (adj.) lacking ornamentation or
pattern
• Plain (n) a level treeless area
Hole /Whole
• Hole,(n.) an opening through something ; a
hollow place in a solid body or mass
• Hole(vb.) to make a hole; to hollow out
• Whole (adj.) comprising the full quantity,
amount, extent or number; entire; full
Principal/Principle
• Principal (n) a head or chief; the
director of a school
• Principle (adj.) first rank,
importance, or value
Stationary/ Stationery
• Stationary (adj.) not moving;
standing still; having a fixed position
• Stationery (n.) writing paper
Threw/Through
• Threw (vb.) past tense of throw (an
act of hurling or flinging)
• Through (Prep) in at one side and out
the other
Week/ Weak
• Weak (adj.) not strong, frail, lacking
vigor, delicate
• Week (n.) a period of seven
successive days
Your/You’re
• Your (adj.) possessive form of the
word, you, that indicates ownership
• You’re – contraction of the words you
are
Who’s/Whose
• Whose (adj. / pron.) the possessive
form of, who, that indicates
ownership
• Who’s – contraction of the words who
is
To/Too/Two
• To (prep.) movement toward; in a direction
toward; toward or reaching the state of
• Too (adv.) in addition; also; more
sufficient; excessively
• Two (n. / adj. / pron.) the number 2; equal
to one plus one; having two equal parts
Whether/Weather
• Whether (conj.) used to introduce the first of
two alternatives ; and sometimes
• Repeated before a second alternative usually
with “or”; used to introduce a single
• Alternative , the other being implied or
understood.
• Weather (n./ adj.) the state of the atmosphere
with respect to wind , temperature , clouding ,
• Pressures and so forth; a weather forecast
Pier/Peer
• Pier (n.) an intermediate support for
the adjacent ends of two bridge
spans
• Peer (n) one that is of equal
standing with another based upon age
, rank grade or status
Scene/Seen
• Scene (n) a place where some action
event occurs
• Seen (v) to perceive with the eyes
Alter/Altar
• Alter (v) to change or modify
• Altar (n) an elevated structure upon
which sacrifices may be offered or
before religious ceremonies may be
enacted
Miner/Minor
• Minor (adj.) smaller or inferior
• Miner (n) one who mines or digs a
mine