NORTHAMPTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE LEARNING CENTER
Frequently Confused Words
accept
except
verb, “to take”
verb, “to leave out”
preposition, “leaving out”
board
bored
noun, “piece of wood”
noun, “food” (room & board)
adjective, “uninterested”
access
excess
noun, “a way in”
noun, “too much”
breath
breathe
noun, “air in the lungs”
verb, “to take in air”
addition
edition
noun, “increase”
noun, “issue of a book”
capital
adapt
adept
adopt
verb, “to adjust”
adjective, “skilled”
verb, “to take as one’s own”
capitol
adjective, “upper case or major”
noun, “top of a column”
noun, “wealth, net worth”
noun, “city of government”
noun, “gov’t. building”
advice
advise
noun, “guidance”
verb, “to guide”
choose
chose
verb, “to pick”
verb, “picked, past tense”
cite
site
sight
verb, “to acknowledge”
noun, “a place” ;verb, “to locate”
noun, “the ability to see”
coarse
course
adjective, “not fine”
noun, “path or unit of study”
complement
noun, “completer”
verb, “to provide balance”
noun, “flattery”
verb, “to flatter”
affect
effect
verb, “to influence”
noun, “an emotion”
verb, “to bring about”
noun, “result”
aid
aide
noun, “help”
noun, “helper, assistant”
aisle
isle
noun, “a space between rows”
noun, “island”
compliment
already
all ready
adverb, “previously”
pronoun/adverb, “prepared”
conscience
conscious
noun, “inner sense of right”
adjective, “aware”
altar
alter
noun, “table, place of sacrifice”
verb, “to change”
council
counsel
noun, “legislative body”
noun, “advice”
angel
angle
noun, “supernatural messenger”
noun, “corner”
dairy
diary
noun, “place for milk products”
noun, “daily journal”
arc
ark
noun, “curve”
noun, “boat”
defer
differ
verb, “to put off”
verb, “to disagree, be dissimilar”
ascent
assent
noun, “rising”
noun, “agreement”; verb, “to agree”
bare
bear
adjective, “naked”
noun, “animal”; verb, “to carry”
descent
dissent
decent
noun, “the way downward”
noun, “disagreement”
adjective, “proper”
desert
dessert
verb, “to leave”; noun, “dry land”
noun, “sweet course ending meal”
College Center Suite 315
610-861-5517
Adapted from: Gefvert, Constance J. The Confident Writer, New York: Norton, 1988. 440-446. Print.
LC November 2011
dew
do
due
noun, “condensed moisture”
verb, “to act”
adjective, “payable or owed”
dyeing
dying
verb, “coloring”
verb, “losing life”
peace
piece
noun, “not war”
noun, “part or section”
personal
personnel
adjective, “intimate”
noun or adj., “employees”
precede
proceed
verb, “to go before”
verb, “to continue”
principle
principal
noun, “moral conviction”
adjective, “major”
noun, “head of school”
envelop
envelope
verb, “to enclose”
noun, “enclosure for a letter”
fair
fare
adjective, “objective or pale”
noun, “food or fee”
formerly
formally
adverb, “before”
adverb, “not casually”
quiet
quit
quite
adjective, “silent”
verb, “to stop”
adverb, “very”
forth
fourth
adjective, “forward, ahead”
adjective, “number 4”
respectfully
respectively
adverb, “with respect”
adverb, “in reference to”
hear
here
verb, “listen & understand
adverb, “in this place”
than
heard
herd
verb, past tense of hear
noun, “group of animals”
then
preposition, “besides”;
conjunction, “as”
adverb, “at that time”
hole
whole
noun, “gap”
adjective, “in one piece”
their
there
they’re
possessive of “they”
adverb, “in that place”
“they are”
incidence
incident
incidents
noun, “frequency of occurrence”
noun, “happening”
noun, plural of incident
its
it’s
pronoun, possessive of “it”
pronoun/verb, “it is”
though
tough
thought
through
thorough
trough
taught
“despite or however”
adjective, “not tender”
noun, “an idea”
prep. “in and out”
adjective, “complete”
noun, “shallow basin”
verb, “past tense of teach”
later
latter
adverb, “after a while”
adjective, “last mentioned”
to
too
two
preposition, “toward”
adjective or adverb, “also”
adjective, “2”
lead
led
noun, “a metal” (rhymes “head”)
verb, “to guide” (rhymes “heed”)
verb, past tense of “lead”
weather
whether
noun, “rain, wind, snow”
conjunction, “if”
lose
loose
verb, “to misplace”
adjective, “not tight”
miner
minor
noun, “one in a mine”
adjective, “small”
;
noun, “one under age”
wear
were
we’re
where
verb, “to have clothes”
verb, past tense of “be”
“we are”
adv. or conj. “in a place”
who’s
whose
“who is”
possessive of “who”
past
passed
noun, “not present”
verb, “past tense of pass”
your
you’re
possessive of “you”
“you are”