Commonly Misused Words
The following words are often used incorrectly. Students and others may be confused for good reason.
Homonyms and homographs are words that sound alike, but have different meanings and spellings (e.g.,
see and sea). By contrast, homophones are spelled alike, but may have different meanings and
pronunciations (e.g., present, as in a gift, and present, as in to introduce). Knowing which word to use
makes an impact on students’ writing. It is important to help students know the different meanings and
spellings for these commonly confused words:
accept: allow
ad: advertisement
advice: guidance
aid: assist
ail: to suffer poor health
air: atmosphere
aisle: a passage
allusion: an indirect reference
altar: table in a church
ate: past tense of eat
bail: to clear water; release a
prisoner
band: a ring
bare: uncovered
bases: starting points
beat: to strike, to overcome
blew: past tense of blow
bread: baked food item
buy: purchase
capital: a capital crime is
punishable by death
ceiling: top of a room
cell: small unit
cent: a penny
chews: gnaws with teeth
cite: mention, quote
coarse: rough
complement: make complete
conduct: behavior
council: assembly
days: plural of day
dear: loved one, valued
desert: to abandon
die: expire
discreet: tactful
dual: double
elicit: draw out
eminent: distinguished
fair: pleasing, impartial
find: locate
fir: a pine tree
flea: insect
flour: milled wheat
for: preposition
except: other than
add: to combine
advise: to recommend
aide: one who gives assistance
ale: a beverage
heir: one who inherits property
I'll: contraction of I will
illusion: false appearance
alter: to change
eight: the digit 8
bail: payment to
band: a group
bear: large mammal
bases: four stations on a
baseball field
beat: exhausted
blue: the color or feeling of
sadness
bred: produced
by: near, through
capital: chief city
sealing: setting, fastening
sell: to give up for money
scent: an odor
choose: to select
sight: vision
course: path, procedure
compliment: praise
conduct: to lead
counsel: advice, to advise
daze: stun
deer: the animal
desert: extremely dry land
dye: color
discrete: distinct
duel: fight
illicit: illegal
imminent: soon
fair: gathering, exhibition
fined: charged
fur: a coat or covering
flee: to escape
flower: plant
fore: front, forward
isle: island
bale: a large bundle
banned: prohibited
bear: support, yield
basis: a basic principle
beet: a vegetable with a rounded
root
bye: goodbye
capitol: building where legislature
meets
sent: past tense of send
site: place
dessert: after-dinner treat
fare: fee for transportation
four: the number 4
foreword: preface
grate: to irritate
groan: moan
hall: auditorium, dormitory
hear: listen
higher: taller, more advanced
hoarse: rough sounding
its: possessive pronoun
jam: to force or block
know: to understand
lead: the metal (pronounced,
“led”)
lessen: to decrease
lie: to recline
meat: food
miner: a worker in a mine
missed: past tense of miss
one: the number 1
pail: a container
pair: two of something
passed: past tense of pass
patience: endurance
peace: absence of conflict
plain: treeless land
poor: lacking possessions
principal: main, most important
profit: gain
raise: lift
rap: knock
role: character, part
sail: fabric used to move a ship
scene: setting or a part of a play
seam: a line formed by joining
two pieces
shear: to cut
soar: to rise or fly
stair: step
stake: pointed piece of wood
stationary: unmoving
tail: rear part
team: group
threw: past tense of throw
tide: rising and falling of water
vain: conceited
waist: mid:section of the body
way: a course or manner
weak: frail, not strong
weather: atmospheric conditions
whine: complain
forward: related to direction
grate: a metal frame with bars
across it
grown: matured
haul: to carry
here: this place
hire: to employ
horse: the animal
it's: it is
jam: jelly
no: negative
lead: to direct
lesson: an example or unit of
instruction
lie: tell an untruth
meet: to encounter
minor: someone under legal age
mist: a light rain
won: past tense of win
pale: not bright or colorful
pare: remove, cut back
past: a previous time
patients: people under medical
care
piece: a portion
plain: simple, unadorned
pore: to read carefully
principal: head of a school or
company
prophet: someone who foretells
the future
rays: beams of light
rap: hip-hop
roll: to move forward
sale: the act of selling
seen: past participle of see
seem: to appear
sheer: transparent
sore: hurt
stare: gaze
steak: a slice of beef
stationery: writing materials
tale: story
teem: to be present in large
quantity
through: preposition
tied: fastened
vane: device for showing wind
direction
waste: to spend, wear away
weigh: to measure
week: seven days
whether: if
wine: an alcoholic drink
great: large, superior
led: past tense of lead
minor: lesser or smaller
pear: the fruit
past: preposition
plane: aircraft
pour: to cause to flow
principle: rule
raze: demolish or destroy
wrap: cover, conceal
roll: a portion of bread
vein: a blood vessel