Commonly Confused Words
Table of Contents
Students often get words confused with other words for a variety of reasons: .................................................... 3
To correct these errors, try using: ............................................................................................................................ 3
A, An, And.............................................................................................................................................................. 3
Accept, Except ....................................................................................................................................................... 3
Adapt, Adopt ......................................................................................................................................................... 4
Advice, Advise ....................................................................................................................................................... 4
Affect, Effect.......................................................................................................................................................... 4
All ready, Already.................................................................................................................................................. 4
All together, Altogether ........................................................................................................................................ 5
A lot, Allot ............................................................................................................................................................. 5
Angel, Angle .......................................................................................................................................................... 5
Are, Our ................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Assistance, Assistants ........................................................................................................................................... 5
Bare, Bear .............................................................................................................................................................. 6
Board, Bored ......................................................................................................................................................... 6
Breathe, Breath ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Brake, Break .......................................................................................................................................................... 6
Buy, By ................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Capital, Capitol ...................................................................................................................................................... 6
Choose, Chose ....................................................................................................................................................... 7
Clothes, Close ........................................................................................................................................................ 7
Conscience, Conscious .......................................................................................................................................... 7
Dessert, Desert...................................................................................................................................................... 7
Die, Dye, Dying, Dyeing......................................................................................................................................... 7
Do, Due, Dew ........................................................................................................................................................ 8
Cite, Site, Sight ...................................................................................................................................................... 8
Everyday, Every day .............................................................................................................................................. 8
Fair, Fare................................................................................................................................................................ 8
Imply, Infer ............................................................................................................................................................ 9
Farther, Further..................................................................................................................................................... 9
Formally, Formerly ................................................................................................................................................ 9
Kaplan University Writing Center Resource Library  Commonly Confused Words  July 2011  Page 1
Hear, Here ............................................................................................................................................................. 9
Its, It's .................................................................................................................................................................... 9
Know, No, Knew, New ........................................................................................................................................ 10
Lay, Lie ................................................................................................................................................................. 10
Lead, Lead, Led .................................................................................................................................................... 10
Loose, Lose .......................................................................................................................................................... 10
Passed, Past......................................................................................................................................................... 11
Patience, Patients ............................................................................................................................................... 11
Presence, Presents .............................................................................................................................................. 11
Principal, Principle .............................................................................................................................................. 11
Right, Rite, Write................................................................................................................................................. 11
Quiet, Quit, Quite................................................................................................................................................ 12
Road, Rode .......................................................................................................................................................... 12
Sense, Since ......................................................................................................................................................... 12
Than, Then........................................................................................................................................................... 12
Their, There, They're ........................................................................................................................................... 12
Through, Thru, Though, Thought, Tough............................................................................................................ 12
To, Too, Two ........................................................................................................................................................ 13
Weather, Whether .............................................................................................................................................. 13
Were, Where ....................................................................................................................................................... 13
Weak, Week ........................................................................................................................................................ 13
Which, Witch ....................................................................................................................................................... 13
Whose, Who’s ..................................................................................................................................................... 14
Your, You’re......................................................................................................................................................... 14
Kaplan University Writing Center Resource Library  Commonly Confused Words  July 2011  Page 2
The following tutorial focuses on a list of the most commonly confused words, in alphabetical
order by one of the words. The most common of all are marked in blue. Of course, this is
only a partial list. Using the dictionary or the Writing Center’s live tutoring service can help
you identify other confusing word patterns, too.
STUDENTS OFTEN GET WORDS CONFUSED WITH OTHER WORDS FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS :



The words sound alike (called homonyms)
The words look similar or are spelled similarly
Students may not exactly understand the definition of a word, and so use it incorrectly or
confuse it with a similar word
TO CORRECT THESE ERRORS , TRY USING:



A dictionary
Reading as much as possible will help you to see these words in action more often and
naturally use them correctly.
Grammar check sometimes catches these errors. The Microsoft Word program uses a blue
underline to mark word confusion. Be sure to use this as a learning tool, rather than relying on
it to just make changes. If this feature is not turned on in your Microsoft Word document, go
to the review tab and then click on the “Spelling and Grammar” icon in the upper left of your
screen.
A, A N, A ND
1.) A is used before a word beginning with a consonant sound.
a man
a house
a cat
2.) An is used before a word beginning with a vowel sound (a, e, i, o, u).
an apple
an idea
an issue
3.) And joins words or ideas together.
Molly and Amy are taking ballet classes.
I love Doug, and he loves me.
A CCEPT , EXCEPT
Accept is a verb meaning to receive, admit to a group, or take, while except is a preposition
meaning without or other than.
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Sororities accept new members each fall.
Do you accept American Express?
She remembered to buy everything except milk.
Everyone signed up for the musical except Beth.
A DAPT , A DOPT
Both of these are verbs, but adapt means to change or alter something in some way, while
adopt means to take possession of a person or thing, or to take a course of action.
Those plants were supposed to be planted in full sun, but I planted them in the shade. I
hope they adapt quickly!
It is a good idea to adapt your resume to fit each job application.
She had only been in Spain a week, but she could not resist adopting the tradition of the
afternoon siesta.
The directions were wrong and they were getting more lost by the minute: it was time to
adopt a new plan to get them to their destination.
A DVICE , A DVISE
Advice is a noun that refers to someone else's thoughts on what should be done in a particular
situation. The "c" is pronounced like the "s" in soap. Advise is a verb that means to give
someone advice. Its "s" is pronounced like the "z" in zoo:
If you want my advice, go on the cruise.
His lawyer is going to advise him to remain silent.
A FFECT , EFFECT
With a couple specific exceptions, affect is a verb meaning to change or to influence while
effect is a noun meaning result or consequence. Effect can also be used as a verb in a more
obscure usage and means “to create” (it is often used with the word “change” in this case).
Many people think TV violence affects our children negatively.
The hair tonic had the desired effect: lots of luscious hair sprouted from his scalp.
The student senate is trying to effect change in our campus recycling policies.
A LL READY, ALREADY
All ready means completely prepared, while already means by a given time.
They were all ready to go out when the babysitter called and canceled.
It was not until she smelled smoke that she remembered the cookies. It was too late;
they were already burned.
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A LL TOGETHER, A LTOGETHER
All together refers to everyone or everything in one place, while altogether means thoroughly.
We are taking the big van because we want to go all together.
I was altogether confused after reading the difficult article.
A LOT, ALLOT
A lot is a quantity; it means many of something. Allot
means to divide or to portion out.
We have a lot of corn after the big harvest.
We have to allot the corn among the many
farmers in the region.
FIGURE 1. NOTICE HOW BLOGGER ALLIE BROSH, OF
HYPERBOLE AND A HALF, HIGHLIGHTS A COMMON
MISSPELLING OF A LOT AS "ALOT" (ALL SQUISHED
TOGETHER)? ILLUSTRATION AND ALL RIGHTS RESERVED,
2011, BY ALLIE BROSH, HYPERBOLE AND A HALF:
HTTP://GOO.GL/H4R9Q
A NGEL, A NGLE
An angel is a supernatural being, or a very good person. An angle is the shape where two lines
meet.
I think she is an angel for doing so many nice things for people.
Those streets meet at a strange angle.
A RE, OUR
Are is the plural form of the verb “to be.” Our is the plural form of “my,” (you could also think
of it as the possessive form of “us”).
Are you going to sleep?
My websites are now online.
Our car is being towed.
A SSISTANCE, A SSISTANTS
Assistance is a verb meaning to give help. Assistants is the plural form of “assistant,” which
means helper.
He man stranded on the side of the road clearly needed assistance.
I hired two assistants to help me with my paperwork.
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B ARE, B EAR
Bare means naked, while bear can either be a verb meaning to carry or a noun referring to the
wild animal.
The sun burned Megan’s bare legs.
The memory of her father’s death is a heavy burden to bear.
Mike loves polar bears, but my favorite is the panda bear.
B OARD, BORED
Board is a piece of wood, while bored means uninterested or not entertained.
Before we build the table, we need to saw the board in half.
There was nothing to do in line, and the kids got really bored.
B REATHE, B REATH
Breathe is a verb meaning to take air into the lungs. Breath is a noun, meaning the air that is
taken into the lungs.
The yoga teacher told the class to breathe and close their eyes.
The doctor said to take a deep breath.
B RAKE , BREAK
A brake is what stops a car. Break is a verb meaning destroy.
The driver hit the brake when he saw the red light.
The vase will break if you drop it.
B UY, BY
Buy is a verb meaning to purchase, while by is a preposition (tricky little words with a variety of
uses). It can mean “next to.”
I need to buy a turkey at the store for Thanksgiving dinner.
I stood by the podium to hear the speech better.
The book was written by a famous author.
CAPITAL, CAPITOL
Capital has a several meanings. It can refer to money or to the city or town where the main
state, regional, or national government is located. Capitol, on the other hand, refers to the
building itself where government officials work:
Unless they get more capital quickly, they will not be able to buy the house.
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Michigan's capital is Lansing, a midsized city located in the center of the state.
The golden dome of the capitol in Charleston, West Virginia dominates the city's skyline.
The U.S. Capitol* is located very close to the Library of Congress.
*Note: Capitol is capitalized because it is part of the building's title. For more on this, visit
the following Writing Center tutorial: Capitalization.
CHOOSE , CHOSE
Choose is the present tense form of a verb that means to select, and it rhymes with shoes.
Chose is the past tense of the same verb and it rhymes with hose.
Chantal wants to paint her living room; now she just needs to choose the color.
Mike chose to stay home: he had a horrible headache.
CLOTHES, CLOSE
Clothes are garments we wear. Close is a verb meaning the opposite of open.
Put your clothes on and get ready for work.
Please close the door; you’re letting out the warm air.
CONSCIENCE , CONSCIOUS
Your conscience alerts you to what is right and wrong: it is your moral compass. Conscious
simply means mentally awake or aware.
Did you read about the man who robbed that elderly woman? I tell you, someone who
could do that has no conscience!
After any accident, it is important to make sure all the victims are conscious and
breathing.
When they ran out of gas on the highway, Maggie asked Steve if he had been conscious
of the gas gauge as it slipped below "E."
D ESSERT , D ESERT
Dessert is a sweet treat, usually the last course of a meal. Desert can have two meanings:
either a dry, sandy place, or a verb meaning to abandon.
She served strawberry shortcake for dessert.
A coyote chased a jack rabbit across the desert.
The mother bears desert the cubs as soon as they can be independent.
D IE, DYE, D YING, DYEING
Die means life to end life; dying is a form of this verb, meaning losing life. Dye is color added to
something like fabric; dyeing is a form of this word, meaning adding color.
She will die if we don’t perform CPR.
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She is dying of a rare disease.
I added the dye into the wash to turn the clothes red.
I am dyeing a pair of jeans to match my sweater.
D O , D UE , D EW
Do is a common verb, often used as a helping verb. It can mean to perform a task. Due can
mean “as a result of” or “owed.” Dew refers to water droplets.
Do you know the time?
I want to do several things during this long weekend.
Her high fever is due to a serious infection.
The rent is due at the end of the month.
The dew sparkled on the grass early in the morning.
CITE , S ITE, S IGHT
Cite is a verb that means to make reference to. This verb is used in "the remember to cite your
sources" refrain you have heard from your professors. Site is a noun that means location. It can
be real (the Civil War battle site of Gettysburg) or virtual (the Kaplan University website). A
sight is something you see or the ability to see.
When asked why the staff fridge was removed, the boss cited the five moldy lunches that
had been left there over the past month.
It is important to cite anything taken from an outside source. Not doing so can be
considered plagiarism.
They needed to pick a site for their wedding reception quickly before every hall was
booked.
With business booming, the company needed to build a warehouse at a new site.
As a kid, she loved the sight of airplanes flying high overhead. As an adult, she became a
pilot.
Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing after a severe case of Scarlet Fever.
EVERYDAY, EVERY DAY
Everyday means ordinary, routine, common, or normal. Every day refers to something that
happens daily.
No need to dress up for the party: everyday clothes are fine.
Maggie runs five miles every day.
FAIR, FARE
Fair has a few meanings: a carnival, light-skinned, or just/honest. Fare, on the other hand,
means money to pay for transportation.
I love fairs because I like the rides, the food, and the games.
She is so fair that she gets sunburns easily.
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It is not fair that some people get paid more for the same amount of work.
If you do not pay the fare, you cannot get on the train.
I MPLY , I NFER
Many people confuse these two words, and that is understandable as they mean similar
things. There is a difference between them, however, so learning to use them correctly is
important. The key difference is in whose perspective is being discussed. When a speaker
implies something, he or she is suggesting something is the case, but is not coming right out
and saying it. When a hearer infers something, he or she is coming to a conclusion about what
the speaker meant. Here is the key: speakers imply; hearers infer.
Alan said he had received some phone calls from other companies, implying that other people
might want to hire him. His boss inferred from this that Alan might be thinking of quitting, so
he offered him a raise.
FARTHER , FURTHER
Farther means a greater distance that is measurable (like a physical distance). Further means a
greater depth, as in something not measurable.
We drove farther today through Michigan than we have on the rest of the trip.
We need to do further research on this material.
FORMALLY, FORMERLY
Formally means doing something properly, ceremoniously. Formerly means previously.
She formally accepted the presidency in a public ceremony.
My cat, formerly called Jack, is now called Sara. We learned she’s a girl!
H EAR, H ERE
Hear means what you do with your ears (the word “hear” has “ear” right in it!). Here refers to
place (easy to remember since words dealing with place often end in “here” – where? Here or
there)
Can you hear the music?
Please put the table over here.
I TS, I T' S
Its means belonging to it, while it's is short for it is or it has. This can be tricky because an
apostrophe “s” does mean belonging to when applied to nouns, but not to pronouns. None of
the pronouns use apostrophe “s” to express possession: hers, ours, yours, its. A good way to
remember this is to think about the word "his"—it has no apostrophe.
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KNOW, NO , KNEW , N EW
Know means to comprehend; knew is the past tense of that verb. No is the opposite of “yes.”
New means not old.
L AY, LIE
Both "lay" and "lie" are verbs, but they mean different things. Lay means to put something
somewhere, and so it always accompanies a direct object (the "something"). It is conjugated as
follows (the direct objects are italicized):
Infinitive (to lay): The city hopes to lay more railroad tracks this summer.
Present tense (lay): Lay your bags in the corner before entering the museum.
Past tense (laid): The suspect laid his gun on the ground.
Past participle (laid): The suspect had laid his gun on the ground by the time the police
arrived.
Present participle (laying): They are laying new tile in the bathroom.
Lie, on the other hand, means to recline (there is also another definition of lie, which means
not to tell the truth). It does not take a direct object, and a tip to spotting it is that it is often
followed by the word "down."
Infinitive (to lie): With a bad migraine, the only real cure is to lie down.
Present tense (lie): Lie on this sofa and tell me if you think it is comfortable.
Past tense (lay): Maggie lay down for a quick nap, but when she awoke, 4 hours had
passed.
Past participle (lain): Even though she felt awful, she decided she had lain down long
enough.
Present participle (lying): Answer the phone! I am lying down!
What leads to the confusion between these two? For starters, it does not help that the past
tense of "to lie" is "lay"! The key is to memorize the two verbs and their forms. If you can
exchange the word for a form of "put" or 'to place", you need a form of "to lay."
L EAD, L EAD, L ED
This one is confusing because the word lead, though the same spelling, has two very different
meanings and is pronounced differently with each meaning. The first meaning is the type of
substance you’d find in a pencil. The second meaning is a verb meaning “to guide” or “take
charge.” Led is the past tense of this verb.
I have lead stuck in my hand from where Molly stabbed me with a pencil.
She will lead us through the dark, scary forest tonight.
She led us through the dark, scary forest yesterday.
L OOSE, L OSE
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Loose means not tight or free and rhymes with "goose." Lose is a verb meaning to misplace or
not win and rhymes with "shoes."
Many people dislike the fashion of loose jeans because they are always falling down.
If you do not shut the gate, the dog will get loose.
Kyle puts his keys in the same place every day so he will not lose them.
Most people who play the lottery lose.
P ASSED, PAST
Passed is the past tense of the verb "to pass," which means to complete satisfactorily or to
move beyond or ahead of. Past, on the other hand, refers to things that happened before the
present.
On the second try, Sheila passed the bar exam.
They passed their exit and had to turn around.
In the past, she wanted to be a teacher, but she loves her job in IT.
P ATIENCE , P ATIENTS
Patience is not being easily frustrated. Patients is the plural form of “patient,” which is
someone in need of medical care.
The kindergarten teacher must have a lot of patience with naughty children.
The hospital had many patients come in when the epidemic broke out.
P RESENCE, P RESENTS
Presence means attendance or being somewhere. Presents is the plural of present, which
means gift.
The teacher marked the students’ presence in the grade book.
There were many presents under the Christmas tree.
P RINCIPAL , PRINCIPLE
Principal has two meanings. It can either mean main or most important, or can refer to the
head of a school. A principle, on the other hand, is a basic notion, belief, or law.
The principal character in The Odyssey is Homer.
Markham Elementary School is getting a new principal next year.
The Red Cross abides by a principle of impartiality: they help everyone who needs them
regardless of nationality, religion, political viewpoint, or class.
R IGHT, R ITE , W RITE
While all three are pronounced the same, they mean quite different things. Right can refer to
direction or correctness. A rite is a ceremony or ritual. Write means to put words to paper.
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Pass the salt. It is on your right.
Samantha did not feel like fighting; after all, she knew she was right.
May Day, now an organizing day for labor worldwide, started as a pagan rite celebrating
the arrival of spring.
Many therapists recommend patients write down their dreams.
Q UIET, Q UIT , Q UITE
These words actually are pronounced the way that they are spelled; the mistakes just come
because they are spelled similarly to one another, so spell check won’t catch a small mistake.
Just be sure to look closely to check for spelling on such words.
R OAD, R ODE
Road is a street or path. Rode is the past tense of the verb ride.
I live on Maple Road.
Yesterday, we rode down to my grandparents’ house south of here.
S ENSE, S INCE
Sense means perception or understanding. Since means “because.”
Dogs can sense when someone is sad.
Since we need a new car, we have to go shopping for one.
THAN, THEN
“Than” and “then” are tough to differentiate because most people pronounce them the same
way. However, then refers to time, while than makes a comparison.
I walked the dog and then I went to the store.
Take a right, then a left, and it will be the last house on your left.
My neighbor's car is better than mine, but my yard is prettier than hers.
THEIR , THERE, THEY' RE
Many of us confuse these three words because they sound the same. Here are some examples
to help you tell them apart:
There refers to a location, as in "put the book there." It can also signal some general
existence, as in "there are many people who feel that way."
Their is a possessive form meaning “belonging to them,” as in "their books are always
overdue" and "why don't you buy their car?"
They're is the shortened form of "they are," as in "they're getting anxious about the
holidays."
THROUGH, THRU , THOUGH, THOUGHT, TOUGH
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Through is a preposition and therefore difficult to define. It can mean “among” or “passing
between.”
We went through a tunnel.
Thru is an informal, shortened form of through, used for signs or often when text messaging.
Be careful – shortened words like this are fine for texting, but academic papers should be more
formal, so be sure not to “text” your instructors!
The other words in this list are not related and do not really sound alike; they are just close in
spelling, so if you make a little spelling error with these, spell check won’t catch it. Just be sure
to pay close attention to the spelling of such words.
TO , TOO, TWO
The word to has two roles. It can be a preposition indicating direction and it can also mark the
infinitive form of a verb. Too is an adverb that usually suggests quantity (often more than
desired) and it can also mean "also." Two means the number 2 or a couple.
The car swerved to the right.
I have to go somewhere this evening.
Sheila is too smart.
I want to go too.
The two-year-old girl loved listening to her father’s stories.
The two calico kittens batted a ball of yellow yarn across the room.
W EATHER , W HETHER
Weather refers to the conditions outside: snow, rain, sun. Whether is used when comparing
things.
The weather outside is frightful.
Julia was deciding whether she would go to college right away or join the Army Reserves
first.
W ERE, W HERE
Were is the past tense of “are” and a verb. Where, which rhymes with "air," refers to location.
They were very tired.
Were you planning on coming over for dinner?
Where did I put my glasses?
She told him where to go.
W EAK, W EEK
Weak means not strong, while week is a group of seven days.
W HICH, W ITCH
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Which is one of a group. Witch is a female sorcerer.
Which one do you want?
The dog, which was really just a puppy, was sold to a nice family.
The kids were dressed like a witch, a vampire, and a ghost.
W HOSE , W HO ’ S
Whose is the possessive form of “who.” Who’s is a contraction for “who is.”
YOUR, YOU ’RE
Your is the possessive form of “you.” You’re is just a contractions for “you are.” Contractions
can cause many errors like this one, and since they are also usually too informal for academic
papers, they should usually be avoided.
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