• Author / Uploaded
• Hojatollah Izadi

Citation preview

Compact Oxford English Dictionary for Students Commonly Confused Words This list contains many of the pairs of English words that look or sound alike but have different meanings. Using the list will help you to understand the difference between the words and to choose the right word for the particular situation. You may find it helpful to create your own list: we have a worksheet for you to download. You can also test yourself with our online spelling test. All the words below follow the standard British English spelling. Word 1

Meaning

Word 2

Meaning

accept

to agree to receive or do

except

not including; apart from

adverse

unfavourable, harmful

averse

strongly disliking; opposed

advice

recommendations about what to do

advise

to recommend something

affect

to change or make a difference to

effect

a result; to bring about a result

all together

all in one place, all at once

altogeth er

in total; completely; on the whole

aloud

out loud

allowed

permitted

amoral

not concerned with right or wrong

immoral

not following accepted moral standards

appraise

to assess

apprise

to inform someone

augur

to be a sign of a good or bad outcome

auger

a tool for boring holes

aural

relating to the ears or hearing

oral

relating to the mouth; spoken

bare

naked; to uncover

bear

to carry; to tolerate

bated

with bated breath baited (in great suspense)

taunted

blanch

make or become white or pale

flinch through fear or pain

born

having started life borne

carried

brake

a device for stopping a vehicle; to stop a vehicle

to separate into pieces; a pause

censure

to criticize severely

blench

break

censor

to ban parts of a book or film; an official who does this

chord

a group of musical cord notes

a length of string; a cord-like body part

climactic

forming a climax

climatic

relating to climate

coarse

rough

course

a direction

complacent

smugly selfsatisfied

complais willing to please ant

complement

to add to so as to improve; an addition that improves something

complim ent

to politely congratulate or praise; a polite expression of praise

complement ary

combining to form complim a whole or to entary improve something

praising; given free of charge

council

a group of people who manage or advise

advice; to advise

counsel

a signal for action; queue a wooden rod

a line of people or vehicles

curb

to keep something kerb in check; a control or limit

(in British English) the stone edge of a pavement

currant

a dried grape

happening now; a flow of water, air, or electricity

cue

current

defuse

to make a situation less tense

diffuse

to spread over a wide area

dependant

a person who relies on another for support

depende nt

determined or influenced by; relying on

desert

a waterless, empty area

dessert

the sweet course of a meal

discreet

careful to keep something secret or to avoid attention

discrete

separate and distinct

disinterested impartial

unintere sted

not interested

draught

a current of air

draft

a first version of a piece of writing; to write such a version

draw

to produce a picture; to pull; an drawer even score at the end of a game

a sliding storage compartment

dual

having two parts

duel

a fight or contest between two people

elicit

to draw out a reply or reaction

illicit

forbidden by law or rules

emotional

showing intense feeling

emotive

arousing intense feeling

empathy

the ability to understand another person's feeling

sympath y

the feeling of being sorry for someone

ensure

to make certain that something will happen

insure

to provide compensation if a person dies or property is damaged

envelop

to cover or surround

envelope

a paper container for a letter

exercise

physical activity; to do physical activity

exorcize

to drive out an evil spirit

faint

to lose consciousness; not clearly seen, heard, or smelled

feint

a pretended attacking movement; to make such a movement

fawn

a young deer; light brown

faun

a mythical being, part man, part goat

flair

a natural ability or flare talent

to gradually become wider; a brief burst of flame or light

flaunt

to display in a way intended to attract attention

to openly fail to follow a rule

flout

flounder

to have difficulty doing something

founder

to fail

forbear

to stop oneself from doing something

forebear

an ancestor

foreword

an introduction to a book

forward

onwards, ahead

freeze

to turn to ice

frieze

a decoration along a wall

grisly

causing horror or disgust

grizzly

a type of bear

historic

famous or important in history

historica l

relating to history

hoard

a secret store

horde

a large crowd of people

imply

to suggest indirectly

infer

to draw a conclusion about something not directly stated

its

belonging to it

it's

short for it is or it has

judicial

relating to a law court or judge

judicious sensible

lama

a Buddhist monk

llama

an animal related to the camel

licence

a permit to own or license do something

to grant a licence or authorize something

lightening

getting lighter

lightning

a high-voltage electrical discharge; very quick

loath

reluctant, unwilling

loathe

to hate

loose

to unfasten or set free; not fixed in place

lose

to have something taken away; to be unable to find

meter

a measuring device

metre

a unit of measurement; rhythm in poetry

militate

to be a powerful factor in preventing

mitigate

to make less severe

muscle

tissue that moves a body part

mussel

a shellfish

pain

unpleasant feeling pane

a sheet of glass

palate

the roof of the mouth

a board for mixing colours

pedal

a foot-operated lever; to work the peddle pedals of a bicycle

palette

to sell goods or promote an idea

peninsula

piece of land jutting out into the sea

peninsul ar

perpetrate

to carry out a bad or illegal act

perpetua to make something te continue for a long time

pore

a minute opening; to study or read pour something closely

to flow in a steady stream

practice

the use of an idea or method; the work or business of a doctor, dentist, etc.

practise

to do repeatedly to gain skill; to carry out regularly

prescribe

to authorize use of medicine; to order authoritatively

proscrib e

to officially forbid something

principal

most important; the most important person in an organization

principle

a fundamental law; a belief

prophecy

a prediction of a future event

prophes y

to predict a future event

quiet

making little or no quite noise

moderately; completely

reign

period that a monarch rules; to rule as a monarch

strap used to control a horse; also used in the phrase a free rein

rein

relating to a peninsula

to move by turning over and over; a rolling movement

role

a part played by an actor

sceptic

a person who tends to question septic accepted opinions

infected with bacteria

shear

to cut the wool off sheer a sheep

nothing but; to change course quickly

sight

the ability to see

site

a location

silicon

element used in electronics

silicone

material used in cosmetic implants

stationary

not moving

stationer paper and writing y materials

storey

a level of a building

story

straight

without a curve or strait bend

a narrow passage of water; (straits) trouble, difficulty

summary

a brief statement summer of the main points y

typical of summer

swat

to hit or crush

swot

to study intensively

tail

the rear or end

tale

a story

roll

a tale or account

part

team

a group of people playing or working teem together

to be full of something; to pour down

their

belonging to them there

in, at, or to that place

titillate

to interest or excite, especially sexually

titivate

to make more attractive

to

in the direction of

too

excessively; in addition

toe

part of the foot; also in toe the line

tow

to pull something along behind a vehicle or boat

tortuous

full of twists; complex

torturou s

full of pain or suffering

vain

having too high an opinion of oneself

vein

a tube that carries blood around the body

waive

to choose not to insist on a right

wave

to move to and fro; a ridge of water

who's

short for who is or who has

whose

belonging to which person

your

belonging to you

you're

short for you are