ADVANCED VOCABULARY: CONFUSING WORDS

How to Identify Errors with Confusing Words

A 3-Step Guide to Identification

1. 1. Spot the Suspect Word: When you read a sentence in an error-spotting question, pay close attention to words that have a "twin" (e.g., if you see `principal`, immediately think about `principle`).
2. 2. Analyze the Context: Read the full sentence to understand what it is trying to say. Is it talking about a school's head or a rule? Is it talking about the weather or a choice?
3. 3. Match Meaning with Spelling: Check if the spelling of the word used in the sentence correctly matches the meaning required by the context. If not, you have found the error.

100 Examples of Homophones

1. Accept: to receive. Except: not including.
2. Ad: advertisement. Add: to join or increase.
3. Advice: a recommendation (noun). Advise: to give a recommendation (verb).
4. Aid: help. Aide: an assistant.
5. Aisle: a passageway. Isle: an island.
6. Allowed: permitted. Aloud: out loud.
7. Altar: a holy table. Alter: to change.
8. Ant: an insect. Aunt: a relative.
9. Ascent: the act of climbing. Assent: agreement.
10. Bait: food to attract prey. Bate: to lessen.
11. Ball: a round object. Bawl: to cry loudly.
12. Band: a group. Banned: forbidden.
13. Bare: uncovered. Bear: an animal or to endure.
14. Base: foundation. Bass: a low sound or a fish.
15. Berth: a bed on a train/ship. Birth: being born.
16. Bight: a curve in a coastline. Bite: to use teeth.
17. Blew: past tense of blow. Blue: a color.
18. Board: a plank of wood or a group of directors. Bored: uninterested.
19. Brake: a device to stop. Break: to shatter.
20. Buy: to purchase. By: next to. Bye: farewell.
21. Capital: main city or wealth. Capitol: a government building.
22. Cell: a small room or biological unit. Sell: to exchange for money.
23. Cent: a coin. Scent: a smell. Sent: past tense of send.
24. Cereal: breakfast food. Serial: in a series.
25. Chilly: cold. Chilli: a hot pepper.
26. Chord: musical notes. Cord: a rope or cable.
27. Cite: to quote. Site: a location. Sight: vision.
28. Coarse: rough. Course: a path or a class.
29. Complement: to complete something. Compliment: to praise.
30. Council: an advisory group. Counsel: advice or to advise.
31. Cue: a signal. Queue: a line of people.
32. Dear: cherished. Deer: an animal.
33. Die: to cease living. Dye: to color something.
34. Doe: a female deer. Dough: uncooked bread mixture.
35. Dual: having two parts. Duel: a fight between two people.
36. Eye: organ of sight. I: myself.
37. Fair: just or a carnival. Fare: price of travel.
38. Faze: to disturb or disconcert. Phase: a stage.
39. Feat: an achievement. Feet: plural of foot.
40. Fir: a type of tree. Fur: animal hair.
41. Flea: an insect. Flee: to run away.
42. Flew: past tense of fly. Flu: an illness.
43. Flour: ground grain. Flower: a bloom on a plant.
44. For: preposition. Four: the number 4.
45. Forth: forward. Fourth: the number 4th.
46. Gait: manner of walking. Gate: a hinged barrier.
47. Grate: to shred. Great: large or wonderful.
48. Groan: a sound of pain. Grown: past participle of grow.
49. Hair: strands on the head. Hare: an animal like a rabbit.
50. Hall: a large room or corridor. Haul: to pull or drag.
51. Heal: to cure. Heel: back part of the foot.
52. Hear: to perceive sound. Here: in this place.
53. Heard: past tense of hear. Herd: a group of animals.
54. Hole: an opening. Whole: entire.
55. Hour: 60 minutes. Our: belonging to us.
56. Idle: not active. Idol: an object of worship.
57. In: preposition. Inn: a small hotel.
58. Its: possessive pronoun. It's: contraction of 'it is'.
59. Knew: past tense of know. New: not old.
60. Knight: a medieval warrior. Night: period of darkness.
61. Knot: a fastening. Not: negative word.
62. Know: to have knowledge. No: opposite of yes.
63. Lead: a metal (pronounced 'led'). Led: past tense of lead.
64. Leak: an accidental hole. Leek: a vegetable.
65. Lessen: to reduce. Lesson: something to be learned.
66. Loan: something borrowed. Lone: single.
67. Mail: letters. Male: gender.
68. Main: chief or principal. Mane: hair on a horse's neck.
69. Maize: corn. Maze: a labyrinth.
70. Meat: animal flesh. Meet: to encounter.
71. Medal: an award. Meddle: to interfere.
72. Might: modal verb. Mite: a tiny insect.
73. Miner: a person who works in a mine. Minor: someone underage or less important.
74. Missed: failed to hit or attend. Mist: thin fog.
75. Morning: early part of the day. Mourning: grieving.
76. None: not any. Nun: a religious woman.
77. One: the number 1. Won: past tense of win.
78. Pale: light in color. Pail: a bucket.
79. Pain: suffering. Pane: a sheet of glass.
80. Pair: a set of two. Pear: a fruit.
81. Peace: tranquility. Piece: a part of something.
82. Peak: the top point. Peek: a quick look.
83. Plain: simple or a flat area of land. Plane: an airplane.
84. Poor: not rich. Pore: a tiny opening or to study. Pour: to make a liquid flow.
85. Pray: to speak to a god. Prey: an animal hunted for food.
86. Principal: head of a school or main. Principle: a rule or belief.
87. Rain: water from clouds. Rein: a strap to guide a horse. Reign: to rule as a monarch.
88. Raise: to lift up. Raze: to demolish.
89. Read: (pronounced 'reed') present tense of read. Red: a color.
90. Right: correct or a direction. Write: to form letters. Rite: a ceremony.
91. Ring: a circular band or a sound. Wring: to twist.
92. Road: a street. Rode: past tense of ride.
93. Role: a part in a play. Roll: to move by turning over.
94. Sail: part of a boat. Sale: the act of selling.
95. Sea: a large body of saltwater. See: to view with the eyes.
96. Sew: to stitch. So: conjunction. Sow: to plant seeds.
97. Sleigh: a sled. Slay: to kill violently.
98. Sole: bottom of a shoe or single. Soul: spiritual part of a person.
99. Some: an amount. Sum: a total.
100. Son: a male child. Sun: the star at the center of our solar system.
101. Stair: a step. Stare: to look fixedly.
102. Steal: to take without permission. Steel: a metal.
103. Suite: a set of rooms. Sweet: sugary.
104. Tail: rear appendage of an animal. Tale: a story.
105. Their: possessive pronoun. There: a place. They're: contraction of 'they are'.
106. Threw: past tense of throw. Through: preposition.
107. Tide: rise and fall of the sea. Tied: past tense of tie.
108. To: preposition. Too: also or excessively. Two: the number 2.
109. Waist: middle part of the body. Waste: to use carelessly.
110. Wait: to stay in one place. Weight: heaviness.
111. Way: a path or method. Weigh: to measure weight.
112. Weak: not strong. Week: seven days.
113. Wear: to have on the body. Where: a place or location.
114. Weather: atmospheric conditions. Whether: introduces a choice.
115. Which: pronoun. Witch: a woman with magical powers.
116. Your: possessive pronoun. You're: contraction of 'you are'.

100 Examples of Paronyms

1. Abject: miserable. Object: a thing or to protest.
2. Abstain: to refrain from. Refrain: to hold back or a repeated line in a song.
3. Adept: skilled. Adopt: to take as one's own. Adapt: to adjust.
4. Adverse: unfavorable. Averse: opposed to.
5. Afflict: to cause pain. Inflict: to impose something unpleasant.
6. Allude: to refer to indirectly. Elude: to escape from.
7. Alternate: to occur in turns. Alternative: a choice.
8. Amiable: friendly. Amicable: characterized by friendliness (for relationships/agreements).
9. Amoral: not concerned with morality. Immoral: morally wrong.
10. Appraise: to assess the value. Apprise: to inform.
11. Artful: clever or skillful. Artistic: having creative skill.
12. Aural: related to hearing. Oral: related to the mouth or speech.
13. Beneficial: helpful. Beneficent: generous or doing good.
14. Beside: next to. Besides: in addition to.
15. Biannual: twice a year. Biennial: every two years.
16. Censor: to remove offensive material. Sensor: a device that detects.
17. Childish: immature (negative). Childlike: innocent (positive).
18. Climactic: relating to a climax. Climatic: relating to the climate.
19. Collaborate: to work together. Corroborate: to confirm evidence.
20. Comprehensible: understandable. Comprehensive: including all aspects.
21. Confidant: a person one confides in. Confident: feeling self-assured.
22. Contemptible: deserving contempt. Contemptuous: showing contempt.
23. Continual: frequently repeated. Continuous: without interruption.
24. Credible: believable. Credulous: too ready to believe things.
25. Defuse: to make a situation less tense. Diffuse: to spread out.
26. Definite: certain. Definitive: conclusive, the best of its kind.
27. Deprecate: to express disapproval of. Depreciate: to decrease in value.
28. Disinterested: impartial. Uninterested: not interested.
29. Economic: relating to the economy. Economical: efficient, not wasteful.
30. Element: a part. Aliment: food or nourishment.
31. Eligible: qualified for. Illegible: unreadable.
32. Emigrate: to leave one's country. Immigrate: to move into a new country.
33. Enervate: to weaken. Innervate: to supply with nerves.
34. Envelop: to cover or surround (verb). Envelope: a paper container for a letter (noun).
35. Exalt: to praise highly. Exult: to rejoice greatly.
36. Exhaustive: thorough, complete. Exhausting: very tiring.
37. Expedient: convenient but possibly improper. Expeditious: done with speed and efficiency.
38. Explicit: stated clearly. Implicit: implied, not stated directly.
39. Facetious: treating serious issues with inappropriate humor. Fictitious: imaginary.
40. Fawn: a young deer. Faun: a mythical creature.
41. Fever: high body temperature. Fervor: intense passion.
42. Flaunt: to show off. Flout: to openly disobey a rule.
43. Foreword: an introduction in a book. Forward: direction.
44. Fortuitous: happening by lucky chance. Fortunate: lucky.
45. Gamble: to bet money. Gambol: to run or jump about playfully.
46. Grisly: causing horror or disgust. Grizzly: a type of bear.
47. Historic: famous or important in history. Historical: concerning past events.
48. Human: relating to people. Humane: having compassion.
49. Imply: to suggest indirectly. Infer: to deduce from evidence.
50. Incredible: unbelievable. Incredulous: unwilling to believe.
51. Ingenious: clever. Ingenuous: innocent and unsuspecting.
52. Intense: of extreme force. Intents: purposes.
53. Lightening: making lighter. Lightning: electrical discharge in the sky.
54. Luxuriant: rich and profuse in growth. Luxurious: elegant and expensive.
55. Militate: to be a powerful factor in preventing. Mitigate: to make less severe.
56. Official: relating to an authority. Officious: assertive of authority in a domineering way.
57. Persecute: to harass or oppress. Prosecute: to conduct legal proceedings against.
58. Perspective: a point of view. Prospective: expected in the future.
59. Precede: to come before. Proceed: to go forward.
60. Prescribe: to recommend. Proscribe: to forbid.
61. Regretful: feeling sorry about something. Regrettable: unfortunate, something to be sorry about.
62. Respectfully: with respect. Respectively: in the order given.
63. Sensual: relating to physical senses. Sensuous: appealing to the senses in an aesthetic way.
64. Turbid: cloudy or opaque (liquid). Turgid: swollen or pompous (language).
65. Unexceptional: ordinary. Inexceptional: (not a standard word, often confused with 'unexceptionable'). Unexceptionable: not open to any objection.
66. Venerable: respected due to age. Venial: a slight and pardonable sin.
67. Veracity: truthfulness. Voracity: greediness.
68. Wave: a sea movement. Waive: to refrain from claiming a right.