Confusable Word Pairs

375 word pairs people genuinely mix up — affect/effect, its/it's, lie/lay, and hundreds more — each settled with the correct usage explained.

• "accept" vs. "except"
• "adverse" vs. "averse"
• "advice" vs. "advise"
• "affect" vs. "effect"
• "aid" vs. "aide"
• "all right" vs. "alright"
• "allot" vs. "a lot"
• "allude" vs. "elude"
• "allusion" vs. "illusion"
• "altogether" vs. "all together"
• "ambiguous" vs. "ambivalent"
• "among" vs. "between"
• "amount" vs. "number"
• "anyone" vs. "any one"
• "anytime" vs. "any time"
• "appraise" vs. "apprise"
• "assent" vs. "ascent"
• "assure" vs. "ensure"
• "assure" vs. "insure"
• "aural" vs. "oral"
• "awhile" vs. "a while"
• "bail" vs. "bale"
• "bare" vs. "bear"
• "bazaar" vs. "bizarre"
• "berth" vs. "birth"
• "beside" vs. "besides"
• "born" vs. "borne"
• "borrow" vs. "lend"
• "bough" vs. "bow"
• "brake" vs. "break"
• "breach" vs. "breech"
• "breath" vs. "breathe"
• "bridal" vs. "bridle"
• "bring" vs. "take"
• "canvas" vs. "canvass"
• "capital" vs. "capitol"
• "censor" vs. "censure"
• "censor" vs. "sensor"
• "censure" vs. "sensor"
• "cent" vs. "scent"
• "cereal" vs. "serial"
• "chord" vs. "cord"
• "cite" vs. "sight"
• "cite" vs. "site"
• "coarse" vs. "course"
• "colonel" vs. "kernel"
• "complacent" vs. "complaisant"
• "complement" vs. "compliment"
• "compose" vs. "comprise"
• "confidant" vs. "confident"
• "conscience" vs. "conscious"
• "continual" vs. "continuous"
• "corps" vs. "corpse"
• "council" vs. "counsel"
• "credible" vs. "creditable"
• "credible" vs. "credulous"
• "currant" vs. "current"
• "dairy" vs. "diary"
• "dam" vs. "damn"
• "decent" vs. "descent"
• "decent" vs. "dissent"
• "defuse" vs. "diffuse"
• "dependant" vs. "dependent"
• "descent" vs. "dissent"
• "desert" vs. "dessert"
• "device" vs. "devise"
• "die" vs. "dye"
• "disburse" vs. "disperse"
• "discreet" vs. "discrete"
• "disinterested" vs. "uninterested"
• "draft" vs. "draught"
• "dual" vs. "duel"
• "dyeing" vs. "dying"
• "economic" vs. "economical"
• "elicit" vs. "illicit"
• "eligible" vs. "illegible"
• "emerge" vs. "immerge"
• "emigrate" vs. "immigrate"
• "eminent" vs. "immanent"
• "eminent" vs. "imminent"
• "empathy" vs. "sympathy"
• "endemic" vs. "epidemic"
• "endemic" vs. "pandemic"
• "ensure" vs. "insure"
• "envelop" vs. "envelope"
• "epidemic" vs. "pandemic"
• "epigram" vs. "epigraph"
• "epigraph" vs. "epitaph"
• "epitaph" vs. "epithet"
• "especially" vs. "specially"
• "everyday" vs. "every day"
• "exalt" vs. "exult"
• "exercise" vs. "exorcise"
• "extant" vs. "extent"
• "faint" vs. "feint"
• "fair" vs. "fare"
• "farther" vs. "father"
• "farther" vs. "further"
• "faze" vs. "phase"
• "few" vs. "little"
• "fewer" vs. "amount"
• "fewer" vs. "less"
• "flagrant" vs. "fragrant"
• "flair" vs. "flare"
• "flaunt" vs. "flout"
• "flew" vs. "flu"
• "flew" vs. "flue"
• "floe" vs. "flow"
• "flounder" vs. "founder"
• "flu" vs. "flue"
• "for" vs. "fore"
• "for" vs. "four"
• "fore" vs. "four"
• "foreword" vs. "forward"
• "formally" vs. "formerly"
• "forth" vs. "fourth"
• "further" vs. "furthermore"
• "gait" vs. "gate"
• "gamble" vs. "gambol"
• "gild" vs. "guild"
• "gilt" vs. "guilt"
• "gorilla" vs. "guerrilla"
• "grate" vs. "great"
• "hail" vs. "hale"
• "hangar" vs. "hanger"
• "heal" vs. "he'll"
• "heal" vs. "heel"
• "hear" vs. "here"
• "hear" vs. "listen"
• "heard" vs. "herd"
• "heel" vs. "he'll"
• "historic" vs. "historical"
• "hoard" vs. "horde"
• "holy" vs. "wholly"
• "home" vs. "house"
• "human" vs. "humane"
• "idle" vs. "idol"
• "idle" vs. "idyll"
• "idol" vs. "idyll"
• "imminent" vs. "immanent"
• "imply" vs. "infer"
• "incite" vs. "insight"
• "indict" vs. "indite"
• "ingenious" vs. "ingenuous"
• "into" vs. "in to"
• "irregardless" vs. "regardless"
• "its" vs. "it's"
• "jam" vs. "jamb"
• "job" vs. "work"
• "knead" vs. "need"
• "knight" vs. "night"
• "knot" vs. "not"
• "know" vs. "no"
• "last" vs. "latest"
• "last" vs. "past"
• "later" vs. "latter"
• "lay" vs. "lie"
• "lead" vs. "led"
• "leased" vs. "least"
• "leech" vs. "leach"
• "lessen" vs. "lesson"
• "levee" vs. "levy"
• "licence" vs. "license"
• "lightning" vs. "lightening"
• "links" vs. "lynx"
• "literally" vs. "figuratively"
• "load" vs. "lode"
• "loan" vs. "lone"
• "loath" vs. "loathe"
• "locks" vs. "lox"
• "look" vs. "watch"
• "loot" vs. "lute"
• "lose" vs. "loose"
• "made" vs. "maid"
• "mail" vs. "male"
• "main" vs. "mane"
• "manner" vs. "manor"
• "marshal" vs. "martial"
• "massed" vs. "mast"
• "may" vs. "might"
• "maybe" vs. "may be"
• "mean" vs. "mien"
• "meat" vs. "meet"
• "meat" vs. "mete"
• "medal" vs. "meddle"
• "meddle" vs. "metal"
• "meet" vs. "mete"
• "metal" vs. "mettle"
• "meter" vs. "metre"
• "might" vs. "mite"
• "mind" vs. "mined"
• "miner" vs. "minor"
• "missed" vs. "mist"
• "moan" vs. "mown"
• "moose" vs. "mousse"
• "moral" vs. "morale"
• "morning" vs. "mourning"
• "much" vs. "many"
• "muscle" vs. "mussel"
• "nauseous" vs. "nauseated"
• "naval" vs. "navel"
• "nearby" vs. "near"
• "none" vs. "nun"
• "oar" vs. "or"
• "oar" vs. "ore"
• "ode" vs. "owed"
• "oh" vs. "owe"
• "one" vs. "won"
• "onto" vs. "on to"
• "or" vs. "ore"
• "ordinance" vs. "ordnance"
• "overdo" vs. "overdue"
• "pail" vs. "pale"
• "pain" vs. "pane"
• "pair" vs. "pare"
• "pair" vs. "pear"
• "palate" vs. "palette"
• "palate" vs. "pallet"
• "palette" vs. "pallet"
• "pare" vs. "pear"
• "passable" vs. "passible"
• "passed" vs. "past"
• "pause" vs. "paws"
• "peace" vs. "piece"
• "peak" vs. "peek"
• "peak" vs. "pique"
• "peal" vs. "peel"
• "pedal" vs. "peddle"
• "peek" vs. "pique"
• "peer" vs. "pier"
• "personal" vs. "personnel"
• "plain" vs. "plane"
• "pleas" vs. "please"
• "plum" vs. "plumb"
• "populace" vs. "populous"
• "pore" vs. "poor"
• "pore" vs. "pour"
• "pour" vs. "poor"
• "practice" vs. "practise"
• "praise" vs. "prays"
• "praise" vs. "preys"
• "prays" vs. "preys"
• "precede" vs. "proceed"
• "presence" vs. "presents"
• "pride" vs. "pried"
• "prince" vs. "prints"
• "principal" vs. "principle"
• "profit" vs. "prophet"
• "rain" vs. "reign"
• "rain" vs. "rein"
• "reign" vs. "rein"
• "review" vs. "revue"
• "right" vs. "rite"
• "right" vs. "write"
• "ring" vs. "wring"
• "rite" vs. "write"
• "road" vs. "rode"
• "road" vs. "rowed"
• "roam" vs. "rome"
• "rode" vs. "rowed"
• "role" vs. "roll"
• "root" vs. "route"
• "rose" vs. "rows"
• "rote" vs. "wrote"
• "rout" vs. "route"
• "rung" vs. "wrung"
• "rye" vs. "wry"
• "sale" vs. "sail"
• "satire" vs. "satyr"
• "say" vs. "tell"
• "scene" vs. "seen"
• "sea" vs. "see"
• "seam" vs. "seem"
• "sear" vs. "seer"
• "sear" vs. "sere"
• "seas" vs. "sees"
• "seas" vs. "seize"
• "see" vs. "look"
• "seer" vs. "sere"
• "sees" vs. "seize"
• "sent" vs. "cent"
• "sent" vs. "scent"
• "sew" vs. "so"
• "sew" vs. "sow"
• "shall" vs. "will"
• "shear" vs. "sheer"
• "shoe" vs. "shoo"
• "shone" vs. "shown"
• "shore" vs. "sure"
• "sighs" vs. "size"
• "site" vs. "sight"
• "slay" vs. "sleigh"
• "sleight" vs. "slight"
• "so" vs. "sow"
• "sole" vs. "soul"
• "some" vs. "sum"
• "son" vs. "sun"
• "sore" vs. "soar"
• "speak" vs. "talk"
• "staid" vs. "stayed"
• "stair" vs. "stare"
• "stake" vs. "steak"
• "stationary" vs. "stationery"
• "steal" vs. "steel"
• "step" vs. "steppe"
• "stile" vs. "style"
• "straight" vs. "strait"
• "suite" vs. "sweet"
• "symbol" vs. "cymbal"
• "tacked" vs. "tact"
• "tail" vs. "tale"
• "taught" vs. "taut"
• "tea" vs. "tee"
• "teach" vs. "learn"
• "team" vs. "teem"
• "tear" vs. "tier"
• "tense" vs. "tents"
• "that" vs. "which"
• "their" vs. "they're"
• "then" vs. "than"
• "there" vs. "their"
• "there" vs. "they're"
• "threw" vs. "through"
• "throes" vs. "throws"
• "throne" vs. "thrown"
• "tide" vs. "tied"
• "timber" vs. "timbre"
• "to" vs. "too"
• "to" vs. "two"
• "toad" vs. "toed"
• "toad" vs. "towed"
• "toed" vs. "towed"
• "told" vs. "toll"
• "told" vs. "tolled"
• "ton" vs. "tun"
• "too" vs. "two"
• "tracked" vs. "tract"
• "travel" vs. "trip"
• "troop" vs. "troupe"
• "undo" vs. "undue"
• "urn" vs. "earn"
• "vain" vs. "vane"
• "vain" vs. "vein"
• "vane" vs. "vein"
• "vary" vs. "very"
• "veil" vs. "vale"
• "vial" vs. "vile"
• "wade" vs. "weighed"
• "waist" vs. "waste"
• "wait" vs. "weight"
• "waive" vs. "wave"
• "wares" vs. "wears"
• "wares" vs. "where"
• "way" vs. "weigh"
• "way" vs. "whey"
• "we'd" vs. "weed"
• "we'll" vs. "wheel"
• "we've" vs. "weave"
• "weak" vs. "week"
• "wears" vs. "where"
• "weather" vs. "whether"
• "weigh" vs. "whey"
• "wet" vs. "whet"
• "whale" vs. "wail"
• "which" vs. "witch"
• "whine" vs. "wine"
• "whirled" vs. "world"
• "who" vs. "which"
• "who" vs. "whom"
• "whole" vs. "hole"
• "whose" vs. "who's"
• "wood" vs. "would"
• "wrap" vs. "rap"
• "you'll" vs. "yule"
• "your" vs. "you're"