65950098 Alpha Dictionary Often Confused False Cognates Words in English All

8/3/2019 65950098 Alpha Dictionary Often Confused False Cognates Words in English All

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English TCenterEsteemedFaculty & Materials AcademicExcellencUp!www.TheSch

250 Often Confused W ordsBelow is a list of m o re than 250 w ords tha t speakers a nd w riters o f Eng lish oft en

co nfuse. They a re ca lled false cognates beca use they sound o r are w ritt en so

similarly tha t they are o ften c on fused. Even if you are a n excellent w riter, you shou ld

read throug h this list; otherwise, how w ill you know if you a re confusing any w o rds?

We w ill soo n hav e a q uiz tha t will help you chec k your know ledge of the m ost

co m mo n false English co gna tes.

The list broken into severa l shorter pa ges

The Confused Word Quizzes

|A |B |C |D|E |F |G|H| I| J |K|L |M |N|O |P |Q|R|S|T|U|V |W |X |Y |Z|

A

WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

a lotallot

A lot is tw o w o rds m eaning "much": A lot o f bolog na w as left

ov er from the p arty.

a whileawhile

A while is tw o w ords m eaning "a short period o f time": I will

m eet you in a w hile.

aanand

A is an indefinite article to be used before nouns beginning

w ith a co nsona nt: a photograph, a tree, a horse.

An is to be used befo re nouns beg inning w ith a vo w el (or

vowel sound): anapple, a nhour, a nelephant.

And is a co njunction used bet w een nouns in a list: A b lanket

and picnic ba sket are needed for the afternoon.

accedeexceed

Accede means "to agree or allow": Hiram Cheaply finally

accededto ac cepting the presidency of the co m pa ny.

Exceed m ea ns "to g o beyond , to surpa ss": The a m ount o f

alco hol in his bloo d exceeded the p revious reco rd.

acceptexcept

Accept m ea ns "to ta ke w illingly": Miss Deed s accepted the

cup o f hot tea even w ithout a saucer.

Except is a p repo sition m eaning "exclud ing": Everyone w as

disap po inted w ith the party exceptIda Goodt ime.

adaptadeptadopt

Adapt means "to adjust": Minnie Miles quickly adapted to

living aw ay from hom e.

Adept m eans "skilled": Lucille is ad ept a t speaking lang uag es.

Adopt m eans to "a ccep t a s your o w n": It w as difficult t o

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.

adverseaverse

Adverse m ea ns "unfa vo rab le, hostile": Tho se driving in

ad verse w inter cond itions ma y be p utting them selves a t risk.

Averse m eans "unw illing o r rep elled": She w as imm ed iate ly

av erse to t he idea.

adviceadvise

Advice is a no un mea ning "an o pinion given w ith the

intention of helping": My mother still gives me advice even

tho ug h I'm 40 years o ld.

Advise is a verb m ea ning "to giv e co unsel or ad vice": The

m eteo rolog ist a dv ised listeners to sta y indo ors bec a use of the

extremely cold temperatures.

affecteffect

Affect is most often used as a verb meaning "to influence":

The p resident 's speech a ffect ed his view s o f the up co m ing

election.

The ve rb effect means "to cause": Batting her eyes so

flirta tiously effected a strong d esire in Rat hbo ne to em brac e

Mirabelle.

a idaide

Aid is help o r assista nc e g iven: Eve ry Ch ristm as theco mm unity gives aid t o tho se less fortunate.

An aide is a p erson w ho helps: Frieda Gog h w orked five years

as a tea cher's aid e.

airsheirs

Airs refers to sno bb ish a nd a rtificial b ehavio r: Portia Radclyffe

put o n airs a t the fine dinner pa rty just b eca use she ha d a few

diamonds.

Heirs are peo ple w ho, bec ause t hey are fam ily, will inherit an

estate or title.

a ll rightalright

All right is a phrase meaning "everything is right": Is all right

here?

Alright is a single w ord mea ning "OK": Is everything alright

here?

a ll togetheraltogether

All together is applied to people or things that are being

treated as a who le: We a lwa ys had fun w hen we w ere all

to get her. To do uble chec k this usag e, try sepa ra ting the tw o

w ords: We all had fun w hen w ere tog ether.

Altogether is an adverb that means "completely or totally":

Using a flashlight in b ed is an a ltog ether new ap proa ch to

reading.

a ll wa ysalways

All ways means "by every means or method": Dirk tried all

w ays to navigat e the storm.

Always m ea ns "forev er": Sue St. Marie a lw ays respo nded

calmly during emergency situations.

alludeelude

Allude means "to suggest indirectly": Leticia can't speak to

her husba nd w ithout alluding to his affair with Martha

Sno d grass.

Elude m ea ns "to dodg e o r esca pe": Serio us relat ionships

alw ays seemed to elude him.




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a usonillusion

n a us on s a su e re e rence o r n : a oo m a e an

allusion to the m o st recent no vel she read in our co nversat ion

yeste rd ay.

An illusion is a d ecep tion, m irag e, or a w ild idea: The teac her

said she had no illusions about how much work teaching

dem and s.

almostmost

Almost means "nearly all": Almost all my friends have

gradua ted from co llege by now .

Most is superlative of more, mea ning "the g reatest or to t he

highest degree": Chuck is the most computer savvy guy Iknow , or Chuck coo ked a m ost d elicious supp er.

aloudallowed

Aloud means "speaking so that someone else can hear you":

Read this pa rag rap h aloud.

Allowed m ea ns "hav ing p ermission": His bo ss a llow ed him t o

take the w eekend o ff.

already, allready

Already is a n ad verb that indicat es an a ction is co m pleted

by a c ertain time: Herschel ha d already finished tha t w hole

pie.

All ready m ea ns "everything is co m p letely prepared ": The

children w ere a ll read y and bundled up w armly to goca roling o n the snow y evening.

alternately

a lternatively

Alternately means "taking turns": We paddled alternately so

neither of us w o uld get t oo tired.

Alternatively mea ns "as an o pt ion": Instea d o f g oing b y train,

w e co uld have g one alternatively by car.

ambiguousambivalent

Ambiguous is describes a phrase or act w ith mo re tha n one

m ean ing, o r one tha t is unclea r: The end ing o f the short sto ry

is am biguo us; w e do n't know if he d ied or continue his

journey.

Ambivalent means "uncertainty and having conflicting

at titudes and feelings": He w a s am biva lent as to w hich

candidate to vote for.

amiableamicable

Amiable refers to a p erson w ho is friendly, goo d-na tured, a nd

pleasa nt: Susan w a s very am iable a nd liked imm ediat ely.

Amicable means "friendly and peaceable", and is used to

describe agreem ent s or relatio nships be tw een group s o r

peo ple: After years of d isag reem ent, the tw o c ount ries ca m e

to a n am icab le agreement.

amongbetween

Among is used fo r three o r mo re: Shirley had to cho ose

am ong three universities she m ight a ttend .

Between is used fo r tw o things: I co uldn't d ecide b etw een

blue and green.

amoralimmoral

Amoral means "having no principles at all, good or bad":

Percy is totally amoral; he is either helping others or helping

him self at the ir expense.

Immoral means "bad, lacking good principles": Everything his

b rothe r does ha rms ot hers w hethe r it bene fits him o r no t.

amount Amount is used w ith uncount ab le and ab stract no uns: a large




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num er , ,am ount of dirt.

Number is used w ith co unta ble and c onc rete plural

expressions: a number of people, a number of attempts, a

numb er of nov els, a numb er of trials.

amusedbemused

Amused is w hen som ething is ent ertaining : The ch ildren w ere

am used b y w at ching the kittens play.

Bemused m eans "bew ildered" or "lost in thoug ht": Georg e

w as bem used b y the unexpected ending to the m ovie.

annualannul

Annual m eans "yea rly": We m ust p ay an annua l tax.

Annul m eans "to ma ke vo id o r invalid": They w ant to annul

the m arriage.

any oneanyone

Any one means "any one person": Any one of you may go,

but no t all of you.

Anyone means "anybody, any person at all": Anyone can

chew g um and w alk at the sam e t ime.

anywayanywherenowhereanywaysanywheresnowheres

Anyway, anywhere, and nowhere are the correct forms.

aparta pa rt

Apart is an adverb meaning "in pieces": My plan for my

va cat ion fell ap art.

A pa rt is a no un mea ning "one sectio n of": A part of m y heart

left w hen he did.

appra iseapprise

Appraise is to a ssess o r estim a te the w orth o f: to a ppra ise a

diamond.

Apprise is to inform or notify: the officer apprised us of our

rights.

arcanearchaic

Arcane refers to things kno w n and understo od by few

peo ple: Ama nda Lynn tea ches arca ne theo ries of m od ern

m usic at the c ollege.

Archaic refers to thing s very, very old and outd at ed : The

Oxfo rd Eng lish Dictionary co nta ins m any w o rds tha t a re

archaic.

aslike

As ma y be used a s a c onjunction that introd uce depend ent

clauses: George talks as his father does. Informally, it may also

be used as a preposition in comparative constructions like:

Jea n-Claud e is as forgetful a s me (or a s I am ).

Like is a prepo sition is follow ed b y a noun o r p rono un:

George looks like his mother. It may also be used as an

ad jective m eaning "similar": George and I have like m inds.

ascentassent

Ascent is an upw ard m ov ement : Leo's ascent to the

presidency of the co m pa ny ca me slow ly.

Assent means "to agree to": Greta could not begin the




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.

asceticaesthetic

An ascetic is a person w ho reno unces all m at erial co mfo rts,

often for religious devotion: the young man lead his ascetic

lifestyle despite his parents' plans for him. It can also be used

as an ad ject ive: Etha n Asia led an ascet ic lifestyle.

Aesthetic refers to the philosophy of beauty or the pleasing

qua lities of so met hing: The sta tuette Leand er creat ed w as

lacking in aesthetic qualities.

ascribedescribe

Ascribe m eans "to a tt ribute t o ": She a scribed he r feelings of

jealo usy to insec urity.

Describe m eans "to show w hat som ething is by draw ing a

picture w ith wo rd s": Describe in d eta il w hat the m an loo ked

like.

aspersiondispersion

Aspersion is slander, a d am ag ing rema rk: The c am pa ign wa s

filled w ith one aspersion a fter ano ther.

Dispersion is the act o f sca tte ring : The d ispersion of seeds w as

irregular beca use he sow ed the seeds by hand .

assentascent

See ascent, a ssent .

assistanceassistants

Assista nce is help or aid: the nurses gave assistance to the

patients.

Assistants are mo re than o ne a ssista nt, a perso n w ho gives

help: t he em ergenc y roo m assista nts w ere read y to help

anyone who ca me throug h the doo r. (See also patience a nd

patients.)

assure

ensureinsure

Assure m eans "to g ua rantee": He assured her it wa s a q ua lity

item.

Ensure m eans "to m ake sure by doub le checking ": The

custo dian ensured the do o rs to the scho o l w ere lo cked a t

night.

Insure m ea ns "to p rov ide insurance": It is w ise to insure your

house against flood, fire, or theft.

augeraugur

An auger is a tool used for digging holes: If you want to ice

fish, yo u need to first d rill a hole in the ic e w ith an auge r.

Augur means "to predict, forecast": Leroy's inheritance

augured happiness for him in the future.


B


ba dbadly

Ba d is an a d jective used a fter ve rbs like a m , feel, is, seem ,

and bec om e: They felt b ad . (Using ba dly here w ould mea n

tha t t heir skill at feeling is poo r).

Badly is an a d verb used aft er ot her verbs: They p layed b adly.

Badly can a lso m ean "g rea tly": They need ed fo od b ad ly.




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bated

them is illega l in m ost sta tes.

Ba ted is seldo m used but m eans "reduced , ab a ted ": Jessica

ba ted her pace to let her running m ate c atc h up.

barebear

Ba re m eans "naked ": Walking in g ra ss w ith b a re feet is

refreshing.

Bear is the a nima l, and a lso m eans "to ca rry": Sherma n m ust

bea r the burden o f flunking m ath tw ice.

bazaarbizarre

Bazaar is a n exhibition , m arket, or fa ir: The Sat urda y mo rning

ba zaa r is w orth seeing even if you buy not hing.

Bizarre m eans "w eird and unw orld ly": Barry to ld us a b iza rre

story last night.

beliefbelieve

Belief is a noun: He ha d strong beliefs.

Believe is a verb: She b elieves she c an d o anything.

besidebesides

Beside means "next to": Place the dishes beside the sink.

Besides is an adverb or preposition that means "also,

ad ditiona lly": I w ould enjoy go ing on a va ca tion b esides.

betterhad better

Had better is the co rrect form, used w hen giving ad vice tha t

hints at an undesirab le consequenc e if not fo llow ed: You ha d

better go to the do cto r. Don't leave o ut have.

betweenamong

See am ong, b etw een.

biannualbiennial

Biannual is tw ice in one year: My trip t o the d entist is a

biannual event.

Biennia l m ea ns "every tw o years": These flow ers a re b iennia l;

they bloo m every tw o years.

bimonthlysemimonthly

Bimonthly mea ns "every tw o m ont hs": We o rder from the c o-

op bimo nthly.

Semimonthly mea ns "tw ice a mo nth (biw eekly)": We hav e our

house c leaned sem imo nthly.

blithe

lithe

Blithe, an adjective, means "lighthearted and carefree": A

blithe m oo d ov erco m es us in the spring.Lithe is also an ad jective b ut it m eans "flexible, graceful, and

supp le": The lithe m o vem ents o f the yoga instruct o r im pressed

us all.

blondeblond

Blonde describes w om en: Brunettes ha ve just a s m uch fun as

blondes (blonde w om en).

Blond describes m en: Sean w as not a na tural b lond . This

distinction is not necessary though: blond is now generally

accepted for bo th men and w om en.

boardbored

Board m eans a few thing s. One is "a long sheet o f w ood ":

Hiram had to cut the board to make the shelves. It also

m eans "a co mm ittee": The b oa rd of directors m et to dec ide

the fat e o f the scho ol. Lastly, it ca n m ean "to get o nto ": She




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.

Bored m ea ns "no t interested ": She is bored by the d ry lect ure.

boreboarboor

A bore is a boring or tiresome person or thing: Jasper is such a

bo re w hen he ta lks ab out his ca ts!

A boar is a male pig: Wild boars abound in this forest.

A boor is an unrefined, vulg ar p erson: What a bo or Guy w as

to g et drunk at t he wed ding a nd em ba rrass everyone.

bornborne

Born is new ly co m ing int o life: A child w as bo rn at 12:01 New

Year's day.

Borne m eans "ca rried": All gossip is bo rne by an ill w ind.

borrowlendloan

Borrow is to receive som ething from som eone tem po rarily: to

bo rrow a b oo k and then return it.

Lend is a verb that mean "to temporarily give something to

som eone": Henry w ill lend (o r loa n) Francine a bo ok.

Loa n is a no un: a ba nk loan. Loa n is often used in Am erica n

English a s a verb m eaning "to lend": Loa n m e a bo ok, p lease.

braisebraze

Braise m eans "to co ok (usua lly mea t) slow ly in liquid": Braised

m eat is usua lly tender.

To braze is to sold er or creat e w ith m eta ls such as bronze:

Shirley brazed a stat ue o f a fa m ous Civil War lea der.

brakebreak

Brake m ea ns "to sto p ": You sho uld b rake slow ly o n ice.

Brea k mea ns "to sm ash": To break a m irro r b ring s sev en years

of w orse luck than you are hav ing now .

breath

breathe

Brea th is a noun m ea ning "the a ir pulled into the lungs": Take

a deep b reath a nd relax.Brea the, w ith an E on t he end , is a verb: Just b reathe deeply

and calm dow n.

bridalbridle

Brida l has to do a bride and her w ed ding: June May threw

her brida l bouq uet to the scream ing c row d o f single w om en.

A bridle is a halter or restraint, such as a horse bridle: Old

Frosty didn't like the b rid le ov er his hea d .

bybuybye

By is a preposition meaning "next to": Park the car by the

house.

Buy means "purchase": Grandpa buys an ice cream cone

eve ry Sund ay aft ernoo n.

Bye m ea ns "farew ell or good-bye": Bye, no w ; I'll see you lat er.


C


ca n't hardly This expression is a no nsta nda rd d o uble neg a tive (hardly isconsidered negative), so avoid it. It is better to say ca n

hardly: I can hardly hear you over the noise of the party!

Hardly.




8/32

canvasca nvass

Canvas is cloth or fabric: a canvas bag to bring to the

beach.

Ca nva ss m eans "to co nduc t a survey or exa mine tho ro ughly",

o r "to seek v ot es": She c a nvassed a ll the sto res befo re she

found the right d ress.

capitalcapitol

A capital is w here the sea t o f go vernm ent is: The ca pita l of

the United Sta tes is Washingto n DC. C ap ital c an a lso mea n

"w ealt h" or "a large let ter".

The Capitol (usually capitalized) is the actual building in

w hich the g ov ernment a nd legislature meet s: We w ill trav el

to the Ca pitol this w eekend.

censorsensorcensure

Censor is to prohibit free expression: The principal c ensored all

references to smoking in school publications.

A sensor is so me thing tha t interprets stim ulat ion: The light s are

turned on b y a mo vem ent sensor.

Censure is rebuke , ha rsh critic ism : Morty Skustin w a s seve rely

censured for putting t he frog in the w at er coo ler.

citesitesight

Cite m eans "to q uot e o r m ention": He c ited a fam ous theo rist

in his speec h.

Site is a no un m eaning "a p lace": At w hich site w ill w e sta g e

the pa rty?

Sight is a noun m ea ning "view ": The sight o f the New York City

skyline is spec ta cu lar.

climacticclimatic

Climactic refers to the peak: Wendell sneezed right at the

cl ima ct ic mom ent o f a mo vie.

Climatic refers to the clima te and w eat her: New Monia is

know n for its dram at ic clim at ic chang es.

coa rsecourse

Coa rse is an a djective mea ning "rough, big-grained, not

fine": We need to use c oa rse sand pa per to remov e the pa int

from this w oo d.

Course is a noun referring to a direction (the course of a ship)

or a series of lectures on one subject (a history course in

co llege): The p oet ry co urse Stu deBa ker too k in c olldg e

cha ng ed t he co urse of his life.

collaboratecorroborate

Collaborate mea ns "to w ork tog ether": Co llab orat e with the

peo ple on your team .

Corroborate mea ns "to supp ort w ith evidence" or "prov etrue": The testim ony w as corrob orated w ith ev idence o f his

innocence.

complementcompliment

Complement mea ns "to supp lement" or "ma ke com plete":

Their tw o persona lities co mp lement eac h o ther.

Compliment m ea ns "to pra ise or cong ratula te": She received

a co m pliment on her sense o f fashion.

com posecomprise

Compose means to "make up" and is often used in the

passive vo ice: The cla ss is co m posed o f stud ents o f seve ral

nationalities.




9/32


10/32

correspondencecorrespondents

Correspondence is ag reement or w ritten com m unicat ion

such a s letters or new s articles: Phil and Rac hel co ntinued

their co rrespondence for yea rs.

Correspondents are tho se w ho w rite this co m munica tion:

Rhod a Lot t ha s lived a broa d as a new s co rresp ond ent for

several years.

could not care

less

This expression is oft en co nfusing for Eng lish la ng uage lea rners.

It is alw ays used w ith a neg at ive and mea ns tha t you rea llydon 't ca re at a ll: Since she w a s sick, Mona co uld no t ca re less

about doing her homework, or Mona could not care less

w hich co lor sw ea ter she w ore.

councilcounselconsul

A council is a g roup o f peop le called tog ether to m eet on an

issue: The scho ol b oard co unc il m eet s eve ry Thursday ev ening .

Counsel is ad vice: I alw ays go to Clyde for co unsel on t he

to ugh dec ision in m y life.

A consul is a diplom at ap po inted to protect the cit izens and

commercial interests of one country in another: If you need

help sta rting a business in Franc e, t a lk to the US co nsul in

Paris.

creakcreek

Creak ca n b e the no un or verb for a sq ueak o r groa n: The

creak of t he floo rbo ards alerted Nell that Bernard w as

sneaking up on her.

A creek is a sm a ll stream : The kids lov ed to pla y in t he c reek

on a hot summ er da y.

crediblecreditable

Credible m eans "believab le or reliab le": There is no credib le

evidence that it w as I w ho b roke the lamp.

Creditable means "worthy of praise or respect": I couldn't

have b roken the lamp beca use I have a creditab le alibi.

criteriacriterion

Criterion is singu la r: There is on ly one criterion fo r this job .

Criteria is p lural: Severa l criteria need to be m et in o rder for

us to m ov e forw ard.

customcostume

A custom is a cultural tradition: It is a custom in Japan to

remo ve your shoes w hen entering a hom e.

A costume is the out fit w orn to represent a p articular time,

event, or cult ure: What is your co stum e for Ha llow een go ing

to be?


D


dairydiary

A dairy is a fa rm w here milk and m ilk prod ucts are produc ed:

Madeleine grew up on a da iry and know s how to churn

butter.

A diary is the d a ily journa l kept: Rho da Book w rites in her

d iary for tw o ho urs eve ry night .

deductionDeduction is d raw ing a general principle from pa rticular fac ts




11/32

induction

or instances: I've seen hundreds of robins and they all have

red b reasts. (General p rincip le-all rob ins ha ve red brea sts. )

Induction is the explanation of particular facts or instances

from a g eneral p rinciple: That b ird m ust b e a robin b eca use it

has a red breast. (General principle-all robins have red

breasts. )

denoteconnote

See co nnot e, deno te.

describeascribe

See ascribe, d escribe.

desertdessert

Desert mea ns "to ab and on" (and ca n also be a noun,

m eaning "a w asteland "): Co o ley deserted his fam ily when

they all go t ta tto os a nd lip piercings.

Dessert is the sw eet co urse o f a m ea l: The w hole fa m ily

w ant ed to hav e cake for dessert.

devicedevise

A device is an instrument used to perform a ta sk: This d evice

w ill peel ap p les for you.

Devise is to creat e o r invent: They w ill devise a scheme to

continue the business.

diarydairy

See dairy, dia ry.

diversdiverse

Divers m eans "several": You ca n ta ke that sta tem ent in divers

w ays.

Diverse m ea ns "different o r varied ": There are many diverse

cult ures in the w o rld.

different fromdifferent tha n

Different from is the sta nda rd usag e w hen com pa ring tw oth ings: Suzie's sw ea te r is different from Mary's. Do n't say,

"Different t ha n som eth ing else."

discreetdiscrete

Discreet means "modest and prudent": Please be discreet

ab out t he surp rise pa rty, w e do n't w ant her to find o ut.

Discrete m eans "sepa rate and d istinc t": Even tho ugh they

w ere m arried, they kept their money in tw o d iscrete

accounts.

disinterested

uninterested

Disinterested is an ad jective tha t m eans "unbiased o r

imp a rtial": Since she ha d no thing at stake, she w as a

disinterested party in the matter.

Uninterested m ea ns "not interested ": Anita Job w as just

uninterested in the o ffer.

dispersionaspersion

See a spersion, d ispersion.


E

WORD DEFINITIONS & EXAM PLE




12/32

e. g.i. e.

e. g. is a Latin abbreviation meaning "for example": Lucille

doesn't like fruit, e.g. pears, apples, grapes, and bananas.

i. e. is a Latin abbreviation meaning "that is (to say)": Myrtle

had t o leave the roo m , i.e. she had to go to the ba throo m .

ea ch otherone a nother

Use each other w hen only tw o ob jects are involved: The tw ins

love each o ther.

Use one another in referring to m ore t han t w o ob jects: The

triplets all love o ne ano ther.

eachevery

These are singula r distributiv e p rono uns; use t hem w ith a

singular verb. Ea ch refers to a single individual in a group:

Each o f us vo ted d ifferent ly.

Every refers to a ll the m em bers o f a g roup inclusively: Every

one o f us vo ted the sam e.

effectaffect

See affect, effect .

elicitillicit

Elicit is a verb t hat mea ns "to draw out ": The teac her had

troub le eliciting respo nses from the stud ent s.

Illicit is an adjective meaning "illegal or illegitimate": Illicit

drugs or illicit behavior may help you enter jail.

elude

allude

See allude, elude.

emigrantimmigrant

An emigrant is a p erson w ho leav es his na tive co untry to

sett le in anot her: The em igrant s left eve rything behind in

search of som ething m ore.

An immigrant refers is perso n w ho m oves to a new co untry:Many im m igrant s sett le in th is co unt ry eve ry yea r.

emigrateimmigrate

Emigrate from m eans "to leav e o ne's co untry": Frances

emig rated to the US.

Immigrate to means "to settle in another country": Her family

imm igrated to the US four generations ag o.

eminentemanantimminent

Eminent means "of high rank, outstanding, or prestigious": An

eminent a utho r ca me t o read a t the university.

Emanant mea ns "send ing o r issuing fo rth": Em ana nt t houg hts

like those shou ld b e kep t t o yourself.

Imminent m ea ns "close to happening o r near": Everyone

w aited a nxiously for an imm inent sto rm p redict ed to a rrive

shortly.

enervateinnervate

Innervate m ea ns "to supp ly w ith nerves or v ita lity": The

therap ist innervat ed t he sho ulders w ith ma ssag e.

Enervate is to w ea ken or d estroy the vita lity of: The negat ive

at titude enervated her enthusiasm .

entomologyetymology

Entomology refers to the study of insects: Donald couldn't be

afraid of b ugs if he w anted t o g et a d egree in entomo logy.




13/32

Etymology is the stud y of the histo ry o f wo rds a nd w here they

co me from : The etymo logy of mortify g oes ba ck to Lat in

m ortuus "dead ". is nice.

etc. Etc. is Latin for et cetera and means "and so on": You need tobring plates, knives, forks, spoons, etc. to the table. It is a

go od idea, how ever, to just finish the list, no t letting it end

with etc. But if you must, use a phrase like "and so on", "and

so fo rth".

etherealephemeral

Etherea l describes something that is light, airy, andintang ible: Ethereal c louds ho vered a b ov e; Everything in the

ba llroo m looked ethereal.

Ephemeral refers to anything lasting for a sho rt period : Truth

can be an ephemeral thing; A creek can be ephemeral if it

disap pea rs in the m idd le of summ er.

everyoneevery one

Everyone m eans "ea ch pe rson": Everyone in the roo m m ust

leave immediately.Every one refers to each t hing or person individ ua lly: Felice

put every o ne of the eg gs in the ba sket.

exceedaccede

See ac cede, exceed.

exceptaccept

See ac cept, except .

explicitimplicit

Explicit means "clear and direct": Please give me explicit

directions.

Implicit m ea ns "indirectly, w ith som e parts understo od": They

imp licitly ag reed t o never talk on the subject a ga in.


F


fa irfare

A fair is an exhibition of farm produce usually with a

collection of rides and attractions: Every year our family goes

to the sta te fair.

A fare is the fee you p ay to rid e pub lic transpo rtatio n: The fare

to ride the b us is afforda b le in our to w n.

fa rtherfurther

Fa rther has to do w ith d ista nce: How m uch farther is it toPoughkeepsie?

Further means "additional" or "more": Please give me further

informa tion a bo ut the best rout e to Poughkeep sie.

fazepha se

Fa ze is to d istress or d istu rb : The scrutiny of t he m ed ia d idn 't

faze Sha ron.

A phase is a p eriod o f developm ent or a period of t ime in a

cycle o f event s: Stua rt went through a pha se w hen a ll he d id

w as eat ho t dog s.

fewFew is used w hen talking ab out things that ca n be c ounted:




14/32

less Lureen has a few idea s; a lso a few keys, few clo uds, fewva lues, few disea ses.

Less is used w hen talking ab out t hings that can't b e counted :

Lureen show s less perseve rance tha n w e expec ted ; also less

d ista nc e, less po llutio n, less rain.

figurativelyliterally

Figuratively refers to metaphoric speech, not realistic or

exa ct: To say, "Horac e d ied laug hing," is to speak figurat ively.

Literally refers to realistic or exact speech: If Horace literally

died la ughing, he must b e buried (b ut it wa s not such a b adw ay to g o).

flammableinflammable

These t w o w o rds bo th m ean "easily set on fire": a highly

flammable/inflammable substance. However, flammable is

now used as a w arning to a vo id m isinterpreting the p refix in-

as nega tion.

flareflair

Fla re is to increase greatly, burn brightly, or something that

p rovid es a bright flam e: The fire in the grill flared b rightly

w hen Eva to ssed g asoline on it.

Fla ir refers to a sense of style or a talent: Dutch Masters has a

flair for entertaining a group of m en.

flauntflout

To fla unt m eans "to show off": Maud Lynn Dresser likes to

flaunt her jew els a t p a rties.

To flout m ea ns "to show sco rn or co ntem p t for": Larry flouts

the speed lim it in ev ery sta te w hen it suits his sched ule.

forbearforebear

Forbea r m ea ns "to refrain from ": The children simp ly cou ld no t

forbear laughing in the library.

A forebear is an anc esto r or forefat her: Our forebears w ho

found ed this co untry centuries ag o.

forewordforward

A foreword is a short introduction at the beginning of a book

usually written b y som eo ne ot her tha n the a utho r: The

forew ord of the b oo k exp lains ho w its thesis fits in w ith current

thinking.

Forward is an ad verb indica ting mov ement a head o r tow ard

the fron t: Priscilla m ov es forw ard slow ly in the line at t he

g rocery sto re.

forthfourth

Forth m ea ns "forw a rd, from this p oint ": Barry m ov ed fo rth

without looking back.

Fourth indicates an o bject that co mes betw een No. 3 and

No. 5: Dustin Mop pe t just finished clea ning t he fourth floo r.

foulfowl

Foul ca n m eans "o ffensive, rot ten, or unfav orable": Foul

language, foul meat, and foul weather are unacceptable at

a p icnic.

Fowl refers to birds, especia lly dom estic o nes: Chickens,

ducks, geese, and turkeys a re considered fow l.

foundfounded

Found is the past tense of find: I found my glasses only after I

had stepp ed on them!

Founded is past tense of the verb found, meaning "to set up

o r esta blish": My ancesto rs w ere the o nes w ho found ed t his




15/32

country.

founderflounder

Founder mea ns "to run ag round": The bo at found ered o n a

shoa l in the sto rm.

Flounder m ea ns "to m ove clum sily, w ith difficulty" or "to

blunder": Gladys Friday is floundering in college.


G WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

gibegybejibe

Gibe means "to taunt, jeer, make fun of": His classmates

g ibed Billy Ea rl for w earing his und erwea r ov er his clot hes.

Gybe m eans "to sw ing a fore-a nd-aft sail from one side o f a

sailbo at t o the ot her to c hang e course": When the w ind

shifted, Felix gybed w hen he sho uld ha ve ta cked .

Jibe refers to b eing in a greem ent : Our view s on eve rything

from b aseba ll to Soc ra tes seem to jibe.

gorillaguerrilla

A gorilla is a large ape: Gorillas live in the African tropicalforest.

A guerrilla is a m em ber of irreg ula r milita ry tha t uses surprise

a tt acks on its enem y: Guerrilla w arfare uses tac tics such as

espionag e, sab ota ge, and am bush.


H


hail

hale

Hail m eans "to g reet or to c om e from ": She ha ils from

California. Hail also means "balls of ice": Hail damaged thecrops.

Hale m eans "sound or hea lthy": Minnie Miles is hale a nd hea rty

enough to run five miles daily.

hangedhung

Hanged is past tense of hang in the sense of executing

som eone b y using a rope a ro und the neck: Outlaw s in the

Old West w ere hanged w hen they co uld b e caug ht.

Hung is the past tense of hang, but is used for things: Lyda

Cain's son never hung up his clothes. Just remember hanged

is used for p eop le (Yuck!), and hung is used for o the r things.

hardly This is a w o rd used in a neg at ive sense meaning "ba rely": Lylecould hardly keep his eyes open at the lecture by Rhoda

Book.

herdheard

A herd is a group of a nima ls: Nonnie saw a herd of co w s in

the p a sture.

Heard is the past tense of hear: Zelda heard the bells ringing

for the glorious lead er w ho had recently died .

herehear

Here refers to the p lac e w here yo u are: You sho uld co m e here

m ore often.




16/32

Hear is to listen w ith the ea rs: Am I speaking loud eno ug h for

you t o hear me?

heroinheroine

Heroin is an illicit d rug: Heroin is a very add icting substanc e.

A heroine is a fem ale hero in real life or in a sto ry: Marge w as

treated like a heroine w hen she delivered t he ba b y in a ca b.

historichistorica l

Historic refers to som ething in histo ry tha t w as imp o rtant : The

summ it w as a histo ric m eeting b etw een the co untries.

Historica l refers to a nything in gene ral histo ry: The w ho le class

ha d t o d ress in histo rica l costum es for the p lay.

hoardhorde

Hoard m eans "to co llect a nd keep for oneself": Sq uirrels ho ard

ac orns during the w inter.

A horde is a large g roup: Hordes of peo ple g o C hristm as

shop ping the d ay a fter Thanksgiv ing.

holewhole

A hole is a g ap or spa ce: A mo th m ad e a ho le in my sw eat er.

Whole m ea ns "co m plet e": Stu Beef ate the w hole p izza

him self!

homehone

Home in is the c orrect phrase here is w hen referring to gett ing

clo ser to a g oal o r ta rget: The m issile hom ed in elect ronica lly

on the target.

Hone means "to sharpen": Denise made a resolution to hone

her piano playing skills.


I

WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLESi. e.e. g.

See e. g ., i. e.

illicitelicit

See elicit , illicit .

illusiona llusion

See a llusion, illusion.

immemorial

immorta limmoral

Immemorial refers to tha t w hich is beyond time, anc ient:

These a rtifac ts ha ve b een here since t ime im m em orial.

Immortal describes things tha t live fo rever: The w ay Rando lph

drives, he must think that he is immortal.

Immoral m eans "no t nice, unethic al, ba d": Stea ling is

immoral.

immoralamoral

See am oral, imm oral.

immigrantemigrant

See em igra nt, imm igrant .




17/32

immigrateemigrate

See em igra te, imm igrat e.

imminenteminent,emanant

See em inent .

implicate, imply Implicate m eans "to closely link or connect ": The blo od on hishand s imp lica ted him in the murder.

Imply m ea ns "to p oint to , o r sugg est ind irect ly": The v ictim 's

friend imp lied he tho ught he knew w ho the m urderer w a s.

implicitexplicit

See explicit , im plic it.

implyinfer

Imply means "to suggest indirectly": Her hesitation implied

tha t her answ er w as no.

Infer m eans "to d raw a c onc lusion fro m know n fac ts": He

inferred tha t t he a nsw er wa s no from her hesitatio n.

in regard to

as reg ards

Both of these mean "referring to", but use one or the other: In

regard to your proposal I have an idea, or: As regards your

prop osa l, I hav e a n idea . NOTin rega rds to !

inchoateincoherent

Inchoa te describes something in an early stage of

dev elop ment , and t hat is incom plete: Lucy's plan rema ined

inchoa te and wa s developed no further.

Incoherent describes so met hing tha t is lacking c onnec tion or

o rder: Som e even t houg ht tha t Lucy's p lan w a s just a few

inco herent tho ughts that didn't ha ng t og ether.

incredibleincredulous

Incredible m eans "asto nishing o r difficult to g rasp": The

incredible p ow er of a to rnad o a ttrac ts sto rm cha sers.

Incredulous m eans "skept ica l and d isbelieving ": She w as

incredulous ab out Fred's interpretat ion o f the ev ent.

inductiondeduction

See d educ tion, inductio n.

innervateenervate

See ene rvat e, innerva te.

insure

ensureassure

See assure, ensure, insure.

intolerableintolerant

Intolerable refers to som ething unbea rab le: The hea t d uring

the sum m er of 2005 wa s into lerable.

Intolerant refers to a p erson w ho is unab le to a cc ept

d ifferences in op inion, hab it, or belief: Ma ybelle is into lerant o f

anyone w ho chew s w ith their m outh op en.

irregardlessregardless

Regardless is the co rrect w ord to use, m eaning "without

rega rd": The young m an left rega rdless o f the w a rnings.




18/32

.

itsit's

Its is the p ossessive form of it, like hers, his, and the irs: The dog

licked its foot after stepping in maple syrup.

It's is short fo r 'it is', a c ont ract ion o f tho se tw o w ords: "Well, I

guess it's [it is] t ime to w ash the d og ag ain."


J


jibegibegybe

See g ibe, g ybe, jibe.


K


kind ofsort of

Avo id t hese expressions in the sense o f "som ew ha t", "rat her" o r

"a little" (espec ially a vo id reduc ing them to kinda and sorta).

The pa ce of the b aseba ll ga me w as rat her [no t kind of] slow .

knewnew

Knew is the p ast tense of know : She knew w hat she w a nted

to say but couldn't say it.

New m eans "never used ": I ordered a new custo m ca r from

the facto ry toda y.


L WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

latentpatent

La tent means "present but not visible or active": Just because

I'm no t in bed do esn't mean that I do n't have a latent virus.

Pa tent m ea ns "visible, a ct ive, or ob vious": The cla im tha t I

p inched Marilyn's tush is a p a tent lie!

laterlatter

La ter m eans "afterw ard": Co m e later than seven o 'cloc k.

La tter m eans "the last of tw o things ment ioned": If I have to

cho ose b etw een b rains or bea uty, I'll ta ke the lat ter.

laylie

La y is a transitive verb, w hich m eans it t akes an o bject. It

m eans "to set or put d ow n flat ": Gwend olyn laid child in the

crib, or La y a b o ok o n t he ta b le, please. Its form s a re lay, la ys,

laid , has laid, and is laying.

Lie is an intransitive verb, so it does not take an object. It

means "to rest supine or remain in a certain place": I have to

lie d ow n b eca use I'm no t feeling w ell, o r I like to lie in the

grass for hours. Its forms are lie, lies, lay, ha s la in, and is lying.

leadled

Lea d can be a verb meaning "to guide, be in charge of":

Greg will lead a group this afternoon. It can also be a noun

meanin "a t e of metal lic element": Use a lead encil to fil l




19/32

in your answer sheet.

Led is the past tense of lead: Greg led the group this

afternoon.

lendloanborrow

Lend is a verb that mean "to temporarily give something to

som eone": Lucy w ill lend o r loa n C huck her bo oks any da y.

A loan is a noun mea ning som ething bo rrow ed: Most peo ple

get a bank loan to buy a house. Loan is also used in

America n English a s a verb m ea ning "to lend ".

Borrow is to receive something from someone temporarily:

Ca n I bo rrow the bo ok if I prom ise to return it tom orrow ?

lessfew

See few , less.

lessenlesson

Lessen m eans "to d ec rease o r m ake less": She lessened the

head ac he pain w ith aspirin.

A lesson is so me thing you learn: A teacher m ight say, "To da y's

lesson is ab out a ncient Egyp t."

liablelibel

Liable m ea ns "leg ally responsible fo r or sub ject t o": Tom is

liable to pay for the damage if he doesn't prove his

innocence.

Libel is a noun that means "a slanderous statement that

damages another person's reputation": Bertrand was sued for

libel fo r wha t he printed a b out Phil Anders.

lighteninglightning

Lightening is a v erb t hat mea ns "to reduc e the w eight of": My

course load needs lightening if I am to complete this course

successfully.

Lightning refers to the elec trica l d ischa rge in t he sky: Fred

ca ptured t he ima ge of a b olt of l ightning on film.

likeas

See as, like .

literallyfiguratively

See fig urat ively, litera lly.

litheblithe

See b lithe, lithe .

loatheloath

Loa the is a verb m ean ing "to d etest o r dislike g rea tly": Janice

loat hes anim al c ruelty.

Loa th is an ad jective m eaning "relucta nt, unw illing": Lanc e

w as loa th t o a sk for an extension on his term pa per that

semester.

looselose

Loose is not tigh t: A loo se-fitt ing jac ket w as m ore suitab le

than a shaw l.

Lose is to misplace and not be able to find: I often lose my

bea ring s w hen entering a new city. Thank g ood ness I do n't

lose m y keys tho ug h!

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W X Y Z




20/32

M


mannermanor

Manner is a w ay of d oing or beha ving: Dua ne Pipes insta lled

the plumb ing in a w orkma n-like ma nner.

A manor is a house on a n esta te: The cha uffeur drove slow ly

up to the manor.

mantelmantle

A mantel is the shelf ab ov e a fireplac e, or fa ce of o ne:

Matilda set several ca ndles on the m ant el.

A mantle is a c loak or blanket: Velma g rab bed her m ant le

before heading out the do or.

maritalmartial

Marital refers to marriage: Bunny and Lance are having

marital problems.

Martial refers to w a r or w arriors: Bunny ha s a b lac k belt in

martial arts.

marshalmarshall

A marshal is an officer of highest ranking; it can mean "toa rrang e": The m arsha l ga ve o rders to the t roops.

Marshall is a verb meaning "to together": Marshall marshaled

enough strength to w alk past the b ar on his w ay home.

ma y bemaybe

May be as tw o w ords m eans "m ight b e": You r read ing g lasses

m ay be on the night stand .

Maybe is o ne w ord t hat m eans "perha ps": Maybe yo ur

reading glasses are on the night stand.

memyself

Me is used as a simp le objec t: Susan told m y brother and m e

ab out her trip to Africa.

Myself is a reflexive and an emphatic pronoun: I talk to

m yself [reflexive] o r yo u ca n d o tha t yourself [emp hat ic].

meet

metemeat

Meet mea ns "to get tog ether or connect w ith som eone, to

enco unter": Elroy plans to meet a co lleag ue for lunch.Mete mea ns "to distribut e": We had to met e out the last o f

the w at er w hen w e w ere still 20 miles from civilizat ion on o ur

hiking trip.

Meat is flesh t hat m a y be eaten: Na tha n is a v eget arian w ho

do esn't eat m eat a t all.

milita temitigate

Militate means "to influence toward or against a change":The banality of Rho da Bo ok's sto ries m ilita ted ag a inst t heir

becom ing p opular.

Mitigate means "to lessen, make easier, or bearable": A cold

co mp ress on your leg w ill mitiga te t he sw elling.

mordanttrenchant

Mordant is biting ly sa rcastic: Everyo ne ha ted Ra ym ond 's

mo rdant com ments.

Trenchant means "forceful and keen": Raymond received

trenchant criticism from everyone for his comments.

See alm ost m ost .




21/32

almost

mutemoot

Mute mea ns "hav ing no sound or witho ut speec h": He w as

struck m ute b y the ho rror of the events.

Moot as a noun is a public meeting; as an adjective, the

m ore com m on usag e, m eans "op en to deb at e" in the UK and

"no t o pen to debat e" in the US. It is m ost o ften used in the

phrase moo t po int : When Walter walked in, the question of

w ho wa s go ing to p ick him up b ecame mo ot.


N


noknow

No m eans "the opposite o f yes": They all sa id no in response to

the latest referendum.

To know is to understand are realize: I don't want to know

how you go t up the tree.

noisomenoisyNoisome means "disgusting, offensive, and potentiallyharmful": A noisom e sm ell arose from the g arba g e ca n.

Noisy m eans "ma king a lot of sound or rac ket": With so m any

children, it bec am e a noisy day ca re center.

nonplussed Nonplussed is often misused in the sense of "calm andunbo thered ". The ac tua l m ea ning is "co nfused o r bew ildered":

She w as no nplussed by her husba nd 's unusua l behavio r.

nowherenowheres

See a nywa y, anyw here, now here; anyw ays, anywheres,

nowheres.


O


obeisanceobsequious

Obeisance is resp ect a nd ho m ag e pa id so meo ne: Farina

greeted t he queen w ith sincere ob eisanc e.

Obsequiousness is subm issiveness and an ea gerness to obey:

The o b seq uiousness o f the w ait er ma de them roll their eyes.

obtuse

abstruse

Obtuse means "lacking quickness of wit or sensitivity, dull,

dense": Brand on is so o bt use he do esn't ev en know w hen heis being insulted.

Abstruse mea ns "to o difficult to understa nd fo r the a verag e

m ind": The p rofessor p resent ed an abstruse m eta p hysica l

co ncept tha t w ent over our heads.

one a notherea ch other

See ea ch o ther, one a not her.

overdooverdue

Overdo is to exaggerate something: Marcy overdoes her

m akeup ev ery mo rning a nd she ends up lo oking like a clow n.

Overdue indicates something that has missed its deadline:




22/32

You must return these overdue books to the library

imm edia tely, or A visit to our grand pa rents is long ov erdue.


P


pamper

pander

To pamper is to co dd le, or treat w ith indulgenc e: The o nly

time m y m om pa m pers me is w hen I'm sick.

To pander is to cater to the base needs of others, to sell out:

Senat o r Throckmo rto n go t elected b y pa ndering to spec ial

interest groups.

passedpast

Pa ssed is the p ast tense o f p ass, to g o by or mov e ahea d of:

The bo ys pa ssed throug h to w n qu ickly.

Pa st is a place in t im e that w as before now: You w ould b e

w ise to reflect o n the pa st a nd learn from it.

pasture

pastor

A pa sture is a plac e w here farm a nima ls graze: Al Falfa p uts

his co w s out into t he pa sture every morning.

A pastor is a member of the clergy, a minister of a church:

Noa h Sarque is the p asto r of the loc a l Bapt ist C hurch.

patentlatent

See lat ent, pa tent .

patiencepatients

Pa tience is the ab ility to rema in calm ev en w hen dealing

w ith som eone or so m ething difficult: The tea cher show ed

infinite pa tience fo r the stud ents strugg ling w ith the read ing

material. (See a lso a ssistance and a ssistants.)

Pa tients a re peo ple w ho are sick in a hospita l: The nurse ha d

several new pa tients to g et to know that w eek.

peacepiece

Peace is a sense of ca lm and ab senc e o f w ar or hostility: We

all hop e for peac e througho ut the w orld.

A piece is a p art o r segm ent o f so met hing: Helen Highw at er

lost a piec e o f her jew elry in chu rch last Sund ay.

peekpiquepeak

To peek is to look quickly w ithout som eone know ing: The

child p eeked inside t he gift.

To pique is to arouse or provoke: Muriel's comment piqued

Abner's curiosity. Pique can also be used as a noun meaning

"resentm ent": Sedg ew ick felt a bit of p ique a t the assoc iation

o f his na me w ith their real esta te schem e.

A peak is the highest point of something: Chastity decided

not to drive to the to p o f Pike's Peak d uring t he pea k summ er

vacation season.

peerpier

To peer is to squint a nd g aze strongly at: Melvin had to peer

throug h fog to keep the ca r on the highwa y.

a peer is an eq ua l: Fa rnsw orth did n't c onsider anyone his peer

w hen it ca me to the ga me o f t idd ledy winks.

A pier is a walkway that juts into a body of water for

do cking: to he d oc ked his bo at a t the end of the pier.




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penultimateultimate

Penultimate means "the next to the last (the ultimate)": Little

did Al Pacca know that the penult imate shrimp he ate was

the one that ga ve him foo d p oisoning.

Ultimate is the last or best: I found the ultimate gift for Gary

this year.

perspectiveprospective

A perspective is a v iew from a certain plac e o r p osition or a

m enta l outloo k: The p erspec tive from this building is

spec ta cula r, o r Lydia Pott s has a w ond erful persp ect ive o nlife co nsidering t he fact tha t she ha s 12 kids.

Prospective is an adjective that means "possible, likely to

happen": We have several prospective opportunities before

us.

persuadeconvince

See c onvince , persua de .

pha sefaze

See faze, phase.

piquantpique

Piquant m ea ns "plea sant ly ta rt o r sp icy": This resta uran t servesa piq uant salsa t ha t is absolutely de licious.

To pique is to arouse or provoke: Grunella piqued Vern's

curiosity with her question. (See a lso peek.)

plainplane

Pla in m ea ns "simp le no t show y" or "a large level region": It

w as pla in to see tha t Vanessa loved Co nw a y, or Bow ser's

farm w as on a great plain where w heat g rew w ell.

A plane is a flat and level surface, a new level, or a n

airplane: To und ersta nd the eq uat ion o f a p lane surface in

m athem atics you have to reach a new p lane of

co nscio usness. Franklin land ed the p lane suc cessfully.

portentpotent

A portent is a no un m ea ning "an om en or prop hetic sign o f

the future": Iva n Oder to o k falling o ut o f bed tha t m orning as

a po rtent of a greater disaster in the future.

Potent is an ad jective m eaning "strong and po w erful": Arno ld

w as a p otent ma n, even at seventy, but c ould not ha ndle

the po tent m artinis Bella Donna m ad e.

pourporepore

To pour is to dispense liq uid from o ne c ont ainer into ano ther:

She p oured som e m ilk into the gla ss.

A pore is to study or read intensely: Hilda pored over the

m at erials night ly.

Pore also m eans "a sm all op ening in skin through w hich

m oisture o r air mo ves": Pores are a ll over o ur bo dies.

practicalpracticable

Practical refers to being easily used and put into practice: A

Sw iss Army knife ha s m any pract ica l uses.

Practicable m ea ns "fea sible o r possible": It is no t a lw a ys

prac ticab le for a b usy person to use this to ol.

precedeproceed

The v erb precede means "to come or go before, in front of":

The flow er girl preceded the b ride in the procession do w n the

aisle.




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Proceed m eans "to mo ve fo rwa rd": Bo th the flow er girl and

the bride p roc eeded d ow n the aisle at the sam e time.

premiseprem ises

A premise usua lly m ea ns "a ssum p tio n": Since the basic

premise w as wrong , all the co nclusions ba sed o n it w ere

w rong, too.

Premises are a house or building and the grounds around it:

Sm oking is no t a llow ed o n the p remises.

presencepresents

Presence m eans "the sta te o f b eing nea r": Ap ril's p resenc e

w as co mfo rting in Rod 's time o f sorrow .

Presents are gifts: The g rea test gift is to let som eone give you

a present.

principa lprinciple

A principal is the head of a professional business or school:

The principal o f the m iddle scho ol is a w om an of p rinciples.

A principle is a belief: I avo id scho ol p rincipals as a m at ter of

principle.

profit

prophet

Profit is the m oney earned ab ov e the expense it too k to

complete the project: Ghislaine and Pierre made a $100,000profit w hen they remo deled a nd sold their house.

A prophet is a p erson w ho ca n foretell the future and through

w hich a d ivine presenc e speak s: Atheism is a no n-prop het

religion.

profligateprolific

Profliga te is to be w asteful and extrav aga nt: Esm eralda is so

p rofligat e tha t she spent t he ent ire million dollars she w on in

the lo tt ery in one yea r.

Prolific mea ns "ab unda nt, fruitful, prod ucing m uch": John

Grisham is a p rolific w riter.


Q


quietquite

Quiet mea ns "w ithout sound or mention of": Yo u a re

supp osed to be q uiet in hosp itals and lib raries.

Quite ca n mea n either "co mp letely or som ew hat , rat her",

dep ending on w hat you mea n: I w as quite alone tha t

Sa turday afternoo n (co m pletely) but the ho urs p assed quite

quickly (ra ther).

quotequotation

Quote is a v erb m eaning "to sta te the exact w ords som eone

else sa id": The pa sto r quo ted scriptu re from the Bible o r

Ca rmen q uoted a fam ous psycholog ist in co mp laining to the

boss.

A quotation is the ac tua l sta tem ent being q uot ed: Gretchen

read a quo tation every da y.


R




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rainreignrein

Ra in is the w at er tha t falls from the sky: Dingw ell didn't have

sense enoug h to co m e in out o f the ra in.

Reign is the rule of a king of queen: King Wilhelm reigned

w ith an iron fist to keep pea ce in the land .

A rein (usually plural, reins) are the straps of leather used to

co ntrol a nd g uide a horse: No ma tter how hard Reginald

pulled o n the reins, the horse w ould no t slow do w n.

raiseraze

Ra ise m ea ns "to b uild o r grow ": The fa rmer raises corn. The

Amish w ill ra ise the w alls o f a building b y no on .

Ra ze is to d estroy: The scho ol w as razed a nd a new o ne b uilt

in its pla ce.

realreally

Real is a va riant o f rea llyused in dialectal areas (like the

So uthern US) w here adve rbs a re not d isting uished from

ad ject ives: She sings real g oo d , in sta nd a rd Eng lish is: She

sings really w ell.

Really is an int ensifying a dv erb: Gw end o lyn w as really tired

after p laying o utside a ll day.

realityrealty

Reality m eans "the p erceived w o rld as it is, the true situa tion ":

She c ould not tell the d ifference b etw een reality and fanta sy.

Realty is land o r rea l esta te: Rea lty in large c ities is m a rkedly

expensive.

rebaterefund

A rebate is a d isco unt from the m anufac turer to the custo mer

a fter a purchase ha s been m ad e: The $600 co m pu ter co st

only $69.43 after all the rebates.

A refund is a full repaym ent to a dissa tisfied c usto m er: Mildred

returned her girdle and d em and ed a full refund.

regimenregiment

Regimen is a system a tic p lan: Sylvia is undergo ing a regim en

for a healthier lifestyle.

Regiment is a troo p o f sold iers: The arm y is m ade up o f

several regiments.

residenceresidents

A residence is w here peop le live, the house o r b uilding: The

m ayor's residenc e is loc a ted in the cen ter of the c ity.

The residents a re the peop le w ho live t here: The resident s o f

the co m m unity thinks the m ayo r's residenc e is to luxurious.

respectablerespectfulrespective

Respectable m eans "deserving respec t o r on g oo d b ehav ior":

Mother alw ays to ld us to be respec ta ble in pub lic.

Respectful refers to sho w ing respect : Be respect ful of t he

peop le around you, esp ecia lly if they ha ve sticks.

Respective mea ns "individual and ap prop riate": The summ er

ca mp kids w ere show n to their resp ective c ab ins.

respectfullyrespectively

Respectfully m eans "p o litely and w ith respect ": Mel Pew

alw ays dea lt respec tfully with ea ch a nd every custo m er.

Respectively refers to the o rder in w hich thing s a re given : I

gave Wallace and Linda blue and green socks, respectively,

m eans tha t I ga ve Wa llac e b lue so cks and Linda green ones.




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restiverestful

Restive m eans "imp at ient a nd nervous, restless": Co ry beca m e

restive onc e he knew the b oss w as go ing to ca ll him into his

office.

Restful means "full of rest, calm, quiet, and restorative": A

restful va ca tion in Indo nesia w as just w hat the do ct ored

ordered.

retchwretch

To retch is to try and vomit: Furman retched several times

after sw allow ing a bite o f Lurleen's liver pud ding.

A wretch is a m iserab le o r wic ked perso n: I did n't b elieve she

co uld b e such a w retch.

rifleriffle

Rifle m eans to search w ith the intention o f stea ling or taking:

The m ugger rifled C larissa' s p urse look ing fo r cash.

To riffle m eans "to shuffle o r flip quickly thro ugh pape rs": Bill

riffled the c a rd d eck before dea ling.

rightritewrite

Right m eans "co rrect ": She a lw ays knew the right thing to say.

A rite is a cerem ony: Final rites for the dec ea sed w ere held in

the church.

To write is to express oneself in w riting : Rho d a Boo k w rites

everyone a bo ut her publishing c areer.

riseraise

Rise is intransitive and do es no t have an ob ject : The sun rises

in the ea st.

Ra ise alw a ys has a n o bject: You c an raise a crop o n a fa rm

or ra ise your hand in cla ss.

roadrode

Road is a long path or street to travel on: Lucille tries to stay

on a m ain road w herever she travels.

Rode is pa st tense o f ride: Matilda rod e her b icycle ov er a c liffby accident.

roleroll

A role is a part in a play or movie: Marjorie's favorite role of

her entire m o vie career w as that of t he quirky neighbo r in

Keep your Doors Locked. It can also mean "a function of":

Marjorie's role in removing the insignia from the police car

do or w as minor.

Roll is a verb meaning "to turn over and over": Diane rolled

the flat tire into the ga rage.


S WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

sa lesa il

A sale is a no un m ea ning "the selling o f som ething ": Every ca r

sale m eans a c om m ission fo r the sa lesma n.

A sail is the m at erial used t o ca tch w ind o n a b oa t: The sail

billow ed in the w ind as Jac ob 's bo at slid a cross the w at er.

sa lesell

A sale is a no un m ea ning "the selling o f som ething ": Every ca r

sale m eans a c om m ission fo r the sa lesma n.

To sell the verb is to of fer oo ds for consum tion at a cost:




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Set h sells his po tt ery a t a rt fa irs.

sa nguinesa turnine

Sa nguine means "red, ruddy or optimistic": I am not sanguine

ab out your g etting this job.

Sa turnine means "being moody, sullen, or melancholy": Ima

Aiken falls into a saturnine mood every time her husband

Had ley goes a w ay on business.

scene

seen

Scene is a pla ce o r view : The scene o f the c rim e w as just

out side his w indow .

Seen is past tense of see: I have seen that movie three times

already.

seamseem

A seam is w here tw o p ieces are joined : The sea m o f Leticia 's

d ress ripp ed w hen she bent o ver.

To seem is to ap pea r or lo ok as if: Leticia seemed unhap py

w hen that happ ened.

semimonthlybimonthly

See b imo nth ly, sem imo nthly.

sensorcensorcensure

See censo r, sensor, c ensure.

sensua lsensuous

Sensual refers to physical, especially sexual, pleasure: Derry

Ya re wea rs sensua l dresses to a tt rac t m en.

Sensuous refers to anything artistic that appeals to the senses

or a pp etites: Marguerita had prepa red a sensual fea st for her

guests.

serfsurf

A serf is a slave o r servant: Neil Dow ne ca me from a fam ily of

serfs but rose to bec om e a landlo rd.

To surf is to ride the w av es of w at er, or to search o n the

Inte rnet: The surf is up do w n at t he b each; o u ca n surf the

Internet som e o ther time.

setsitseat

Set is a transitive verb m eaning "to p ut o r pla ce som ething

solid som ew here": Marvin set his new lam p on the t ab le.

Sit mea ns "to rest up right w ith the w eight o n the b utto cks o r

to m ov e into such a po sition"; the p ast tense is sa t: Percy sat

do w n beside Geneva on the pa rk bench.

Seat ca n be a verb mea ning "to show som eone their seat or

w here to sit": The w a iter sea ted Murga troyd a t his usua l ta b leby the doo r.

seversevere

Sever means "to cut through completely": One blow from

Jessie's hat chet severed the rope.

Severe m eans "strict, ha rd, extreme": Severe w inter w eat her

ca m e ea rly th is year. There w as a sev ere to ne in Marilyn's

vo ice w hen she berated Tod d for put ting t he ta ck in her

chair.

shea rsheer

Shea r m ea ns "to cut o ff": We shea r sheep 's w oo l in the spring

and w e shear the hed ges in the sum mer.




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Sheer m ea ns "pu re, unad ulterat ed ": Felicity found t he

am usem ent park a sheer p leasure. Sheer also m eans

"transparent": Perry Winkle hung sheer curtains in the living

room.

shoresure

A shore is a bea ch: to spend a va ca tion o n the shore. It a lso

m eans "to b race o r suppo rt": They sho red up the leaning w all

w ith steel bea ms.

Sure mea ns "w ithout do ubt ": Maria w a s sure ab out the

decision to m ove to ano ther co untry.

singlysingularly

Singly m eans "o ne b y one": The fire drill required everyone t o

leave the building q uietly and singly.

Singula rly means "extraordinarily, in an outstanding manner":

He singula rly foug ht t he rebels off o ne by one.

sitesightcite

See c ite , site , sigh t .

sleight-of-handslight-of-ha nd

Sleight of hand refers to dexterity and trickery w ith t he ha nds:

The m ag ician's sleight of ha nd fo oled the a udience.

This phrase is oft en co nfused w ith slight of ha nd, an ad jective

phrase m ea ning "hav ing sm a ll slender hand s".

solesoul

Sole m eans "sing le": The sole rem a ining p erson in the roo m

left, leav ing it empty. It also m eans the b ott om of a foot o r

shoe : Gigi needed new soles on her shoes.

A soul refers to the spirit of a living creature: Do you believe

anima ls hav e souls?

som e time

som etimesometimes

Some time refers to a considerable period of time: I need

som e time to think abo ut it.

Sometime refers to an indistinct or unstated time in the future:

I'll see you a round so me tim e.

Sometimes is an ad verb m eaning c ont inually, off a nd o n,

occ asiona lly: Karen som etim es d rinks co ffee instea d o f tea .

stationarystationery

Stationary m eans "still and unm oving ": The ca t w a s sta tio nary

until it w as time t o p ounc e on its prey.

Stationery refers to w riting m at eria ls such as pa per: Cra ig

to ok o ut his best sta tionery to w rite to his belov ed C ha rlotte

Russe.

statuestatutestature

A sta tue is a c arved or shap ed imitat ion of a n ob ject: There is

a sta tue o f a large b ird is in her ga rden.

A sta tute is law : The go vernm ent pub lishes new sta tut es each

year.Stature m eans "sta tus, sta nd ing": Chester Drors is a m an o f

substant ial sta ture in sta te politics.

storeystory

Storey is the British spelling of storyw hen t his w ord refers to a

floo r of a b uilding: The upp er sto reys of the build ing

co m prised a pa rtm ent s. The US sp elling o f th is sense o f the

w ord is a lso story.




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A story is a ta le relat ed in speech o r w riting by som eo ne. In

the US, it is a lso the spelling used to refer to the floo r o f a

building: My hom e is three sto ries high.

stra ightstrait

Straight is an a djective tha t m eans hav ing "no bend s or

cu rve"s: Pim sley's w a lking c ane is as stra ight a s an arro w .

A strait is a narrow channel connecting tw o b od ies of wa ter:

The Bering Stra it lies b etw een Alaska and Sibe ria.

supposedlysupposably

Supposedly m eans "reputed ly" or "likely to be true": Sam is

supp osed ly the g reat est w at erbo y in the foo tb all tea m 's

history.

Supposably m ea ns "ca n b e supp osed": The b est so lution t o

the p rob lem is supp osab ly to ignore it. (How ever, this w ord is

seldo m used .)


T


tauttaught

Ta ut is a literary w ord t ha t m ea ns "tig ht": Ho ld the string ta ut

w hile I m ark the line.

Ta ught is the past tense of teach: Kenneth taught etiquette

and good manners for several years.

tenanttenet

A tenant is som eone w ho rents prop erty: A new t enant

mo ved into the vaca nt ap artment last w eek.

A tenet is a principle: The m ajo r tenets of a ll religio ns are

similar.

thanthen

Tha n is used to co m pa re: Philipp a Byrd th inks she is sm arter

tha n a ny of us.

Then is a w ord to d escribe a time t hat is not now : I prefer

Frida y; it w ould b e bett er to meet t hen beca use then I will be

ready.

theirtherethey're

Their is possessive o f they: The t w ins left t heir bo oks a t ho m e.There refers to a p lac e tha t is no t here: We will be there in

tw o ho urs.

They're is a co ntrac tion for they a re: They're go ing t o a

co ncert tonight.

theirselftheirselvesthemselfthemselves

Only themselves is co rrect a s a reflexive o r emp hat ic p ro noun:

They ga ve them selves all the credit for the rescue .

threwthrough

Altho ugh these tw o w ords are pronounced the sam e, threw is

the past tense of the verb throw, meaning "to ssed, hu rled in

the a ir": Morty threw the keys to the ca r to McKinley.

Through is a preposition meaning "entering the inside of

som ething a nd co ming out t he other side": Chuck

ac cidenta ly threw a rock t hroug h Miss Co ncep tion's living




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ro om w n ow .

throesthrows

Throes a re severe p ains o r difficult tim es: Wad e Rivers found it

d ifficult to listen t o his iPod in the throes o f ba tt le.

Throws is the p lura l or present tense o f throw : Several t hrow s

later, Bud Light m ana ged to p ut a wa d of p ap er in the trash

ca n from his desk.

til

till

Til is a contraction of the preposition until: I w on't see you til

to m orrow . Only o ne L.

Till is a verb meaning "to cultivate": My Uncle Emmet tills

ab out half the land on his farm a nd herds ca ttle on t he rest.

totootwo

To is a preposition meaning "toward": We go to the lake

ev ery sum m er. It also serves a s the infinitive p a rticle for v erbs:

I w ant t o sto p c onfusing w ords.

Too m eans "also ": I'd lov e to go w ith you, to o.

Two is the number betw een one and three: We have tw o

op tions: hire a divo rce law yer o r a m ortician.

torpidturgid

Torpid means "unresponsive, lacking alertness": Prunella tried

to elicit answ ers from the t orp id stud ent s in fro nt o f her.

Turgid mea ns "very ornat e a nd dec orat ive": The a utho r's

turgid w riting style lost m y interest quic kly. It ca n a lso m ea n

"sw o llen a nd b ulging ": Turgid veins co vered her leg s.

tortuoustorturous

Tortuous mea ns "w inding, croo ked, with m any tw ists and

turns": Wiley Driver wa s very ad ep t a t d riving the t ortuo us

m ount ain roa ds of w estern North Ca rolina.

Torturous m eans "very pa inful, like t o rture": Mick Stup p fo und

do ing m at h hom ewo rk torturous.


U


undoubtedlyundoubtablyindubitably

These three w o rds m ay be used intercha ngeab ly, mea ning

"sure, w ithout a do ubt ": Mildred w as undoubtedly|

undoubtably| indubitab lythe best ba llet da ncer of all time.

uninteresteddisinterested

See d isinterested , uninte rested .


V


vanevainvein

A vane is blad e t hat rota tes: I do n't know how hard the w ind

blew ; it blew the w eather vane off the roo f.

Vain m eans "fruitless, hop eless, o r w itho ut result": Bertie

harbo rs a va in hope o f beco ming a w orld-class ice skater.

Vein refers to the tubes that carry blood back to the heart:

The v eins are usua lly sm a ller tha n the a rteries.




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venalvenial

Venal means "corruptible, money-grubbing, likely to accept

b ribes": Chris Cross is a m an so vena l he cha rged his m ot her

for taking her to the ho spita l.

Venial m ea ns "easily forg iven": The judge d ism issed t he v enia l

crim es a nd foc used o n the theft of the cho co lates.

versesversus

Verses is p lural o f ve rse, a line o f poetry: sev eral Em erson's

verses w ere recited t ha t ev ening.

Versus m eans "in co m pa rison or op position to ": The b enefits

of having a c ell pho ne versus not hav ing one dep end on the

individual.

viciousviscous

Vicious m eans "cruel and m ean": A vicious do g at ta cked t he

young bo y.

Viscous means "thick and sticky": Honey and tar are viscous

substances.


WXYZ


wa istwa ste

Waist refers the (often) narrow a rea o f a hum an b od y

betw een the hips and ribs: We often w ear a b elt a round our

w aist.

Waste is garbage, or waste can be a verb meaning "to use

ca relessly": You shouldn't w aste fo od and you shou ld recycle

w aste pa per.

waryweary

Wary m ea ns "leery and ca utious": The custo m er bec a me w ary

w hen the sa lesperson sa id he w ould pe rsona lly gua rantee the

TV set fo r 100 yea rs.

Weary m ea ns "tired and w o rn": After a da y o f harvesting

co rn, the farm er w as very w ea ry.

wavewaive

To wave is to m ov e ba ck a nd forth; a wave is a sw elling in a

body of water due to movement: Helen Highwater waved

her hand to the b oa t rocking in the w aves.

Waive m eans "to give up , not require or ask for": Never w aive

yo ur right t o a law yer.

weak

week

Weak is not strong : Finley ga ve a w eak perform anc e; m aybe

beca use he has a w eak m ind.

Week refers to the nam es o f t he seven d ays, from Sund ay to

Sa turday: I go to the ice skat ing rink once a w eek.

wearwarewerewe're

Wear is a verb (w ear, wo re, worn) meaning to have clothing

on: Maud Lynn Dresser alw ays w ears g audy evening g ow ns

on fo rmal o cc asions.

Ware is an article of merchandise, a product (usually used in

the p lura l): The po tt er disp layed her w a res on a b eautiful

sta nd m ad e by her husba nd .

Were is past tense of are: Maud and her fiance were at the

ba ll last w eekend.




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We're is a co ntraction for w e are: We're go ing to the b all this

w eekend so m aybe w e'll see them .

weatherwhether

Weather has to d o w ith climate: I hop e we have bea utiful

w eather for m y da ughter's w edding.

Whether m ea ns "if" and is used only inside sent enc es: I do n't

know w hether to bring a n umb rella or not.

wet

whet

Wet is full of m o isture: We had t o dry out the w et sleeping

ba g on o ur camp ing trip a fter a sudd en storm.

Whet is to stim ulat e o r arouse: Sm elling the stew w hett ed her

appet i te.

whichwitch

Which mea ns "w hat pa rticular cho ice": Which w itch put t he

spell o n you?

A witch is a person w ho believes in or pract ices m ag ic: Not

all witc hes hav e w arts o n their noses (som e hav e t hem o n

their ch ins).

who's

whose

Who's is a co ntrac tion for who is: Who's go ing to vot e tod ay?

Whose is the possessive of who m eaning "of who m ": Whoseticket s a re these?

wontwon't

Wont means "used to": Maggie was wont to getting

everything her wa y and cried w hen she didn't .

Won't is a contraction for will not: Maggie won't be getting

ev ery to y she w ants th is Ch ristm as.

youryou're

Your is p ossessive for you: Your idea is fanta stic !

You're is a contraction for you are: You're the most treasured

person in my life.


Now test your knowledge of these words here.


65950098 Alpha Dictionary Often Confused False Cognates Words in English All

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