E is for Easily Confused Words!

Learning a new language, as you know, is not easy.  One very common issue for all learners are words that are easily confused.  Perhaps they are homonyms (words that sound the same but that are spelled differently and have different meanings).  Perhaps they are false friends (words that look the same in Spanish and English but that actually have different meanings).  It might be a problem between using an adjective rather than an adverb.

In any case, we’re going to have a look at some commonly confused words so that you can review and avoid these mistakes when speaking.  Let’s go!

Beginner English examples:

There / their / they’re

• There:  refers to a place

  • The keys are over there.

• Their:  possessive

  • Their house is very big.

• They’re: contraction of they are

  • They’re studying English!

Too / to / two

• Too:  in excess / also

  • I like chocolate too.

  • These shoes are too small.

• To: preposition / infinitive

  • I’m going to work.

  • I want to live in London.

• Two:  2

  • I’ve got two children

Its / it’s

• Its:  possessive

  • The company increased its prices.

• It’s: contraction of it is

  • It’s a nice day!

Your / you’re

• your:  possessive

  • Is this your dog?

• you’re: contraction of you are

  • You’re learning a lot!

Good / well

• Good:  adjective

  • He’s a good teacher.

• Well:  adverb

  • She speaks English well.

Intermediate English examples:

Affect / effect

• Affect:  verb – to influence or have an impact

  • Stress can affect your health.

• Effect:  noun – the result or consequence

  • The medication had a positive effect.

Borrow / lend

• Borrow:  to take something temporarily from someone else

  • I borrowed some money from my parents.

• Lend:  to give something temporarily to someone else

  • The bank lent me money to buy a new car.

Make / do

• Make:  to create, produce or bring into existence

  • I’m going to make dinner.

  • (has many collocations:  make money, make a mistake, make a noise, etc)

• Do: to perform an activity or task

  • I need to do my homework.

  • (has many collocations:  do business, do something, do someone a favour, etc.)

Say / tell

• Say:  to speak (no direct personal object required)

  • She said she was tired.

• Tell: to speak to (personal object required)

  • She told me that she was tired.

Lose / loose

• Lose:  verb  to no longer have / to not win

  • I lost my keys.

  • My team lost the match

• Loose: adjective not tight

  • I’ve lost weight and now my clothes are loose.

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Advanced English examples:

Imply / Infer

• Imply:  to suggest something without saying it directly

  • Are you implying that I was wrong?

• Infer:  the listener draws a conclusion from what is said or shown

  • From the tone of her voice, I inferred that she was annoyed.

Complement / compliment

• Complement:  something that goes well with something else

  • This wine complements the meal perfectly.

• Compliment:  to praise or express admiration

  • She paid him a compliment on his presentation.

Principle / principal

• Principle:  a fundamental rule or moral standard

  • I disagree with you on principle.  War is wrong.

• Principal:  main, most important

  • The principal reason you failed was lack of preparation.

Disinterested / uninterested

• Disinterested:  neutral, having no personal stake in the outcome

  • We need a disinterested mediator to settle the dispute.

• Uninterested:  bored, not curious

  • He is completely uninterested in the outcome.

Fewer / less

• Fewer:  used with countable nouns

  • There are fewer students in class this year.

• Less:  used with uncountable nouns

  • I have to consume less sugar if I want to get healthy.

Emigrate /immigrate

• Emigrate:  to leave your country to go live in another one

  • My grandparents emigrated from Spain to Argentina in the 50s.

• Immigrate:  to arrive in a new country and live there permanently

  • Thousands of people immigrate to Australia every year.

Easily Confused Words: Conclusion

There are many things to learn in a language and being able to use these confusing words is a big first step. 

Don’t get discouraged if you make mistakes as this is part of the learning journey.  Many native speakers of English confuse words too. 

Be aware that these confusing words exist.  Make a note of them, try to put these words into sentences that you’ve written, translate them if needed.  Practice is the key! Keep on learning!