Recently Added Articles Page #39

Dual vs. Duel

Dual and duel are a pair of homophones which means that both the words spell and sound almost similar but their meanings are entirely different from each other. Homophones are usually the cause of confusion among English writers as it is very easy to...

Altogether vs. All together

It was an altogether decision to agree to all terms all together.If the above sentence has confused you to the core and you cannot decide if it’s right or wrong, worry not. We are here to help you with all your confusions here as English language c...

Appraise vs. Apprise

Keep me apprised on what the jeweler says after appraising the family jewels.English language is an amazing mixture of words and phrases but sometimes we just fail to understand and tell apart some words. If you are a proficient reader or writer, you...

Assent vs. Ascent vs. Accent

He assented to do an Irish accent while they ascended in the air balloon.What do you think about the above sentence? Does it make sense to you? Are the meanings of the three homophones clear after reading the sentence?Let us first tell you about the ...

Censure vs. Censor vs. Sensor

The government faced censure for censoring harmless images in the magazine.The words censure, censor and sensor are homophones and all three of them have similar pronunciation which is s-en-sur. The words have very different and distinguished meaning...

Complaisant vs. Complacent

John is a complaisant guy, I don’t know how he ended up marrying somebody as complacent as Mary.The above sentence have two adjectives in it; complaisant and complacent, which describe the character of John and Mary respectively. Can you figure out...

Defuse vs. Diffuse

The bomb squad defused the bomb and contained the gas before it diffused in the air.English as a language never stops to amaze its learners. As easy as it might be, there are times when you find yourself panicking about what meant what as the words a...

Discreet vs. Discrete

The government’s discreet decision about the four discrete divisions caused a lot of uprising. The two very similar words; discreet and discrete are used in the above sentence, are you familiar with the words? Do you think they mean the same? If no...

Learned vs. Learnt

What is the past tense of learn? Consider the following sentence:I learnt French last year.Are you getting thoughts in your mind that say that this sentence has got something wrong in it? Maybe it’s the use of past form of learn. Is your inner nerd...

Assure vs. Ensure vs. Insure

The heading might give the creeps for if you might somehow knew the differences of these three words before, you must have forgotten them written together. Assure, ensure and insure are word triplets that are most commonly confused in English languag...

Capital vs. Capitol

The legislators were called to the capitol to discuss the issues of country’s capital.The above sentence constitutes two words, capital and capitol, which are both homophones. This means that capital and capitol have same sounds but totally differe...

Enquire vs. Inquire

She inquired about the library charges.What do you make from the above sentence? Do you think the word inquired should maybe have started with an e except of an a? If you did, there is nothing wrong with you or your language skills as inqui...

Principal vs. Principle

Our principal made it compulsory to follow all school principles.Principal and principle are a pair of words that are called homophone, meaning they have same pronunciation but very different meanings and spellings. It is very common for readers and ...

Historic vs. Historical

The words historical and historic were synonymous to each other back in the 18th century meaning something that belonged to or is representative of the past. Historic was used as a shortened form of historical but the difference between the two ...

Sympathy vs. Empathy

The terms sympathy and empathy is an addition to the list of the commonly confused pair of words. It may be attributed to the fact that both the words have to do with the person’s relationship with feelings and emotions. This article will explain t...

Lay vs. Lie

The words lay and lie are one the most confusing pair of words, which are often mistaken for each other. The words have different spellings, meanings and pronunciations but their very close spellings lead to the prodigious misunderstanding where one ...

Immigrate vs. Emigrate

Alan emigrated from America and immigrated to Australia.The above sentence might be a little confusing for you as the two words which you thought had the same meaning imply differently. The words immigrate and emigrate are very much related to each o...

Somber vs. Sombre

Somber and sombre are a pair or words that are opposite to homophones that is, they have different spellings but same meaning. The words like these with different spellings and same meaning causes equal confusion to writers as does the homophones bec...

Seize vs. Cease

The enemy countries ceased fire and then one seized the other’s air force base. Does the above sentence makes sense to you? It uses two homophones i.e. a pair or words that have same pronunciation but different meanings and spellings. Cease and sei...

Admit vs. Confess

Ever wondered about the difference between admission and confession? And don’t say there isn’t because there IS! Admit and confess is a pair of words that usually tips of writers while writing their pieces and make them think twice before using ...

Canon vs. Cannon

Do you ever wonder how much difference one single letter in a word in English language? Embrace yourself! Canon and cannon are two different words with entirely different meanings. One is a law while the other one is a weapon. In this article we wil...

Then vs. Than

The policeman’s strategy was better than the burglar’s so he waited for him to make a move first and then arrested him. Did you notice than and then in the above sentence? Do you sometimes get confused when to use which than? No worries! Today we...

Liter vs. Litre

Have you ever wondered about the spellings of liter? Does writing liter makes you rethink and reconsider how you should spell it for you have come across two types of liter? You are not to be blamed! The word liter exist in two alternative spellings....

Favor vs. Favour

Can you do me a favor and bring the grocery bags inside.Favor is a widely used word which can be spelled with or without the u. If you are confused about when to use which favor and what is the difference in the meanings of these both words, then you...

Neighbor vs. Neighbour

New neighbors just moved in the big white house. Consider this sentence for a moment. Does the word neighbors make you think again that maybe the spellings of neighbor aren’t really like these? Maybe there’s a u in it as well? If you are confused...