WORDS OFTEN CONFUSED -PAIRS OF WORDS - HOMOPHONES
The following list contains the pairs/ groups
of words which are quite frequently confused.
1. Accept, Except
Accept = to receive, to promise to pay (opposite of
reject)
Eg: He has accepted my apologies
Except = leaving out
Eg: All of my friends have attended the party except
Raju
2. Advice, advise
Advice =
Counsel, instruction
Eg: Our teachers always give good advice
Advise = MY
father advised me to work hard
3. Affect, effect
Affect =
to act upon, to pretend
Eg: The accused affected madness
in the court
Effect =
result
Eg: The results of the by-polls will not show
any effect on the ruling party
4. Access, Excess
Access = Approach,
admission
Eg: My friend’s father has some access to the
Chief Minister
Excess = an
extreme or excessive amount
Eg: Excess of everything is bad
5. Adapt, Adopt & Adept
Adapt
= to adjust oneself to a new environment, different
conditions
Eg: We must adapt ourselves to the changing
circumstances
Adopt =
to choose or take as one’s own
Eg: He has now adopted the right course of action.
Adept = very skilled, expert, proficient
Eg: Ramana is an adept in the field
of sculpture
6. Air, Heir
Air =
a mixture of gases that surrounds the Earth and forms its atmosphere
Eg: The patient needs fresh air
Heir =
a person who inherits the property, rank, title, etc. of another
Eg: He is the only legal heir to the property of
his uncle.
7. Allowed, Aloud
Allowed =
to give permission
Eg: The teacher allowed me to leave the class
Aloud =
with a loud voice
Eg: The
teacher is speaking quite aloud
8. Alter, Altar
Alter =
to change
Eg: The Government altered the
procedure for outsourcing
Altar =
an elevated place at which religious rites are performed
Eg: He made an offering at the altar.
9. Angle, Angel
Angle = point where two straight lines meet
Eg: There are thee angles in a triangle
Angel = messenger from heaven
Eg: The little girl looks like an angel
10. Ancient, Old
Ancient = Of old times
Eg: He wrote many books on ancient
Indian history
Old = Advanced in age
Eg: Ram is an old friend of mine
11. Abstain, Refrain
Abstain = to refrain voluntarily from something regarded
as improper
Eg: My friend Prasad abstains from wine
Refrain = to keep oneself from doing or saying something
Eg: We should refrain from telling lies
12. Admit, Confess
Admit = to allow to enter, to confess, to acknowledge
Eg: They finally admitted him in Government
hospital
Confess = to own or admit as true
Eg: The thief has confessed his guilt
13. Abject, Object
Abject = utterly hopeless, humiliating or wretched
Eg: They are living in abject poverty
Object = aim, purpose
Eg: It appears, he has no object in life
14. Amiable, Amicable
Amiable =
having or showing a friendly disposition
Eg: Dr. Parthasaradhi is an amiable person
Amicable =
agreeable
Eg: Finally, both the parties entered into an
amicable agreement
15. Beautiful, Handsome
Beautiful = attractive
Eg: Nandini is a beautiful girl
Handsome = imposing appearance
Eg: Kumar is a handsome young man
16. Bear, Bare
Bear = to endure
Eg: I cannot bear thisinsult
Bare = naked
Eg: The leader is walking bare-footed
17. Berth, Birth
Berth = Sleeping room in a train or ship
Eg: He has got his berth reserved in the Godavari express
Birth = My wife gave birth to a baby boy
18. Born, Borne
Born = brought forth by birth
Eg: He was born in Chandigarh
Borne = a past participle of bear
Eg: My father borne many difficulties in his life
19. Break, Brake
Break = to divide into pieces by force
Eg: Don’t break this cup
Brake = appliance for lessening speed of carriage
Eg: The driver applied brakes and avoided
the accident
20. Bridal, Bridle
Bridal = belonging to bride or marriage
Eg: This shop is famous for bridal dresses
Bridle = headgear of horse
Eg: The rider controls the horse with bridle
21. Bail, Bale
Bail = security for prisoner’s reappearance
Eg: The students were released on bail
Bale = package of goods
Eg: He purchased 20 bales of cotton
22. Battle
Eg: The first and second battles of
Panipat laid strong foundation to Moghal empire
War = a major armed conflict
Eg: Germany
and Japan
23. Blunder, Error
Blunder = a stupid mistake
Eg: She made a blunder by not marrying Prakash
Error = a deviation from accuracy or correctness
Eg: A slight error while driving a car can cause a
serious accident
24. Beneficial, Beneficent
Beneficial = advantageous
Eg: Daily exercise is beneficial to health
Beneficent = doing good
Eg: Krishnadevaraya was a beneficent king
25. Beside, Besides
Beside = by or at the side of
Eg: My house is beside the library
Besides = in addition to, moreover, furthermore
Eg: I have a pen besides a pencil
26. Canvas, Canvass
Canvas =
a closely woven
heavy cloth of hemp, flax or cotton
Eg: The goods in the truck are covered with a
canvas sheet
Canvass = to solicit votes, opinions etc.
Eg: The political parties should not canvass on
the day of polling
27. Cattle, Kettle
Cattle = pets of pasture
Eg: The cattle are grazing in the
field.
Kettle = Vessel for boiling liquids
Eg: Please prepare some tea in the kettle
28. Check, Cheque
Check = to stop
Eg: Please check whether all the
children are there inside?
Cheque = written order to banker for money
Eg: The cheque he gave me was
bounced
29. Ceiling, Sealing, Roof
Ceiling = top surface of room
Eg: The ceiling of the courtroom needs repairs
Sealing =
to stamp with seal
Eg: Please do proper sealing for my parcel
Roof = top covering of house
Eg: The crow is sitting on the roof
30. Compliment, Complement
Compliment
= an
expression of praise, commendation or admiration
Eg: Please convey my best compliments to your
sister
Complement
= either of two parts constituting a whole,
counterparts
Eg: An angle of 40 degrees is the complement of an
angle of 50 degrees.
31. Corporal, Corporeal
Corporal = bodily
Eg: Gandhiji was against corporal punishment in
schools
Corporeal = physical
Eg: Angels have no corporeal existence
32. Continually, Continuously
Continually = without cessation or
intermission, unceasingly
Eg: The war was continually fought for 100 years
between England and France
Continuously = uninterrupted in
time
Eg: She has been dancing continuously for four
hours
33. Credible, Creditable, Credulous
Credible = believable
Eg: His promise is not credible
Creditable = deserving credit,
honour or reputation
Eg: Getting top rank in college is a creditable
achievement
Credulous = gullible, innocent
Eg: She is a gullible woman
34. Council, Counsel
Council = an assembly of
persons or representatives
Eg: He
is a member of Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council.
Counsel = advice, opinion,
adviser
Eg: Arun Jaitley appeared as Defence counsel in
his case
35. Dairy, Diary
Dairy = a place where milk
and cream are kept or processed
Eg: we purchase milk from Vijaya Dairy
Diary = a daily record of
events
Eg: I don’t have enough time to write diary
regularly
36. Discover, invent
Discover = to gain knowledge of
something previously unknown
Eg: Columbus invented America
Invent = to originate, to
produce or create with imagination
Eg: Marconi invented radio
37. Dose, Doze
Dose = a quantity of medicine prescribed to be taken
at one time
Eg: Take the medicine in the same dose
as prescribed by the doctor
Doze = Shankar was dozing in the office
38. Fair, Fare
Fair = periodical market
Eg: We go to Lingampally fair every Wednesday
Fare = the price charged for transporting a passenger
Eg: The RTC bus fares are increased during
festival season
39. Eligible, Illegible
Eligible = fit to be chosen,
desirable
Eg: I am not eligible for the D.S.P. posts in the
Group-1 notification
Illegible = not readable,
indistinct
Eg: He always loses marks due to his illegible
handwriting
40. Eminent, imminent
Eminent = distinguished
Eg: Mallika
Sarabhai is an eminent dancer
Imminent = soon happening,
impending
Eg: His marriage with his cousin is imminent
41. Elicit, Illicit
Elicit = to educe, to draw out
Eg: The police failed to elicit any
information from the person
Illicit = unlawful, forbidden
Eg: Illicit liquor is sold in this area
42. Facility, Felicity
Facility = something designed
to serve a specific function
Eg: The Government is providing all facilities to
the Government schools
Felicity = great happiness
Eg: I find real felicity in the service of
mankind
43. Flour, Floor
Flour = finely
ground meal
Eg: Bread is made of wheat flour
Floor = lower surface of
room, storey
Eg: The floor of his room is well designed
44. Gilt, Guilt
Gilt = overlaid with gold
Eg: Gilt jewellery is gaining popularity
Guilt = crime, sin
Eg: The man accepted his guilt
before the police
45. Goal, Gaol
Goal = destination, aim, purpose
Eg: Every one must have a definite goal
Gaol = prison, jail
Eg: The thief was sent to the gaol
by the Magistrate
46. Hale,
Hail, Hail
Hale: healthy,
robust
Eg: My uncle looks hale and hearty even at the
ripe age of eighty five.
Hail: to
have as one’s place of birth or residence
Eg: Srinivas
hails from Kakinada
Hail: frozen
rain
Eg: The recent hail storm ruined the
crops
47. Heal, Heel
Heal = to make healthy, to grow sound
Eg: This
ointment healed my wounds soon
Heel = hinder part of foot
Eg: High-heel
footwear is famous among fashion world
48. Industrial, Industrious
Industrial = having many and
highly developed industries
Eg: Patancheru is an industrial area
Industrious = hard working,
diligent
Eg: My friend Prasad is very industrious
49. Insight, Incite
Insight = perception,
intuition, understanding
Eg: Rajeev Gandhi was a man of deep insight
Incite = to urge on, to
stimulate to action
Eg: Political parties try to incite communal
riots in the country
50. Lose, Loose
Lose = to be deprived of, to suffer loss
Eg: Please take care of your suitcase, lest you
should lose it
Loose = not tight, morally
lax
Eg: She is a woman of loose character and
no body likes her
51. Medal, Meddle
Medal = metal worked in form
of coin given as award
Eg: Her
husband was awarded the Souryachakra medal posthumously
Meddle = to interfere
Eg: Don’t
meddle in their private affairs
52. Miner, Minor
Miner = One who works in
mine
Eg: He
is a miner in Singareni collieries
Minor = under aged person
Eg: He was minor when he got married
53. Naughty,
Knotty
Naughty = wicked
Eg: My one year old boy is very naughty
Knotty = difficult
Eg: The unemployment problem has become very
knotty
54. Obvious, Oblivious
Obvious = evident, clear
Eg: It is quite obvious that he involved in the
scam
Oblivious = unmindful, unaware
Eg: He is quite oblivious of his son’s bad habits
55. Principal, Principle
Principal = head of school/
college
Eg: Our Engineering College Principal was very
strict
Principle = fundamental truth,
law, rule of life
Eg: My father was a man of principles
56. Profit, Prophet
Profit = gain, advantage,
benefit
Eg: The IPL Cricket franchisees didn’t gain much
profit
Prophet = inspired founder of
religion
Eg: Mohammed was a prophet of the
Muslims
57. Quite, Quiet, Quit
Quite = completely,
altogether
Eg: His temperature is quite normal
Quiet = still, calm, at
rest, free from noise
Eg: All of you, please keep quiet!
Quit = to leave, to repay,
to abandon
Eg: Don’t quit the government job
58. Right,
Rite, Write, Wright
Right = Correct, something
one may have by law
Eg: Fundamental rights are protected
even during emergency
Rite = religious ceremony
Eg: He performed the last rites of his father
at Varanasi
Write = to communicate
Eg: I want to write a letter to her
Wright = a constructive
workman – a play wright
Eg: Shakespeare
was the greatest play wright of English literature
59. Root, Rout, Route
Root = a part of the body of a plant below surface of
Earth
Eg: Plants
receive water through roots
Rout = to defeat
Eg: The Germans were routed in the second World
War
Route = course, way
Eg: We
came from Chennai in a short route
60. Sell, cell
Sell = to dispose of in
exchange for money
Eg: He doesn’t want to sell his car now.
Cell = small room or cavity
Eg: The prisoner has been locked up in a dingy
cell
61. Sensible, Sensitive
Sensible = intelligent
Eg: He
is a sensible person and never takes a wrong decision
Sensitive = readily or
excessively affected by external influences
Eg: My sister is a very sensitive person
62. Soar, Sore, Sour
Soar = to rise
Eg: The
oil prices are soaring in the sky
Sore = physically painful
or sensitive as a wound
Eg: His eyes are sore due to his
continuous work on computer
Sour = having an acid taste resembling that of lemon
juice, etc.
Eg: These grapes taste sour.
63. Stationary, Stationery
Stationary = standing still, not
moving
Eg: The
fast moving jeep collided with a stationary truck
Stationery = Writing materials as
pens, paper, pencils, etc.
Eg: I always purchase stationery
items in Secunderabad
64. Tamper, Temper
Tamper = to meddle
Eg: He tampered with my property
documents
Temper = a particular state
of mind or feeling
Eg: When you lose temper, count
numbers upto ten.
65. Team, Teem
Team = a number of persons
associated in some joint action
Eg: His team always stands first
Teem = to abound or swarm
Eg: This abandoned bungalow teems
with snakes and insects
66. Vain, Vane, Vein
Vain = without real significance, useless
Eg: All my efforts to convince him went in vain.
Vane = a
device rotating freely in a horizontal
plane and so mounted and formed as to point into the wind
Eg: The vane is pointing to the
West.
Vein = one of the system of branching
vessels conveying blood from various parts of the body to the heart
Eg: The medicine was injected through veins
67. Verse, Worse
Verse: line
of poem, stanza, poetry
Eg: My
verses are published in magazines
Worse: comparative degree of bad
Eg: His condition is worse than
yesterday
68. Veil, Vale, Wail
Veil = woman’s covering for face, curtain
Eg: She covered her face with a veil.
Vale = valley
Eg: The vale of Kangra is famous for its scenery
Wail = to lament loudly
Eg: The wails of the injured tourists moved
everybody present there.
69. Wet, Whet
Wet = containing water
Eg: He is wearing wet clothes
Whet = to sharpen by
rubbing
Eg: The sight of the sweets has wetted his
appetite.
70. Wave, Waive
Wave = to signal
Eg: The chief minister waved his hand at the
audience
Waive = to give up
Eg: The government waived off all
the loans of the poor farmers
-----------------
NOOJILLA SRINIVAS
Lecturer in English
Govt. Degree College,
Alamuru,
Andhra pradesh - India
M: 7981862200
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