Words Often Confused

    1.      Accept – to agree, to take: We do not accept credit cards.

    Except – Every student except Nilima was present in the class.

    2.      Accident – something unexpected, usually tragic in nature: My car was damaged in an accident.

    Incident – some ordinary event: Tell us some interesting incidents of your life.

    3.      Advice (noun) – We must follow the advice of our teachers.

    Advise (verb) – The teacher advised me to be punctual in the class.

    4.      Angel – The black boy saw an angel in a dream.

    Angle – A right angle has ninety degrees.

    5.      Bail – security: The accused was released on bail.

    Bale – bundle: Fifty bales of cotton are lying on the platform.

    6.      Bare – uncovered, naked: The dog laid bare its sharp teeth.

    Bear – to tolerate: I cannot bear so much pain.

    7.      Berth – a bed on a boat or train: We got two berths reserved in the Rajdhani Express.

    Birth – What is your date of birth?

    8.      Beside – next to, by the side of: We sat beside thw eindow and talked.

    Besides – in addition to, as well as: Besides being a distinguished scholar, she is also a good               dancer.

    9.      Brake – The driver applied the brakes in time.

    Break – This vase is made of glass. It can break easily.

    10.  Cattle – cows, bulls, buffaloes etc.: The cattle are grazing in the field.

    Kettle – The kettle is full of tea.

    11.  Check – to look at something carefully to ensure that it is right: The teacher has checked all the           notebooks.

    Cheque – My father sent me a cheque for five hundred rupees.

    12.  Cite – to quote: She cited many examples to prove her point.

    Sight – view: The train left the station and soon disappeared from sight.

    13.  Coarse – rough: Villagers often wear garments made of coarse cloth.

    Course – path: The river is changing its course.

                -   A series of lessons: We had finished all our courses by the end of January.

    14.   Complement – that which completes: Point out the complement of the verb in this sentence.

    Compliment – to express regards: I complimented Ravina on her fine performance.

    15.  Custom – Many old customs should be changed now.

    Habit – Going for a daily morning walk is a very good habit.

    16.  Dairy – We buy milk from a government dairy.

    Diary – we should not read anyone’s personal diary.

    17.  Die – very few people die of tuberculosis now.

    Dye – The shirt was dyed green.

    18.  Discover – to find out something which is already there: Madame Curie discovered radium.

    Invent – to make a new thing: Charles Babbage invented the computer.

    19.  Dose (medicine) – Take three doses of this medicine daily.

    Doze – light sleep: He had no work to do, so he dozed off for a while.

    20.  Drown – used for living beings: The child got drowned in the river.

    Sink – used for non-living things: The ship sank but fortunately all the passengers were rescued.

    21.  Feat – an action that shows great skill or courage: The pilot amazed everyone with his daring feats.

    Feet – Tight shoes have caused blisters on my feet.

    22.  Farther – comparative degree of ‘far’, suggests distance: Whose house is farther from the school –       yours or Geetu’s?

    Further – suggests position: Please read further.

    23.  Heal – to cure: Deep wounds take longer to heal.

    Heel – The heel of this shoe is completely worn out.

    24.  Hear – The old man cannot hear clearly

    Here – at this place: I shall wait for you here.

    25.  Idle – without work: Time is precious; so do not sit idle.

    Idol – image: Many Hindus worship idols.

    26.   Later – comparative degree of ‘late’, suggests time: Varun reached the station later than Ila.

     Latter – suggests position: Rashmi and Uma are sisters; the latter of the two sings better.

    27.  Loose – the opposite of tight: Children should always wear loose clothes.

    Lose – Where did you lose your bag?

    28.  Peace – A nation can progress only during peace time.

    Piece – I want a piece of paper to write a letter on.

    29.  Plain – not pretty: She is a plain-looking girl.
                                       - This piece of ground is quite plain.
          Plane – a flat, level surface: This house is at a higher plane.

    30.  Pray – We pray to God daily.

    Prey – victim: The jackal fell a prey to the lion.

    31.  Principal – our Principal believes in strict discipline.

    Principle – a basic rule: We should never give up our principles.

    32.  Quiet – silent, peaceful, still: Children, please keep quiet.

    Quite – I found the questions quite easy.

    33.  Rain – Heavy rains often cause floods.

    Reign – rule: The Mughal empire progressed a great deal during Akbar’s reign.

    34.  Root – Root is the most important part of the plant.

    Route – Our school bus does not go by this route.

    35.  Sail – Soon the ship sailed away and got out of sight.

    Sale – These goods are not for sale.

    36.  Soar – to fly high: The kite soared over the treetops.

   Sore – painful: She is suffering from a sore throat.

   Sour – sharp and bitter taste: Lemons have a sour taste.

    37.  Steal – The thief could not steal anything from the house.

    Steel – Steel is a very useful metal.

    38.  Story – I like to read adventure stories.

    Storey – My room is on the upper storey of the house.

    39.  Tail – The monkey uses its tail to hang from branches.

    Tale – story: Children are fond of fairy tales.

    40.  Their – They live in their own house.

    There – We went to the ground but did not find anybody there.

    41.  Vain – fruitless: All our efforts to get a suitable house proved vain.

    Vein – a blood vessel: Veins carry impure blood to the heart.

    42.  Way – She lost her way in the forest.

    Weigh – How many kilograms does this box weigh?

    43.  Wait – I had to wait for fifteen minutes for the bus.

    Weight – Her doctor told her to reduce her weight.

    44.  Waste – Time is precious; don’t waste it.

    Waist – The soldier tied a belt round his waist.

    45.  Weather – The weather is very pleasant. Let us go for a picnic.

    Whether – I am not sure whether I shall be able to come.