EASILY CONFUSED WORDS IN ENGLISH – PART 1

10 Pairs/Groups of easily confused words in English.

English can be a very tricky language, even for native speakers! There are many words that many native speakers confuse!

Let’s have a look at 10 pairs/groups of often-confused words.

affect and effect

• to affect is a verb: to influence

  • The teacher affects the children in a positive way.

• effect is a noun: result

  • The new teacher has a positive effect on the children.

loose and lose

• loose is an adjective: not tight

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

• to lose is a verb: to misplace something or not win

  • If you lose your passport, it may take several weeks to replace.

desert and dessert

• Desert is a noun: an area covered in sand, rocks and little vegetation

  • The Sahara is a desert in Africa.

• Dessert is a noun: the sweet part at the end of your meal

  • For dessert, I made a cake.

personal and personnel

• Personal is an adjective: something that belongs to an individual person

  • This information is quite personal, it’s not for the public.

• Personnel is a noun: a group of people (usually at a workplace)

  • We’re understaffed. We need more personnel.

breathe and breath

• To breathe is a verb: to inhale air into your lungs and exhale air out

  • I can’t breathe with so much smoke in the air. I wish people wouldn’t smoke.

• breath is a noun: the air brought into and out of your lungs

  • The doctor told me to take a deep breath during the exam.

then and than

• than is a conjunction word used after a comparison

  • John is taller than George.

• Then is an adverb: next in the order of place or time

  • Boil the water, then put in the pasta.

too and to

• Too is an adverb: in addition, more than

  • The box is too small for the object.

• To is a very common preposition: in the direction of

  • I’m going to the beach.

advise and advice

• to advise is a verb: to give an opinion or suggestion

  • I advise you to be careful with your money.

• Advice is a noun: the opinion or suggestion given

  • You shouldn’t give advice if nobody has asked for it.

they’re, there and their

• They’re is the contraction of they are

  • They’re late!

• Their is the possessive adjective

  • Their surname is Jones.

• There is and adverb that answers the question “where?”

  • Please don’t stand here. Stand there.

you’re and your

• You’re is the contraction of you are

  • You’re beautiful!

• Your is a possessive adjective

  • Your daughter is very kind.