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Words that are spelled alike or sound alike, but have different meanings

The English language has many words that are not interchangeable and many that are spelled alike or sound alike but have completely different meanings. Most grammars and some dictionaries include a complete list of such words.

Examples:

• accede (agree) and
  · exceed (surpass)
• accept (to receive) and
  · except (leave out)
• access (approach) and
  · excess (surplus)
• Adapt (to fit) and
  · adopt (accept)
  · adopted (as for children ) and
  · adoptive (as for parents )
• adept (expert or skilled) and
  · adopt (to accept)
• adverse (against) and
  · averse (reluctant)
• advice (the counsel) and
  · advise (to instruct)
• affect (influence) and
  · effect (result)
• altar (religious object)
  · alter (change)
• amend (change) and
  · emend (to correct)
• analyst (one who analyses) and
  · annalist (a recorder of events)
• angel (religious) and
  · angle (math)
• apposite (appropriate relationship) and
  · opposite (different in every way)
• appraise (value) and
  · apprise (inform)
• arc (curve) and
  · ark (boat)
• area (space) and
  · aria (song)
• ascent (upward slope or movement) and
  · assent (agree)
• assay (to try) and
  · essay (a writing composition)
• assume (to accept as true) and
  · presume (to assume with confidence). Exception: " and
  · presumed innocent until proven guilty," is to suppose to be true without proof
• auger (tool) and
  · augur (foretell)
• bail (given for security) and
  · bale (bundle)
• ball (rounded thing ) and
  · bawl (crying)
• baloney (exaggerated) and
  · bologna (meat)
• ban (restrict ) and
  · band (a strip or group)
• base (foundation) and
  · bass (fish)
• bait (lure) and
  · bate (moderate)
• beach (shore) and
  · beech (tree)
• bear (an animal; to carry) and
  · bare (naked)
• beat (to hit) and
  · beet (vegetable)
• berry (fruit) and
  · bury (to inter)
• berth (position) and
  · birth (genesis)
• bizarre (unusual) and
  · bazaar (a market)
• boar (animal) and
  · bore (drill) and
  · boor (tiring)
• born (birth) and
  · borne (bear a weight or undesirable occurrence)
• bow (to submit, a knot, bent) and
  · bough (tree branch) and
  · beau (suitor)
• brake (slow) and
  · break (split)
• braise (cook) and
  · braze (solder)
• breach (break) and
  · breech (pants)
• broach (open) and
  · brooch (ornament)
• buffet (strike; sideboard; meal) and
  · buffer (protection)
• bullion (metal) and
  · bouillon (soup)
• bus (vehicle; shared electrical connection) and
  · buss (kiss)
• but (conjunction; preposition; in exception) and
  · butt (to strike; a rear end target)
• canon (principle) and
  · cannon (gun)
• canvas (cloth) and
  · canvass (solicit)
• capital (wealth) and
  · capitol (building)
• catalog (a list)
  · category (classification)
• celibate (abstain) and
  · celebrate (expressed gratitude)
• coarse (rough) and
  · course (track)
• complacent (self-satisfied) and
  · complaisant (affable)
• complement (full quantity) and
  · compliment (flattery)
• confidant (friend) and
  · confident (assured)
• council (assembly) and
  · counsel (advice)
• creak (squeak) and
  · creek (stream)
• cubical (like a cube) and
  · cubicle (compartment)
• currant (berry) and
  · current (present)
• dam (barrier) and
  · damn (condemn)
• deference (respect) and
  · difference (unlikeness)
• depravation (corrupt) and
  · deprivation (loss)
• desert (a hot desolate place; to leave) and
  · dessert (food)
• descent (decline) and
  · dissent (disagree)
• desperate (hopeless) and
  · disparate (dissimilar)
• device (mechanism) and
  · devise (invent)
• die (death) and
  · dye (color)
• diner (person) and
  · dinner (meal)
• disburse (pay out) and
  · disperse (spread)
• discreet (prudent) and
  · discrete (distinct)
• Disc (music, blade, abbreviation for discuss, discontinue, discount and discover ) and
  · disk (anatomy; flower; data; the moon)
• discus (sport)
  · discuss (argue)
• divers (various) and
  · diverse (unlike)
• extant (existent) and
  · extent (size)
• factitious (artificial) and
  · fictitious (imaginary)
• flair (aptitude) and
  · flare (flame)
• florescence (flourishing) and
  · fluorescence (light)
• forbear (abstain) and
  · forebear (ancestor)
• foreword (preface) and
  · forward (ahead or brash)
• fort (fortified place) and
  · forte (special skill)
• frieze (ornamental) and
  · freeze (cold)
• gage (pledge) and
  · gauge (measure)
• gait (walk) and
  · gate (door)
• gaff (spear with hook) and
  · gaffe (blunder)
• gamble (wager) and
  · gambol (frisk)
• gibe (taunt) and
  · jibe (sail)
• gild (overlay with gold) and
  · guild (association)
• gilt (gold) and
  · guilt (blame)
• grill (cook) or
  · grille (cooking frame with parallel metal bars)
• hail (ice or greeting) and
  · hale (healthy or haul)
• hardy (durable) and
  · hearty (meal or appetite)
• Head (body part or read/write component)
  · heading (title ; direction)
  · header (page descriptor; featured activity)
• heroin (drug) and
  · heroine (female hero)
• hoard (accumulate) and
  · horde (throng)
• immanent (in dwelling) and
  · imminent (impending, soon)
• impassable (permanent obstruction) and
  · impassible (unfeeling)
• imply (suggest; indicate indirectly) and
  · infer (to bring about from reason)
• inapt (not suitable) and
  · inept (unfit)
• indiscreet (imprudent) and
  · indiscrete (not separated)
• knight (military rank) or
  · night (after sundown; before sunup)
• leak (escape)
  · leek (plant)
• liable (responsible) and
  · libel (malign)
• lie (deceive or position);
  · lye (corrosive) and
  · lay (to place)
• lineament (outline) and
  · liniment (balm)
• literal (verbatim) and
  · littoral (shore)
• load (to pack) and
  · lode (ore deposit)
• loan (credit) and
  · lone (solitary)
• loath (adjective; reluctant) and
  · loathe (verb; hate)
• lodge (contain; group; make) and
  · loge (theater section)
• loose (free from restraint, unfastened; to set free or unfasten) and
  · lose (suffer because of a loss; having lost something; diminish)
• luxuriant (abundant, exuberant) and
  · luxurious (man-made luxury)
• mall (market) and
  · maul (mangle)
• manner (mode) and
  · manor (abode; estate)
• miner (digger) and
  · minor (not major, preadult)
• might (strength; potential) and
  · mite (insect)
• moat (trench) and
  · mote (small particle)
• model (representation) and
  · modal (mode; mood) and
  · mode (manner)
• mordant (caustic) and
  · mordent (music)
• moose (animal) and
  · mousse (dessert)
• naval (sea) and
  · navel (abdominal depression)
• niche (recess) and
  · nick (scratch)
• pare (trim) and
  · pair (two of a kind) and
  · pear (fruit)
• peace (tranquility) and
  · piece (fragment; part of whole)
• perspicacious (keen judgment or understanding, shrewd) and
  · perspicuous (clear in statement or expression, lucid)
• plum (fruit) and
  · plumb (weight)
• pole (staff) and
  · poll (survey)
• practicable (a feasible plan that has not yet been begun) and
  · practical (a sensible, businesslike person; a workable, useful thing )
• pray (entreat) and
  · prey (victim)
• prescribe (direct) and
  · proscribe (prohibit)
• provided (an if-then stipulation: provided an adult is present, there will be no party ) and
  · providing (a just-in-case stipulation: providing we will dine after the movie, I will bring extra money )
• put (place) and
  · putt (gulf stroke)
  
• Raise, raised, (a transitive verb which needs a direct object to complete its meaning: she raised the cat over her head );
  · rise, rose, risen (an intransitive verb which does not require an object: she rose from the floor ); and
  · raising (raising a family)
• real (actual) and
  · reel (spool)
• Republic (government by democratically elected representatives) and Republican (political party favoring local government over central government, personal responsibility rather than governmental bureaucratic control.)
• resister (a person who objects to ) and
  · resistor (an electrical component)
• reassemble (put back together) and
  · resemble (look like)
• respect to feel or show honor or esteem for ) and
  · respectively (as relates individually to each of two or more people or things)
• right (correct) and
  · write (words)
• role (actor's part) and
  · roll (to move; a list; bread)
• roomer (lodger or renter) and
  · rumor (hearsay)
• sale (inducement to purchase) and
  · sail (boat)
  
• Sensor (detect),
  · censor (delete),
  · censure (disapproval) and
  · center (middle)
• serge (cloth) and
  · surge (sweep)
• session (meeting) and
  · cession (yielding)
• sheer (thin) and
  · shear (to cut)
• smile (face) and
  · simile (figure of speech using: like, as, etc.)
• specie (money) and
  · species (of a kind)
• stake (stick, rod or post with a sharpened end which can be stuck in the ground; a bet) and
  · steak (meat)
• straight (not crooked or curved) and
  · strait (water channel)
• therefor (in return for) and
  · therefore (for that reason)
• throe (pang) and
  · throw (hurl)
• thyme (herb plant) and
  · time (measurement period)
• to (direction, until, as compared with; as against) and
  · too (in addition; as well; besides, more than enough, regrettable)
• troop (group of soldiers) and
  · troupe (group of actors)
• vice (depravity) and
  · vise (clamp)
• veracious (truthful) and
  · voracious (insatiable)
• waive (to give up) and
  · wave (water movement; flutter)
• weather (atmosphere) and
  · whether (if)
• while (duration, time) and
  · wile (trick)
• whine (noise) and
  · wine (beverage)
• whether (where) and
  · wither (dry up)

"Words that are spelled alike or sound alike, but with different meanings" and other concepts are thoroughly explored in the book: Technical Writing with Style.

Words that are not interchangeable

(Word definitions are provided for comparison only; for complete definitions, consult the "college edition" of any recently published dictionary.)

Examples of words that are similar in meaning, but not interchangeable:

• abjure (to renounce, reject, avoid) and
  · adjure (to urge or advise earnestly)
• affect (verb ) and
  · an impact (noun )
• allude (refer to, usually indirectly) and
  · elude (escape)
• allusion (a passing reference, usually indirectly),
  · illusion (good or bad misconception) and
  · delusion (a strong, fixed illusion)
• amount (things in bulk, in aggregate) and
  · number (things that can be counted separately)
• and (in addition) and
  · but (in exception)
• apt (quick to learn; inclined to; possibility),
  · liable (exposure to danger, risk or punishment), and
  · likely (probability)
• awhile (for a short time) and
  · while (a period of time; although; whereas)
• between (with two objects or possibilities) and
  · among (with more than two)
  
• Big (above average size) and:
  · astronomical (big beyond measure, power beyond direction, mystery beyond knowing, timeless beyond stars);
  · colossal (implies a likeness in size or importance to a large statue or building);
  · enormous (very much exceeding the usual size, number, or degree),
  · gigantic (implies a likeness in size to a person of unusually great size);
  · great (prestigious, much higher in some quality or degree, superior, eminent, distinguished, superior, skillful, expert);
  · huge (very large in size);
  · immense (unmeasured, limitless, but not abnormal in size),
  · large (taking up much space);
  · magnificent (furnishings, color, dress, etc., of great richness and splendor);
  · mammoth (of great size or importance; a likeness to the huge, extinct elephant);
  · tremendous (that which inspires awe or amazement because of its size); and
  · vast (very large in size or amount)
  
• Border (definite, defined) and
  · frontier (indefinite, undefined)
  · apex (the highest point attainable as of: interest, excitement; climax; peak; vertex; the pointed tip or end);
  · boundary (a line or thing marking a limit)
  · climax (the final, culminating element or event in a series of ideas, images, sensations, etc., arranged progressively so that the most forceful, meaningful, interesting, or exciting is the last.)
  · crest (the highest point of, or resulting from growth as: out from a head, a water wave, a mountain's summit; decoration identifying the prestigious ancestry of a family);
  · edge (a thin, sharp part used for cutting; the farthest part from the middle; line where something begins or ends; part nearest the border; an advantage);
  · margin (a limit to what is desirable or possible; the blank area around text on a page; the difference between the cost and selling price of goods) ;
  · peak (highest point as of a mountain; pointed top of a roof; pointed end of a hat; the maximum production, value or interest attained);
  · perimeter (the total length of the outer boundary of an area or figure)
  · ridge (a long, narrow top or crest of something: an elevation of land or a similar range of hills; projected bone causing an area of the body to be raised like the spine along the back; a line formed from the meeting of two sloping surfaces; a long, narrow high-pressure area on a weather map);
  · rim (of something circular or curved: a raised or projected edge; a circular part; a border or outer area);
  · vertex (turning point; highest or topmost point; point of intersection of the two sides of an angle; the corner point of a triangle, square, cube or some other geometric figure bounded by lines and/or planes); and
  · zenith (highest cumulation; the point in the sky directly overhead; that point of the celestial sphere directly opposite to the nadir)
  
• Cannot (a present negative choice);
  · can not (stressing not--a present, emphatic, positive choice; I will );
  · can't (no choice or possibility);
  · could not (stressing not--it was a positive choice; I did );
  · couldn't (it was not considered a choice or possibility);
  · would not (stressing not--a future choice that is strong, habitual and positive);
  · wouldn't (it is never considered a choice or possibility that is unemphatic, habitual, and positive);
  · should not (stressing not--a positive, polite obligation or expectation);
  · shouldn't (a positive, polite, unemphatic, uncertain choice); and
  · will not (stressing not--a present choice that is strong and positive)
  
• convince (thought) of, that , and
  · persuade (action) to
• copy (duplicate) and
  · move (reposition)
• damage (destroyed, marred) and
  · damages (legal term for money resulting from a lawsuit)
• depart (to divide, separate) and
  · leave (to cause to remain behind, to entrust, to go away from)
• died (not resulting from thought or instinct) and
  · killed (resulting from thought or instinct)
  
• Did not (stressing not politely it was an emphatic, obligated choice);
  · didn't (it was an emphatic, obligated choice);
  · do not (stressing not politely an emphatic, polite obligated choice); and
  · don't (an emphatic, polite obligated choice
  
• either (one of the two) and
  · neither (not one of the two)
• ex- (from a loss) and
  · former (changed)
  
• Fame (a reputation for public honor and/or praise);
  · famed (famous, widely-known, renowned);
  · famous (having fame; well-known and much talked about);
  · celeb (a celebrity);
  · celebrant (a person publicly participating in a celebration, formal ceremony or religious ritual);
  · celebration (to engage with ceremony or festivity in some pleasurable activity commemorating an event);
  · celebrity (a widely-recognized, well-publicized person);
  · noted (worthy of notice; well-known for being distinguished);
  · notorious (well-known for not being in good repute);
  · remarkable (worthy of being talked about; interesting)
  
• Few (not all, between many and none) and
  · less (than something )
• fewer (in number) and
  · less or lesser (in quantity)
  
• Good (beneficial, valid, correct, merit, desirable, adequate);
  · better (more suitable, desirable, profitable, more than half of a quantity);
  · best (surpassing all others in suitability, extent, degree, condition and interpretation; being almost the whole of a quantity);
  · acceptable (positive, satisfactory or adequate;
  · correct (a result without error);
  · right (accurate, fact, good, proper action, straight)
  · fine (superior in quality, better than average; exceptional character or ability);
  · amazing (to fill with great surprise or sudden wonder);
  · awesome (inspiring awe, veneration, reverence, wonder, fear and dread);
  · astonishing (to fill with sudden wonder or great surprise);
  · mesmerizing (hypnotizing, spellbinding, of irresistible attraction, fascination);
  · excellent (surpassing and transcending; of exceptional merit and virtue);
  · marvelous (causing wonder, surprise; splendid, so extraordinary as to be improvable, incredible, or miraculous);
  · fantastic (able to present or represent to the mind, hard to believe, incredible, seemingly impossible, unreal, bizarre); and
  · wonderful (positively marvelous, delightful)
  
• initialize (to prepare for address or purpose) and
  · format (to set addresses and purpose) as of data-storage disks
• is (and still is) and
  · was (in the past)
• its (possessive) and
  · it's (it is)
• last (end, empty) and
  · past (time, position)
  
• Like (affection) and love (commitment)
  · like (noun or noun phrase in comparison) and as (similar, because)
  · like (but not including ) and such as (including )
  · like (resemblances ) and such as (examples)
• loan (noun ) and
  · lend (verb ) or lent
• majority (more than half of total) and
  · plurality (more than any other)
  
• Male and female (gender):
  · man and woman (adults);
  · boy and girl (children)
  · children (prepubescent boys and/or girls)
  · kids (pubescent boys and/or girls)
  · teenagers (boys and/or girls 13- to 19-years old)
  · gals (adult females)
  · guys (adult males with or without females)
  · women (adult females)
  · men (adult males with or without females) and
  · people (males and females)
  
• may (permission, allowed to do ) and
  · might (potential capability, maybe)
• meantime (a noun as "in the meantime") and
  · meanwhile (a adverb as "Meanwhile ....")
• oral (spoken by a person) and
  · verbal (in words)
• people and (an exact number of)
  · persons
• place (noun, placed and placing are verbs) and
  · put (verb )
• recreate (relaxation) and
  · re-create (make it again)
  
• Setup (to arrange, organize or assemble for a predictable outcome or purpose);
  · install or instal (placing something or someone inside something else to make it complete and/or ready for use); and
  · configure (to select from options or parts that arrangement which will serve a purpose) as of computers
  
• should (to express obligation or probability; in conditional or hypothetical
  if-clauses: if I should die, you're in charge ) and
  · would (to express customary past action: every day he would exercise before breakfast; conditional willingness: I would if I could; a polite substitute for the word: will )
• sit, sat (intransitive verb--to be seated: She sat on the grass ) and
  · set (transitive verb--to cause to sit: She set the basket by her side )
• specie (coined money) and
  · species (a class or kind)
• such as (examples) and
  · like (resemblances )
• take (to remove) and
  · understand (to know)
• that (introduces essential clauses ) and
  · which (introduces nonessential clauses)
• to (to go somewhere; to do something; agree to a plan ) and
  · with (go with something; agree with someone )
• will (fact) and
  · would (possibility)

"Words not interchangeable" and other concepts are thoroughly explored in the book: Technical Writing with Style.

Words inappropriately used as both noun and verb

When writing step-by-step procedures , never use the same word as verb and noun, as condition and substance together or even in the same paragraph.

Examples of misuse:

• add an add
• addict an addict
• banner a banner
• cable a cable
• calculate a calculation
• center the center
• channel a channel
• code a code
• copy a copy
• current current
• cut a cut
• delete a delete
• design a design
• document a document
• download a download
• drive a drive
• file a file
• gift a gift
• graph a graph
• graphic graphic
• effect an effect
• export an export
• feature a feature
• hammer a hammer
• image an image
• import an import
• interface the interface
• insert an insert
• image an image
• jump a jumper
• layout the layout
• lens a lens
• light a light
• link a link
• map a map
• mouse the mouse
• need a need
• network the network
• output the output
• page to a page
• phone a phone
• photo a photo
• picture a picture
• place the place
• plan a plan
• plant a plant
• plug in a plug
• project a project
• release a release
• report a report
• require a requirement
• return a return
• run a run
• screw a screw
• startup a startup
• style a style
• support a support
• switch a switch
• template a template
• tip the tip
• toggle a toggle
• trace a trace
• type type
• upload an upload
• vector a vector
• view a view
• video a video
• wash the wash
• watch a watch
• window a window
• wire a wire
• web the web

"Words inappropriately used as both noun and verb" and other concepts are thoroughly explored in the book: Technical Writing with Style.

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