Confusing English Words

Some words are spelled very similarly but have different meanings. Often the meanings of these similar words are related, but sometimes they are not.

Commonly confused words:

advice / advise

‘I need to give my friend some advice’.

I need to advise my friend’.

compliments / complements

‘Pass my compliments on to the chef’.

‘The colour of your t-shirt really complements your skin tone’.

principle / principal

‘It is the principle of the matter that really counts’

‘The principal problem in the essay is the bad grammar’

conform / confirm

‘It is important to conform to expectations’

‘I need to confirm my dentist appointment’

note / notice

‘You should take notes at the meeting’,

‘The notice clearly stated that they were not allowed to smoke’

‘He always notices if you wear a new tie’

dessert/desert

‘They ate apple crumble for dessert’

‘The camels walked for five hours across the Sahara desert’

mane/main

‘The lion’s mane was spectacular’

‘The main problem is his lateness’

quite/quiet

‘The garden is quite big’

‘You must be quiet when studying in the library’

barmy / balmy

‘He is crazy – completely barmy!’

‘What a balmy evening – perfect for dining outside’.

course / coarse

‘The English language course was easy to understand’

‘Plot a course for that island, Captain. We will set sail tonight’

‘The texture of that wool is really coarse. I prefer smooth fabrics’.

pedal / peddle

‘Press your foot on the accelorator pedal to increase the speed’

‘The street seller decided to peddle his goods around the town’

More coming soon …

My English Language