Homonym/Homophone/Homograph

Homonyms generally include two categories of word types: homophones and

homographs.

 A homograph is a word that has the same spelling as another word but has a
different sound and a different meaning: eg.

lead (to go in front of)/lead (a metal)

wind (to follow a course that is not straight)/wind (a gust of air)

bass (low, deep sound)/bass (a type of fish)

 A homophone is a word that has the same sound as another word but is spelled
differently and has a different meaning:

to/two/too

there/their/they're

pray/prey

The ending –graph means drawn or written, so a homograph has the same spelling.

The –phone ending means sound or voice, so a homophone has the same
pronunciation. But here's where it gets tricky. Depending on whom you talk
to, homonym means either:

A word that is spelled like another but has a different sound and meaning (homograph);
a word that sounds like another but has a different spelling and meaning (homophone)

OR

A word that is spelled and pronounced like another but has a different meaning
(homograph and homophone)
 Term Meaning Spelling Pronunciation

Homonym Different Same Same

Homograph Different Same Same or different

Homophone Different Same or different Same

Heteronym Different Same Different

Heterograph Different Different Same

Polyseme Different but related Same Same or different

Different when Same except for

Capitonym Same or different
capitalized capitalization

Synonym Same Different Different

In the strictest sense, a homonym must be both a homograph and a homophone. So

say many dictionaries. However, other dictionaries allow that a homonym can be a
homograph or a homophone.
Homonyms Homophones Homographs

Same spelling,
Multiple meaning words Words that sound alike different pronunciation,
different meanings

 the spruce tree...  addition for math  desert = abandon

 to spruce up...  edition of a book  desert = area of land

 I want to go
 suit yourself...  bass = fish
 I like it too
 wore a suit...  bass = instrument
 One plus one is two

 weigh on the scale...  capitol building  close = nearby

 scale the wall...  state capital  close = to shut

 the price is fair...  pick a flower  bow = to bend down

 go to the fair...  bake with flour  bow = ribbon

Homonyms, Homophones, & Homographs (A - B)

accept - take in except - other than

ad - advertisement
advice - guidance
aid - assist, assistance
ail - to suffer poor health
air - atmosphere
aisle - a passage
allusion - an indirect
reference
add - join, combine
advise - recommend
aide - one who gives
assistance
ale - a beverage
heir - one who inherits property
I'll - contraction of I will isle - island
illusion - false appearance
 altar - table in a church
ate - past tense of eat
bail - to clear water
band - a ring, something that band - a group
binds
bare - uncovered
bases - starting points
beat - to strike, overcome
blew - past tense of blow
bread - baked food item
buy - purchase
alter - to change
eight - the number 8
bail - release of a prisoner
bear - large animal
bases - four stations on a
baseball field
beat - exhausted
blue - the color
bred - produced
by - near, through
bale - a large bundle
banned - prohibited
bear - support, yield
basis - a basic
principle
beet - a plant with red
roots
bye - goodbye

Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs (C - E)

capital - punishable by capital - chief city capitol - building where

death legislature meets
ceiling - top of a room sealing - setting,
fastening
cell - small unit sell - to give up for
money
cent - a penny scent - an odor sent - past tense of send
chews - gnaws with teeth choose - to select
cite - mention, quote sight - vision site - place
coarse - rough course - path,
procedure
complement - make compliment - praise
complete
conduct - behavior conduct - to lead
 council - assembly counsel - advice, to
advise
days - plural of day daze - stun
dear - loved one, valued deer - the animal
desert - to abandon desert - dry land dessert - after-dinner treat
die - expire dye - color
discreet - tactful discrete - distinct
dual - double duel - fight
elicit - draw out illicit - illegal
eminent - distinguished imminent - soon

Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs (F - L)

fair - pleasing, impartial fair - gathering, exhibition fare - fee for transportation

find - locate fined - charged (past tense

of fine)

fir - a pine tree fur - a coat or covering

flea - insect flee - to escape

flour - milled wheat flower - plant

for - (preposition) fore - front, forward four - the number 4

foreword - preface forward - related to direction

grate - to irritate grate - a frame great - large, superior

groan - moan grown - matured

 hall - auditorium, haul - to carry
dormitory

hear - listen here - this place

higher - taller, more hire - to employ

advanced

hoarse - rough sounding horse - the animal

its - (possessive it's - it is

pronoun)

jam - to force or block jam - jelly jamb - part of a door or

window

know - to understand no - negative

lead - the metal lead - to direct led - past tense

of lead(directed)

lessen - to decrease lesson - an example or unit of

instruction

lie - to recline lie - tell an untruth lye - used in making soap

Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs (M - R)

meat - food meet - to encounter mete - to give out

miner - a worker in a mine minor - someone under legal minor - lesser or
age smaller
missed - past tense of miss mist - a light rain
one - the number 1 won - past tense of win
pail - a container pale - not bright or colorful
 pair - two of something pare - remove, cut back pear - the fruit
passed - past form of pass past - a previous time past - (preposition)
patience - endurance patients - people under medical
care
peace - absence of conflict piece - a portion
plain - treeless land plain - simple, unadorned plane - aircraft
poor - lacking possessions pore - to read carefully pour - to cause to
flow
principal - main, most principal - head of a school principle - rule
important
profit - gain prophet - someone who foretells
events
raise - lift rays - beams of light raze - demolish
rap - knock rap - hip-hop wrap - cover, conceal
role - character, part roll - to move forward roll - a portion of
bread

Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs (S - W)

sail - fabric used to move a sale - the act of selling

ship
scene - setting or a part of a seen - past participle of see
play
seam - a line formed by seem - to appear
joining two pieces
shear - to cut sheer - transparent
soar - to rise or fly sore - hurt
stair - step stare - gaze
stake - pointed piece of wood steak - a slice of beef
stationary - unmoving stationery - writing

tail - rear part
team - group
threw - past tense of throw
tide - rising and falling of
water
vain - conceited, fruitless
waist - mid-section of the
body
way - a course or manner
weak - frail, not strong
weather - atmospheric
conditions
whine - complain
This list contains both homophones and homographs.
ade – drink type, as in lemonade  affect - change
aid – to help or assist
aide - assistant
materials
tale - story
teem - to be present in large
quantity
through - (preposition)
tied - fastened
vane - device for showing vein - a blood vessel,
wind direction streak, or crack
waste - to spend, wear
away
weigh - to measure
week - seven days
whether - if
wine - an alcoholic drink
effect – result or consequence
air – atmosphere (the stuff we breathe)  beach – sandy shore
err – to make a mistake beech – type of tree

aisle - walkway beat - to pound

I’ll – I will beet – type of edible plant
isle - island
berth – tie up
allowed - permitted birth – to be born
aloud – out loud
bite - nibble
ant – picnic pest byte – 8 bits (computer data)
aunt – relative, as in your mom’s sister
blew – past of blow
arc - curve blue – color of ocean
ark – Noah’s boat
boar - pig
ate – chewed up and swallowed bore – not interesting bore - to drill
eight – number after seven
borough – area or district
bare - uncovered burrow – dig through
bear – grizzly animal burro – small donkey

berry – fruit from a bush bough - branch

bury – to put underground bow – bend or curtsy

base – bottom part buoy - floater

bass – deep or low boy – young man

be – to exist brake – stop pedal

bee – buzzing insect break – smash
bread – bakery food cite - quote
bred – form of breed site - location
sight - view
broach - mention
brooch - pin close – opposite of open
clothes - clothing
brows - eyebrows
browse – look around complement – enhance; go together
compliment - praise
buy - purchase
by - beside council - committee
by - originating from,BR. bye – short for counsel - guidance
goodbye
creak - squeak
cell – compartment  creek – stream of water
sell - vend
crews - gangs
cent – penny coin cruise – ride on a boat
sent – did send
dear - darling
cereal – breakfast food deer – woodland animal
serial - sequential
dew – morning mist
Chile – country in South America do - operate
chili – bean stew due - payable
chilly – frosty
die – cease to exist
chord – musical tone dye - color
cord - rope
doe – female dear
dough – uncooked bread
dual - double for – on behalf of
duel - battle fore - front
four – one more than three
ewe – female sheep
you - second-person personal pronoun forth - onward
fourth – number four
eye – sight organ
I - me knew – did know
new – not old
fair - equal
fare - price gorilla – big ape
guerrilla - warrior
fairy – elflike creature with wings
ferry - boat grease - fat
Greece – country in Europe
faze - impact
phase - stage groan - moan
grown – form of grow
feat – achievement 
feet – plural of foot hair – head covering
hare – rabbit-like animal
fir – type of tree
fur – animal hair hall - passageway
haul - tow
flea – small biting insect
flee - run halve – cut in two parts
have - possess
flew – did fly
flu – illness hay – animal food
hey – interjection to get attention
flour – powdery, ground up grain
flower – blooming plant
heal - mend lead – metal
heel – back of foot led - was the leader

hi - hello lessen – make smaller

high – up far lesson - class

hoarse - croaky loan - lend

horse – riding animal lone - solitary

hole - opening  made – did make

whole - entire maid - servant

holey – full of holes mail - postage

holy - divine male – opposite of female
wholly - entirely
marry – to wed
hour – sixty minutes merry – very happy
our – belonging to us
meat – animal protein
knead - massage meet - encounter
need - desire
none – not any
knight – feudal horseman nun – woman who takes special vows
night - evening
oar – boat paddle
knot – tied rope or - otherwise
not - negative ore - mineral

know – have knowledge oh – expression of surprise or awe

no – opposite of yes owe – be obligated
one - single principal – most important
won – did win principle - belief

overdo – do too much rain – water from sky

overdue – past due date rein - bridle

pail - bucket rap - tap

pale – not bright wrap – drape around

pain - hurt real - factual

pane – window glass reel - roll

peace - calm right – correct; not left

piece - segment write - scribble

peak – highest point ring - encircle

peek - glance wring - squeeze

plain - ordinary role - function

plane – flight machine plane - flat roll - rotate
surface
rose - flower
pole - post rows - lines
poll - survey
sail – move by wind power
poor – not rich sale – bargain price
pour – make flow
scene - landscape
pray – implore God seen - viewed
prey - quarry
sea – ocean segment
see – observe with eyes
seam – joining edge vary - differ
seem - appear very - much

sew – connect with thread wail - howl

so – as a result whale – huge swimming mammal
sow - plant
waist – area below ribs
soar - ascend waste - squander
sore – hurt place
wait – kill time
sole - single weight – measurable load
soul - essence
war - battle
some – a few wore – did wear
sum - amount
warn - caution
steal - swipe worn - used
steel - alloy
way - path
tail – animal’s appendage weigh – measure mass
tale - story
we - us
their – belonging to them wee - tiny
there – at that place
they’re – they are weak – not strong
week – period of seven days
to - toward
too - also weather - climate
whether - if
toe – foot appendage
tow – pull along which - that
witch – sorcerer
your – belonging to you
you’re – you are

Heteronyms or Heterophones

Same Spelling, Different Pronunciations, Different Meanings. All heteronyms are

homographs, but not all homographs are heteronyms. See why this concept can be so
confusing to learn?

Wind: I need to wind the alarm clock so I can fly my kite in the early morning gusty wind.

Record: Please record the program when they try to beat the world recordfor word
nerdiness.

Excuse: Please excuse this poor excuse for art.

Capitonyms

Capitonyms are different words spelled the same except for the capitalization.
Sometimes they are pronounced the same, sometimes they are not.

Turkey: I like to visit the country of Turkey and eat that American bird,turkey.

Mobile: My mobile phone ironically did not work in Mobile, Alabama.

May: In May, when spring is almost over, I may pack away my winter clothes.

March: On the Ides of March, we will march in the parade.

Polish. The Polish refugee said nothing but went straight to work puttingpolish on the
silver.

abhorrent/aberrant
Abhorrent describes something truly horrible like finding a dead rat in your soup, but
something aberrant is just abnormal, like a cat in a pink fedora. Continue reading...
accept/except
To accept is to receive, and except is to exclude, usually. Both are busy little words
skipping around to different meanings, but they never run into each other.Continue
reading...

adopt/adapt
"Adopt, adapt, and improve," says the thief in a Monty Python skit when he robs a
lingerie shop instead of a bank. Adopt is to take something over, and to adapt is to
change something to suit your needs. It’s helpful advice when you ask for money and
get a pair of granny panties.Continue reading...

adverse/averse
Adverse and averse are both turn-offs, butadverse is something harmful, and averse is
a strong feeling of dislike. Rainstorms can cause adverse conditions, and many people
are averse to rain. Continue reading...

affect/effect
Choosing between affect and effect can be scary. Think of Edgar Allen Poe and his
RAVEN: Remember Affect Verb Effect Noun. You can’t affect the creepy poem by
reading it, but you can enjoy the effect of a talking bird. Continue reading...

afflict/inflict
Both afflict and inflict cause pain, but afflictmeans to cause suffering or unhappiness,
something a disease does, but inflict means to force pain or suffering, like if you smack
someone upside the head.Continue reading...

aggravate/irritate
Aggravate means to make something worse, and irritate is to annoy. But if you
useaggravate to mean “annoy,” no one will notice. That battle has been lost in all but
the most formal writing. Continue reading...
allude/elude
Allude is coy, to allude is to refer to something in an indirect manner. But elude’s
favorite thing to do is hide from the cops; it means to evade. Because the accent is on
the second syllable in both words, it’s easy to get them mixed up. Continue reading...

allusion/illusion/delusion
Novelists, magicians, and other tricksters keep these words busy. Novelists love
anallusion, an indirect reference to something like a secret treasure for the reader to
find; magicians heart illusions, or fanciful fake-outs; but tricksters suffer
from delusions,ideas that have no basis in reality.Continue reading...

alternate/alternative
To alternate is to take turns; an alternativeis an option. When you wear your checkered
blazer, the black and white squares alternate. But if you’re not feeling like an ’80s guitar
hero, the green plaid jacket is a nice alternative.Continue reading...

ambiguous/ambivalent
Something ambiguous is unclear or vague, like the end of a short story that leaves you
scratching your head. But if you'reambivalent about something, you can take it or leave
it. Whatever. Continue reading...

amicable/amiable
Amicable refers to a friendliness or goodwill between people or groups. Amiable refers
to one person’s friendly disposition. A group might have an amicable meeting, because
the people there are amiable.Continue reading...

amoral/immoral
Both have to do with right and wrong, butamoral means having no sense of either, like a
fish, but the evil immoral describes someone who knows the difference, doesn’t care,
and says “mwah ha ha” while twirling a mustache. Continue reading...
anecdote/antidote
An anecdote is a funny little story; anantidote counteracts poison. Tell someone
an anecdote about your close encounter with a rattlesnake and how the cute park
ranger had to get you the antidote for snake venom right away. Continue reading...

appraise/apprise
To appraise is to estimate the value of something, but remove the second “a,” and you
have apprise, which means “to tell.” If you hire someone to appraise your house, you
might have to apprise your family of the fact that you now owe the bank more than your
house is worth. Continue reading...

assume/presume
Assume and presume both mean to believe something before it happens, but when
youassume you’re not really sure. If someone bangs on your door in the middle of the
night, you might assume (and hope!) it’s your crazy neighbor. If your neighbor knocks
on your door every night at 6:30, at 6:29 you can presume she’s coming over in a
minute. Continue reading...

assure/ensure/insure
Although these three often show up at the same party, giving hugs, they’re not the
same, thank you very much. To assure is to tell someone everything’s ok, to ensure is
to make certain, and to insure is to protect financially. Have it straight now? Are you
sure? Continue reading...

aural/oral/verbal
Aural refers to the ear or hearing, and oralto the mouth or speaking. Something verbalis
expressed in words, either spoken or written. Listen to the aural sensations of songs
from outer space when you’ve been gassed for your oral surgery. Then stay non-
verbal because you can’t use words for a long time after the dentist wakes you
up.Continue reading...
bazaar/bizarre
Bazaar and bizarre might sound alike but abazaar is a market and bizarre describes
something kooky. There could be a bizarre bazaar run by monkeys selling people
feet.Continue reading...

bridal/bridle
Bridal is related to a bride, but bridle refers to a part of a horse’s harness and what you
do with it. Although the words sound the same, they run in different circles unless you’re
getting a horse ready for her wedding. Continue reading...

capital/capitol
Aha! A capital is a stash of money or the government headquarters of a state. Oh,
acapitol is a building. Continue reading...

censor/censure
A censor hides information. A censure is harsh criticism. They’re both judgments and
they both stink. Continue reading...

cite/site/sight
All are good for research papers: cite is short for citation, site is a place, and sight is
what your eyeballs are for. The Web has a lot to answer for, good and bad. One item in
the minus column is the increased popularity of site and people throwing these sound-
alikes all over the place! Continue reading...

climactic/climatic
Climactic describes the high point, the most intense part of a movie, play, song, or, well,
anything. Climatic refers to the climate, like the climatic changes that turned Santa’s
workshop into a sauna for elves.Continue reading...

complement/compliment
Both are awesome on a first date —complement means to complete something, and
a compliment is flattering. If you feel you and your new friend complement each other,
maybe it’s because he’s been giving you so many compliments like when he says you
look like a supermodel.Continue reading...
compose/comprise
Compose is to make up a whole, andcomprise is to contain parts. Poodlescompose the
dog class because the classcomprises poodles. The parts compose the whole, and the
whole comprises the parts. Confused? Everybody else is!Continue reading...

concurrent/consecutive
Bad guys don’t like these words because they often describe jail
terms: concurrentmeans at the same time, and consecutivemeans one after the other in
a series. Con artists would rather serve concurrent terms and get them over with,
instead ofconsecutive ones. Continue reading...

confident/confidant(e)
Confident is how you feel on a good hair day, but a confidant is the person you tell when
you’re secretly wearing a wig. It's no wonder that these words are so easily confused:
they were once both confident.Continue reading...

connote/denote
Don’t let the rhyme fool you — to connote is to imply a meaning or condition, and
todenote is to define exactly. Connote is like giving a hint, but to denote is to refer to
something outright. Continue reading...

conscious/conscience
Both words have to do with the mind, but it’s more important to be conscious, or awake,
than conscience, or aware of right and wrong. Remain conscious while listening to your
friend’s moral dilemma so you can use your conscience to give good advice.Continue
reading...

contemptible/contemptuous
Something contemptible is worthy of scorn, like the contemptible jerk who’s mean to
your sister; but contemptuous is full of it, like the contemptuous look you give that guy
as he speeds away in his gas guzzler.Continue reading...
continual/continuous
The words continual and continuous are like twins: they both come from continue, but
they get mad if you get them confused.Continual means start and stop,
whilecontinuous means never-ending.Continue reading...

correlation/corollary
A correlation is exactly what it sounds like: aco-relation, or relationship — like
thecorrelation between early birds waking up and the sun rising. But corollary is more
like a consequence, like the corollary of the rooster crowing because you smacked it in
the beak. Both words love the math lab but can hang with the rest of us, too.Continue
reading...

council/counsel
A council is meeting for discussion or advice, but to counsel is a verb meaning to give
advice. They sound exactly the same, but the language council met and decided
tocounsel you on how to keep them straight.Continue reading...

decent/descent/dissent
Decent is all buttoned up. Descent has all the fun because it gets to climb down a
mountain. Dissent is what you do when the glee club wants to get matching red outfits
but you like purple. Continue reading...

demur/demure
To demur is to show reluctance or to hesitate, like not quite getting in the car when
someone opens the door, but demureisalways an adjective describing a modest,
reserved, or shy person, and sounds like the mew of a tiny kitten. Continue reading...

disassemble/dissemble
Disassemble is to take something apart, like an old car motor, but dissemble is sneaky
— it means to hide your true self, like the guy who said he was a mechanic but had
never actually seen a motor, much less put one back together. Continue reading...
discomfit/discomfort
To discomfit is to embarrass someone. Say it with a Southern accent while sipping
sweet tea. Discomfort is a noun meaning uncomfortable, like the feeling you get when
you realize you put salt instead of sugar in Mama’s tea. Continue reading...

discreet/discrete
Discreet means on the down low, under the radar, careful, but discrete means individual
or detached. They come from the same ultimate source, the Latin discrētus, for
separated or distinct, but discreet has taken its own advice and quietly gone its separate
way. Continue reading...

disinterested/uninterested
If you’re disinterested, you’re unbiased; you’re out of the loop. But if you’reuninterested,
you don’t give a hoot; you’re bored. These two words have been duking it out, but the
battle may be over foruninterested. Heavyweight disinterested has
featherweight uninterested on the ropes.Continue reading...

dual/duel
Seeing double? Not quite! Dual is two, or double, but a duel is a fight. If you’re getting
sick of your fair-weather friend’s dualpersonality, perhaps you should throw down your
glove and challenge him to a duel at high noon. Continue reading...

economic/economical
Economic is all about how money works, but something economical is a good deal. You
might take an economic studiesclass to understand the ebb and flow of cash in the
world, but if you buy a used textbook for it, you’re being economical.Continue reading...

emigrate/immigrate/migrate
Going somewhere? Emigrate means to leave one's country to live in
another.Immigrate is to come into another country to live permanently. Migrate is to
move, like bird in the winter. Continue reading...
eminent/imminent
No, it’s not the name of the latest rapper from Detroit — eminent describes anyone
who’s famous. But imminent refers to something about to happen, like the next big
thing’s imminent rise to the top. These two words sound the same to some, but they’re
unrelated. Continue reading...

empathy/sympathy
Empathy is heartbreaking — you experience other people’s pain and joy. Sympathy is
easier because you just have to feel sorry for someone. Send a sympathy card if
someone’s cat died; feel empathy if your cat died, too. Continue reading...

endemic/epidemic
Endemic and epidemic are both words that diseases love, but something endemic is
found in a certain placeand is ongoing, andepidemic describes a disease that’s
widespread. Continue reading...

entitle/title
To entitle means to give someone a rank or right, like if your perfect
attendance entitlesyou to free ice cream at lunch. A title is the name of something, like
the title of a song you wrote about ice cream.Continue reading...

entomology/etymology
Don’t bug out! Entomology is the study of insects, but etymology is the study of words.
They sound similar and both end in -logy,which means “the study of,” but don’t mix them
up unless you like completely confusing people. Continue reading...

envelop/envelope
To envelop is to surround something completely. But an envelope is a piece of paper
you put your love note in and lick to seal. With enVElop, the accent is on the second
syllable, while with ENvelope, the accent is on the first. Continue reading...

envy/jealousy
It’s no fun to feel envy or jealousy because both make you feel inadequate. Envy is
when you want what someone else has, butjealousy is when you’re worried someone’s
trying to take what you have. If you want your neighbor’s new convertible, you feelenvy.
If she takes your husband for a ride, you feel jealousy. Continue reading...

epigram/epigraph
An epigram is a little poem or clever statement, but an epigraph is a specific kind
of epigram: a witty statement that's inscribed somewhere, such as on a building or at
the beginning of a chapter or book.Continue reading...

epitaph/epithet
An epitaph is written on a tombstone. Anepithet is a nickname or a description of
someone. Halloween graves often combine them: “Here lies Fearsome Frank, who bet
that he could rob a bank.Continue reading...

especially/specially
The words especially and specially, have just a hair's breadth of difference between
them. Both can be used to mean "particularly." Continue reading...

exalt/exult
To exalt, means to glorify or elevate something, but to exult is to rejoice. Exaltyour
favorite pro-wrestler, Jesus, or your status in the world. Exult when you get the last two
tickets to see your favorite band.Continue reading...

exercise/exorcise
While both words can refer to ways to get rid of something — belly fat, Satan — that's
where the similarities end. Exercise is physical activity but to exorcise is to cast out
evil. Continue reading...

expedient/expeditious
Something expedient is helpful to you. If you vote your friend in for student body
president just because you know she’ll hook you up — that’s an expedient choice.
Butexpeditious is speedy, like your expeditiousexit from the voting booth because you
know didn’t do the right thing. Continue reading...
extant/extent
They sounds similar and both have exes, but extant means “still here,” and extentrefers
to “the range of something.” People get them mixed up to a certain extent.Continue
reading...

faze/phase
To faze is to disturb, bother, or embarrass, but a phase is a stage or step. It
could fazeyour family if your princess phase lasts well into your college years. Continue
reading...

figuratively/literally
Figuratively means metaphorically, andliterally describes something that actually
happened. If you say that a guitar sololiterally blew your head off, your head should not
be attached to your body.Continue reading...

flair/flare
Flair is a talent for something, like what the pro-wrestler Nature Boy Ric Flair had back
in the day. Flare is on a candle or the shape of bell-bottoms that kids rocked back in the
heyday of wrastlin’. Continue reading...

flaunt/flout
Flaunt is to show off, but flout is to ignore the rules. Rebels do both — they flaunt their
new pink motorcycles by popping a wheelie, and flout the law by running a red
light.Continue reading...

flounder/founder
To flounder is to struggle, but to founder is to sink like a stone and fail. Both are fun as
nouns, not so fun as verbs.Continue reading...

formerly/formally
Formerly is something that happened before, like when a pop star changed his name to
a squiggle, he became known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.
Butformally comes from formal, or fancy, like the prom. Continue reading...
formidable/formative
Formidable describes a foe you’re slightly afraid of, but formative describes what formed
you. Perhaps a formidablegymteacher scared the pants off you during
your formative years in grade school, and now you’re a world-class athlete. (Or a
bookworm, depending on how you react toformidable foes.) Continue reading...

fortunate/fortuitous
Get our your lucky rabbit’s foot! Fortunate is lucky, but fortuitous means by chance or
accident. Silly rabbit, these words aren’t the same. Continue reading...

gibe/jibe
To gibe is to sneer or heckle, but to jibe is to agree. Funny thing is, though, jibe is an
alternate spelling of gibe, so surprise! People get them mixed up.Continue reading...

gorilla/guerrilla
You might see a gorilla in a zoo, but aguerrilla (sometimes spelled with one “r”), is
someone who belongs to a group of independent fighters. If you remember your high
school Spanish, you’ll know the difference. Continue reading...

grisly/gristly/grizzly
Blood, guts, and man-eaters, oh my! Feint of heart turn back now! Grisly means relating
to horror or disgust, gristly means related to gristle or cartilage, and grizzly is a big ol’
bear. That can eat you.Continue reading...

healthful/healthy
Healthful describes something that will create good health, like apples, yoga, and fresh
air. Healthy describes someone fit, trim, and utterly not sick. Continue reading...

historic/historical
>Something historic has a great importance to human history. Something historical is
related to the past. People with big egos get them mixed up if they say they had
a historicfamily background. Unless they helped win a war, it was probably
just historical.Continue reading...
hoard/horde
To hoard is to squirrel stuff away, like gold bricks or candy wrappers. A horde is a crowd
of people, usually, but it can also be a gang of mosquitoes, robots, or rabid zombie
kittens. Continue reading...

homonym/homophone/homograph
This word set can be confusing, even for word geeks. Let's start with the basics.
Ahomograph is a word that has the same spelling as another word but has a different
sound and a different meaning.Continue reading...

hone/home
To hone is to sharpen a knife or perfect a skill. Home is where you live, where your stuff
is, is where the heart is, and all that.Continue reading...

imply/infer
Imply and infer are opposites, like a throw and a catch. To imply is to hint at something,
but to infer is to make an educated guess. The speaker does theimplying, and the
listener does the inferring.Continue reading...

incredible/incredulous
Incredible describes something you can’t believe because it’s so right, like
anincredible double rainbow. Incredulousdescribes how you feel when you can’t believe
something because it’s so wrong, like when someone tells you leprechauns left two pots
of gold. Continue reading...

indeterminate/indeterminable
Understanding the nuances of this word pair, indeterminate and indeterminable,hinges
on understanding the words' parts. The root word, determine, means to establish
something. Continue reading...

indict/indite
If you're using indite to talk about people being formally accused of lawbreaking, you're
using the wrong word: it's indict.Continue reading...
inflammable/inflammatory
Inflammable and inflammatory can be confused with one another, but they also offer
their own source of confusion with the prefix in-. Continue reading...

ingenious/ingenuous
Ingenuous means innocent, artless, simple, while ingenious refers to something original,
creative, inventive. Continue reading...

insidious/invidious
Neither insidious nor invidious are happy words: insidious describes something that lies
in wait to get you, and invidious is something offensive or defamatory. Cancer can
be insidious, lurking in your body without your knowing it. Invidious doesn’t hide; it’s
hateful right away.Continue reading...

instant/instance
Around the Vocabulary.com office, we might like an instance of tea, but we vehemently
oppose instant tea. Continue reading...

intense/intensive/intent
If your teacher offered you a choice between an intense course or an intensive one,
which one would you choose? And would you wonder what his intent was?Continue
reading...

laudable/laudatory
Something worthy of praise is laudable.Something or someone that gives praise
islaudatory. Continue reading...

loath/loathe
Confusion between loath ("unwilling or reluctant") and loathe ("to hate") is a growing
trend. Continue reading...

luxuriant/luxurious
In yet another attempt to reduce English to features and selling points, advertisers often
use luxuriant to describe their products or services. Continue reading...
marital/martial
Marital and martial look almost alike, but the only time they overlap is when you declare
war on your spouse. Marital has to do with marriage, and martial is concerned with
fighting. Continue reading...

mean/median/average
Wordsmiths sometimes dislike numbers, or at least have a hard time grasping them.
These words offer us an opportunity to better understand numbers and use their terms
more precisely in writing and speaking. Continue reading...

medal/meddle/mettle
Here we have a trio of words that sound the same (at least in American English) but
mean very different things: medal, meddle,and mettle. Continue reading...

moral/morale
A moral is the lesson of a story. Add an "e" and you have morale: the spirit of a group
that makes everyone want to pitch in and do better. Continue reading...

morbid/moribund
Morbid describes something gruesome, like smallpox or Frankenstein's
monster.Moribund refers to the act of dying. Goths love both. What fun! Continue
reading...

nauseated/nauseous
If you’re nauseated you’re about to throw up, if you’re nauseous, you’re a toxic funk and
you’re going to make someone else puke. These words are used interchangeably so
often that it makes word nerds feel nauseated! Continue reading...

naval/navel
Your navel is in the center of your belly, while naval ships belong out at sea.Continue
reading...

palate/palette/pallet
Palette can refer to a range of colors. A platform used for moving things is a pallet.And
your preference of flavors in food is your palate. Continue reading...
parameter/perimeter
Parameter is a limit that affects how something can be done, and perimeter is the
outline of a physical area. Both words have special meanings in math, but they take off
their pocket protectors and relax their definitions when they join the rest of us. Continue
reading...

peak/peek/pique
Let's look at three homophones: peak, peek, and pique. Peak is a topmost point, such
as a mountain peak, or to reach that point. Continue reading...

peddle/pedal/petal
Sometimes the only way to choose your words with homophones is to memorize their
spellings and meanings. Pedal/peddle/petalis one such set of homophones.Continue
reading...

persecute/prosecute
What is it about pursuing legal action that makes people think of harassing someone?
Although we're not sure, it turns out that people have been
confusing persecute andprosecute from the start. Continue reading...

personal/personnel
Personal and personnel can be confused if the writer is not diligent, especially as both
can be used as a noun and an adjective.Continue reading...

pitiable/pitiful/piteous/pitiless
We don't often look at four words that can be easily confused for each other, but this
pack is an exception. Let's start with our base word: pity. Pity is to feel sorrow or
compassion for someone's misfortunes or sorrows. Continue reading...

pore/pour
A pore is small opening in a surface that lets stuff through. To pour, on the other hand,
means to flow continuously and rapidly.Continue reading...
practical/practicable
Choosing between practical ("sensible") andpracticable ("possible") often depends on
context. Continue reading...

precede/proceed
These two words have similar sounds. They also have similar definitions, encompassing
an idea of forward movement. This leads to some confusion. Continue reading...

precedent/president
How has the United States affected this word pair, precedent and president? Let's find
out. Continue reading...

predominate/predominant
If you win an election by a 3:1 margin, are you the predominant winner or
thepredominate winner? Continue reading...

premier/premiere
A premiere is the first public performance of something. If you're looking for an adjective
meaning "the very best," then use premierwithout the "e" at the end.Continue reading...

principal/principle
If offered a choice, would you rather haveprinciples or principals? Continue reading...

prophecy/prophesy
One letter separates prophecy fromprophesy, and the close relationship is derived from
a shared word history.Continue reading...

prostate/prostrate
Oh, for the want of a letter! Prostate is a gland found in male mammals,
but prostrate,with an r, means to lie face down. Get them mixed up and you’ll thoroughly
confuse your doctor. Continue reading...

quote/quotation
If you quote someone, do you create aquote or a quotation? To quote is to transcribe
what someone said or wrote, crediting that person. Continue reading...
rebut/refute
To rebut is to try to prove something isn’t true, but to refute is to actually prove it isn’t.
Getting them mixed up won’t get you kicked out of the debate club, but it’s worth
knowing the difference. Continue reading...

regrettably/regretfully
Regrettably is used when something’s a bummer, but it’s not necessarily your
fault.Regretfully is when you’re full of regret, like if you decided to stay home and your
friends saw your crush at the dance.Continue reading...

reluctant/reticent
Reluctant means resisting or unwilling, whilereticent means quiet, restrained, or
unwilling to communicate. Is it a distinction worth preserving? Continue reading...

respectfully/respectively
If you kiss the mob boss’s ring, do itrespectfully, or full of respect and admiration.
But respectively means “in the order given,” so if you have to kiss up to the rest of the
mob, make sure to shake hands and high five Jimmy Rags and Tommy Two
Face, respectively because Jimmy prefers a handshake, but Tommy loves a good high
five. Continue reading...

scrimp/skimp
These words are two sides of the same coin: ways to get more or to make something go
further. One side is about saving; the other is about spending less. Continue reading...

sensual/sensuous
The words sensual and sensuous are often used interchangeably, but careful writers
would do well to think before using one or the other. Continue reading...

simple/simplistic
Simple isn't the same as simplistic. Beingsimplistic means trying to explain something
complicated as being simpler than it is; that is, oversimplifying. Continue reading...
stationary/stationery
Make sure you’re stationary, or still, while you jot down a love letter on your
fancystationery, so the writing isn’t all squiggly.Continue reading...

statue/statute
Look under the pigeons and you might find a bronze statue in a park, but there’s
probably a statute, or law, about how big it can be. Continue reading...

tortuous/torturous
Don’t torture yourself trying to remember the difference
between tortuous and torturous.Tortuous describes something like the long and winding
road. But torturous is what a room full of masochists might say: “Torture us!” It
describes something painful, like a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.Continue
reading...

turbid/turgid
Turbid can refer to something thick with suspended matter, while turgid means swollen
or bombastic. Continue reading...

unconscionable/unconscious
These two words look and sound similar. In fact, if you think too hard about them
together, you might find your tongue tripping over them. Continue reading...

unexceptional/unexceptionable
Clearly, past writers have confused the meanings
of unexceptional andunexceptionable to an extent that meanings are
expanding. Continue reading...

venal/venial
Catholics everywhere are confused: do they commit venal sins or venial sins? And what
is a venal/venial sin anyway?Continue reading...

wave/waive
To wave is to move to and fro, like when you wave your hand. Hello there! To waive,
with a sneaky "i," is to give up your right to do something. Continue reading...