Homophoes (Confused Words) - 5533825

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{Q>iH$ amoS>, gXm{ed noR>, nwUo-30 ENGLISH WRITING AND GRAMMAR
Session -4
Homophones (Confused words)
 Useful for all competitive examinations – UPSC| MPSC|

SSC| CDS| BANKING|CAPF|
 Different methods to remember vocabulary.
 Vocabulary discussion with examples.
 Previous years’ vocabulary explanation.
 Usage of vocabulary in WRITING.
By:
Mahesh Patil M.A. (English)
Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

1) Aural, Oral
a) Aural: (of or pertaining to hearing or the ear; e.g.): My cousin has an aural
impairment, so he uses a hearing aid.
b) Oral: (using speech rather than writing) : They had reached an oral
agreement.
2) Desert, dessert –
a) Desert (a barren place): In desert water is absent.
b) Dessert (fruit served after dinner): Dessert is always preferred after dinner.
3) Disinterested, uninterested –
a) Disinterested (selfless) : John is well-known for his disinterested nature
among his friends.
b) Uninterested (lacking interest) : I am uninterested in classical music.
4) Assure, insure -
a) Assure (to convince) : I assured her that I would definitely help her.
b) Insure (to guard against loss): I got my house insured against fire.
5) Casual, causal –
a) Casual (incidental): It was a casual experience to me.
b) Causal (devoting cause): I must take into account the causal factors of that
event.
6) Censor, censure –
a) Censor (examiner of plays, films etc.) Our censor board is a legal body.
b) Censure (to criticize): It is very easy to censure anything, but it is very difficult
to put it into practice.
7) Haven, heaven –
a) Haven (a place of retreat): That Island is the haven of the gang of smuggler.
b) Heaven: No one has seen the heaven yet.
8) Moral, morale -
a) Moral (principles of right or wrong) : One should have moral values.
b) Morale (mental condition which enables persons to keep up courage and
enthusiasm): Keep up your morale to get success.

9) Monitory, monetary -
a) Monitory (giving warning): A monitory notice was served to me by my
manager.
b) Monetary (concerning money) : 1 am unable to get any type of monetary gain
from that project.
10) Prospects, prospectus -
a) Prospects (expectations, chances of success): I have a number of prospects in
that company.
b) prospectus: As per the prospectus, I am eligible for that course.
11) Veracity, voracity -
a) Veracity (truthfulness): I don't want to object the veracity of your statement.
b) Voracity (greediness): That hungry boy fell on the sweets with voracity.
12) Ingenuous, ingenious –
a) Ingenuous (frank, open): His ingenuous nature made him very popular.
b) Ingenious (clever): What a ingenious excuse!
13) Congenial, congenital –
a) Congenial (suitable, appropriate): He was brought up in congenial
surroundings.
b) Congenital.(from birth): Her madness is congenital.
14) Continual, continuous -
a) Continual (frequent): At the time of teaching I was continually disturbed by
some mischievous students.
b) Continuous (increasing): There was continuous rain for three days.
15) Beneficial, beneficent –
a) Beneficial (useful): Regular study is beneficial to any student.
b) Beneficent (kind, doing good) : Akbar was a beneficent ruler.
16) Abstract, extract
a) Abstract (a brief summary) : I can dictate you the abstract of that novel in few
words.
b) Extract (a passage taken from a book etc.): This extract was taken from the
book, 'My Experiments with the Truth'.

17) Boar, Bore –
a) Boar (a pig): I saw a boar yesterday.
b) Bore (to trouble): She bores the professors in the college.
18) Stimulus, stimulant-
a) Stimulus (inspiration, encouragement): His speech was a great stimulus to his
followers.
b) Stimulant (an intoxicating thing): Alcohol is stimulant one.
19) Sensible, sensitive -
a) Sensible (intelligent) : sensible student. Pramod is a
b) Sensitive (easily and actually affected): Sensitive persons lose their temper
very early.
20) Eligible, illegible –
a) Eligible (fit to be chosen): : I am eligible for that race.
b) Illegible (unreadable): My hand writing is illegible.
21) Elicit, illicit -
a) Elicit (draw from) : His speech elicited a word of praise from each and every
person in that hall.
b) Illicit (unlawful): The police caught him because of his illicit behaviour.
22) Emerge, immerge -
a) Emerge (to come out of): They saw a tiger emerging out of a cage.
b) Immerse (to plunge into): My daughter immersed her little hand into the
boiling water.
23) Lookout, outlook -
a) Lookout (research): She was looking out for a rickshaw.
b) Outlook (point of view) You should have wider outlook to understand the
mysteries of life.
24) Knotty, naughty-
a) Knotty (difficult) : I can easily solve that knotty problem.
b) Naughty (mischievous): He is a naughty boy.

25) Limitless, unlimited –
a) Limitless (intolerable) : I have to face limitless difficulties in my office.
b) Unlimited (without limit): His power is unlimited.
26) Stationary, stationery -
a) Stationery (not moving): The sun is stationary.
b) Stationery (writing materials) : I have to purchase stationery on behalf of my
office.
27) Sensual, sensuous –
a) Sensual (Which appears to lower Sense) : One who indulges in sensual plea
sures, has to suffer in the end.
b) Sensuous (relating to senses ) : Poetry of Keats has a sensuous appeal.
28) Soar, sore, sour –
a) Soar (fly) : The bird was soaring in the sky.
b) Sore (causing pain) :She has a sore throat.
c)Sour (bitter to state ) : These apples are sour.
29) Distinct, distinctive –
a) Distinct (clearly, different) : He has a distinct style of painting.
b) Distinctive (which distinguishes ) : Every match has its distinctive features.
30) Depression, depreciation –
a) Depression (nervousness) : He has been suffering from depression for three
years.
b) Depreciation (under value ) : Depreciation helps the income tax payees to
minimise the amount of income tax.
31) Collision, collusion –
a) Collision (crash, clash ) : Now a days, railway collisions are very common.
b) Collusion (secret understanding) : Collusion between the robbers and the
pocketeers is very fatal to the society.
32) Council, counsel –
a) Council (assembly) : I want to become a member of legislative council.
b) Counsel (advice) : I don’t want to give you counsel.

33) Corporal, corporeal –
a) Corporal (bodily) : It is not apt to give corporal punishment to children.
b) Corporeal (with a body) : Spirits are not corporeal beings.
34) Corps, corpse –
a) Corps (a division of an army ) : I want to join national cadet corps.
b) Corpse (a dead body) : I was surprised to see her copse.
35) Complement, compliment –
a) Complement (which complete) : Undoubtedly woman is complement of man.
b) Compliment (an expression of praise) : I was highly pleased with the
compliments paid to me.
36) Confidant, confident –
a) Confidant (a person who is entrusted with secrets ) : Mayur is my confidant.
b) Confident (sure and certain) : I am quite confident of my success.
37) Cession, session –
a) cession (act of giving up) : I will not agree to the cession of the land of my
country to foreign country.
b) Session (the period of sitting ) : The time between two sessions of the
parliament must not be more than six months.
38) Cheque, check –
a) Cheque : My cheque will never be dishonoured.
b) Check : Have you checked your answers?
39) Cease, size –
a) Cease (stop) : He has ceased to be the manager of our branch.
b) Seize (to catch) : I tried to seize that golden opportunity.
40) Social, sociable –
a) Social (relating to society) : Man is a social animal.
b) Sociable (fit for company) : His sociable nature wins a word of praise from his
friends.

41) Cemetery, symmetry –
a) Cemetery ( a burial place) : There is only one cemetery in that town.
b) Symmetry (harmony) : Is there any symmetry in that building ?
42) Considerate, considerable –
a) Considerate (sympathetic) : One should be considerate to the poor.
b) Considerable (moderately large) : I cannot give you a considerable amount at
this stage.
43) apprehend, comprehend –
a) Apprehend (to fear to catch hold of) : The police apprehended the thief.
b) Comprehend (understand) : it is very easy for you to comprehend.
44) Afflict, inflict –
a) Afflict (to trouble grievously) : That area was afflicted by plague.
b) Inflict (to lay on at stroke) : I inflicted a crushing defeat on him.
45) Avert, revert –
a) Avert (to ward off) : it is not possible for me to avert this situation.
b) Revert (to send back) Isn’t it a humiliation to revert?
46) Accident, Occident, incident –
a) Accident : That was a very horrible accident.
b) Occident (Western) : I have no faith in occident philosophy.
c) Incident (happening) : That was a memorable incident in my life.
47) Access, excess –
a) Access (approach) : He has no access to the president.
b) Excess (more) : Excess of everything is bad than worse.
48) Accede, exceed –
a) Accede (to agree) : It is not possible for me to accede to your request.
b) Exceed ( to be greater than) : The fund exceeded our expectations.
49) Blew, blue –
a) Blew : He blew a bugle early in the morning.
b) Blue : Blue is my favourite colour.

50) Canvas, canvass –
a) Canvas ( a kind of rough cloth) : His shoes are made of canvas.
b) Canvass (to ask for votes) : Canvassing does not give so many votes to the
candidate.
51) Childish, childlike –
a) Childish (foolish) : His childish behaviour mars his character.
b) Childlike (innocent) : I used to appreciate her childlike simplicity.
52) Cymbal, symbol –
a) Cymbal – (a musical instrument) : My friend is striking cymbals in the church.
b) Symbol (Sign): He is a fine symbol of honesty.
53) Born, borne –
a) Born : I was born in 1990
b) Borne (to tolerate) : I have to borne a number of sufferings.
54) Bridle, bridal –
a) Bridle : Can we control a horse without a bridle?
b) Bridal (relating to marriage) : she was surprised to see the bridal things.
55) Bail, bale –
a) Bail (security) –The culprit was released on bail.
b) Bale (a bundle) : There is a bale of cotton plying under the table.
56) Affection, affectation –
a) Affection (love) : is there any mother who has no affection for her child ?
b) Affectation ( a false display) : I always hate affectation.
57) Air, Heir –
a) Air (atmosphere) : The air is calm and quite.
b) Heir (one who inherits) : He is the only heir to the property of his father.
58) ail, ale –
a) Ail (trouble) : I don’t want to ail anyone.
b) Ale (wine) : I want to swallow ale.

59) Adapt, adopt –
a) adapt (adjust) - : I used to adapt myself to the changing circumstances.
b) Adopt (follow) You should adopt my method.
60) Opposite, apposite –
a) (in front of, contrary) : He expressed some opposite remarks in his speech.
b) Apposite (proper) : He quoted apposite proofs at the time of argument.
61) Ascent, assent –
a) Ascent (act of climbing or going up) : On the part of India, the ascent of Everest
by Tenzing was a great achievement.
b) Assent ( to agree ) : My branch manager assented to the demands of the clerks.
62) Straight, strait –
a) Straight (not curved) : Without scale, it is not easy to draw a straight line.
b) Strait (narrow) : That bridge is very strait.
63) Suit, suite –
a) Suit (action in law court) : She filed a suit against me.
b) Suite : She rented a suite of four rooms in Delhi.
64) Spacious, specious –
a) Spacious (Having sufficient) : There are many spacious rooms in my
bungalow.
b) Specious (apparently right or attractive) : I think that your remarks are
specious
65) Transient, transitory –
a) Transient (not permanent) : Every minute of our life is transient.
b) Transitory (short lived) : Any type of enjoyment or pleasure is transitory.
66) Temper, tamper –
a) Temper (temperament) : She lost her temper in no time.
b) Tamper ( to interfere with) : Don’t temper with my work.
67) Throne, thrown –
a) Throne (role) : He is the only heir to the throne.
b) Thrown(forget) : In her company, I have thrown off my worries.

68) Wear, ware –
a) Wear : she likes to wear Punjabi dress.
b) Ware (goods or articles for sale) : Manoj has tried his best to sell the wares.
69) Wither, wither –
a) Wither (fade) : The blue colour in that sari has withered away.
b) Wither (where) : Wither is your grand shop ?
70) Primary, primitive –
a) Primary (first, origin, basic) : We should fulfil our primary needs.
b) Primitive (ancient) : Your primitive outlook for solving this problem is of no
use.
71) Physician, physicist –
a) Physician (a doctor) : Dr Sardesai is a famous physician in India.
b) Physicist (a scholar of physics) : C.V. Raman, a great physicist, got the Nobel
Prize in physics.
72) Resource, recourse –
a) Resource (mean) : Natural resources should be used judiciously.
b) Recourse – (to take shelter) I would like to take recourse to you to solve the
problem.
73) Wreak, wreck –
a) Wreak (to give play to) : I want to wreak vengeance on him.
b) Wreck (to destroy) : Unfortunately his boat was wrecked in that storm.
74) Scent, cent –
a) Scent (fragrance) : I don’t like any type of scent.
b) Cent (a hundred) : Eighty percent students can not understand that topic.
75) Seize, siege –
a) Seize (catch) : I seized him at the time of robbery.
b) Siege (Surrounding a fortified places) My town was laid siege by the enemy.
76) Thrash, thresh –
a) Thrash (settle) : Thrash out the issue peacefully.
b) Thresh (beat) : My father threshed me for my blunder.

77) Vale, veil, wail –
a) Vale (valley) : I visited the vale Kashmir last year.
b) Veil (cover) : Anita dropped her veil.
c) Wail (weep) : Don’t wail over the futile things.
78) Virtual, virtuous –
a) Virtual (in effect, though not in fact) : In our college, the vice principal is the
vice principal is the virtual principal is the virtual principal.
b) Virtuous (mortally good) : We have to be very cautious if we want to lead
virtuous life.
79) Wave, waive –
a) Wave (move, brandish) : As soon as the robber waved a pistol, we were
terribly frightened.
b) Waive (relinquish, to give up) : I will waive my claim to the property if you
fulfil these conditions.
80) While, vile, wile –
a) While : While the train was going on, I was reading a novel.
b) Vile ( mean) : How vile of you to use such type of methods to insult your
prefessors.
c) Wile (trick) : She has played a wile on him.
81) Pursue, persue –
a) Pursue (run after) : I tried level my best to pursue the thief but in vain.
b) Peruse (examine) : Being a commissioner I have to persue at least twenty five
files daily.
82) Punctual, punctilious –
a) Punctual (regular) : Rahim is very punctual in his studies.
b) Punctilious (attentive) : Be Punctilious at the time of any type of trading or
business.
83) Precede, Proceed –
a) Precede (go before) : Her name preceded mine.
b) Proceed (to go on) : I have to proceed with my work.

84) Prophecy, Prophesy –
a) Prophecy (something foretold – noun) : His prophecy came out to be worng.
b) Prophesy (to foretell-verb) : It is prophesied that Vajpayee will become our
Prime minister.
85) Presecute, prosecute –
a) Persecute (to trouble) : That police persecuted me every now and then.
b) Prosecute (to pursue) One has to prosecute one’s studies in any condition.
86) Pour, pore –
a) Pour (cause to flow) : I request you to pour out the coffee.
b) Pore (shall hole in skin) : Pores cannot be seen by our naked eyes.
87) Plain, plane –
a) Plain (simple) : He expressed his views in plain language.
b) Plane (carpenter’s tool) : Plane is very useful to carpenter.
88) Pedal, paddle –
a) Pedal (of feet) : There is a pedal brake fitted with my cycle.
b) Paddle (row) : Won’t you paddle your own boat eadily ?
89) Practical, practicable –
a) Practical (of use in practice) : In order to be a successful man, one should have
practical views.
b) Practicable (which can be put into practice) : This scheme is not practicable.
90) Manly, Mannish –
a) Manly : You are a man, so behave in manly manner.
b) Mannish (like a man) : She behaves in somewhat mannish way.
91) Statue, statute –
a) Statue (image) : I have not seen such type of statue.
b) statute (a written law) : Legislative council passed a statute.
92) Mysterious, mystical –
a) Mysterious (obscure) : One cannot find out the meaning of mysterious ways of
God.
b) Mystical (spiritual) : It is somewhat difficult to write mystical poems.

93) Lesson, lessen –
a) Lesson (instruction) : Please know the lesson very well.
b) Lessen (decrease) : In order to lead the peaceful life, one should lessen one’s
ambitions.
94) Later, latter –
a) Later (more late in time) : At later stages, I will explain you this topic in detail.
b) Latter (second of two things in their position) : Ashok and Ram are fast
friends. The latter of the two is very brilliant.
95) Late, lately –
a) Late : He used to come home late at night.
b) Lately (recently) : I haven’t seen any picture lately.
96) Minor, miner –
a) Minor (under age) : Who is the guardian of that minor ?
b) Miner (One who works in a mine) : One should think over the miserable
condition of the miner.
97) Luxuriant, luxurious –
a) Luxuriant (strong in growth) : I fell in love with her due to her luxuriant hair.
b) Luxurious (loving comforts and luxuries) : Omar Khayyam led a very
luxurious life.
98) Lovely, lovable –
a) Lovely (beautiful) : What a lovely scene it is !
b) Lovable (worthy of love) : Her lovable nature makes me to love her.
99) Momentary, momentous –
a) Momentary (short-lived) : We should not hanker after momentary benefits.
b) Momentous (very important) : The political leader has to take momentous
decisions in no time in the parliament.
100) Metal, mettle –
a) Metal (a kind of hard substance) : Iron is a useful metal.
b) Mettle (power, spirit) : His mettle makes him to do anything heroic.

101) Limit, limitation –
a) Limit (boundary or end) : I have my one’s own limit to do anything.
b) Limitation (inability) : In spite of my limitations, I achieved success by using
various types of tricks.
102) Memorial, memorable –
a) Memorial (anything to preserve the act of a person) : The memorial of
freedom fighters is a reminder to us.
b) Memorable (worthy to be remembered) : For me, my marriage remains a
memorable event in my life.
103) Negligent, negligible –
a) Negligent (careless) He is negligent in his duties.
b) Negligible (very little) : There is a negligible difference between our views.
104) Lose, loose –
a) lose (to waste, to have no more) : Don’t lose your old friends.
b) Loose (not tight) : She likes to wear loose clothes.
105) Imperious, imperial –
a) Imperious (naughty, powerful) : Generally the attitude of higher authorities to
the subordinates is imperious.
b) Imperial (majestic, relating to empire) : He belongs to an imperial family.
106) Imaginary, imaginative –
a) Imaginary (unreal) : Most of our dreams prove to he imaginary.
b) Imaginative (full of imagination) : The drama of Shakespeare is full of
imaginative plots.
107) Honourable, honorary –
a) Honourable (worthy of honour) : My branch manager is a honourable person.
b) Honorary (to serve without pay) : He is the honorary secretary of our
institution.
108) Hoard, horde –
a) Hoard (to store) : The shopkeeper always hoards a number of things in his
shop.
b) Horde (a wondering tribe) : Hordes of Turks created a number of problems all
over the world.

109) Informer, informant
a) Informer (spy) : He is informer of that golden gang.
b) Informant (a person who gives information) : My informant is loyal to me.
110) Intolerable, intolerant –
a) Intolerable (unbearable) : The period of English is intolerable to me.
b) Intolerant (impatient or narrow minded) : Don’t be intolerant of other’s views.
111) Incredible, incredulous –
a)Incredible (unbelievable) : That story is incredible.
b) Incredulous (unbelieving) : I have never met such type of incredulous person.
112) Quiet, Quite
a) Quiet (calm, silent) : Please, keep quiet
b) Quite (altogether) : Ramesh is quite well today.
113) Foster , fester –
a) Foster (encourage) : Higher authorities should foster the good qualities of
their staff.
b) Fester (become embitter) : My wound had been festering since last Tuesday.
114) Fatal, fateful –
a) Fatal (deadly) : T.B. is a fatal disease.
b) Fateful (wrought with death and destruction) : 1947 was fateful year to India
and Pakistan.
115) Womanly, womanish –
a) Womanly (befitting a woman) : Her womanly qualities are very attractive and
charming.
b) Womanish (like a woman) : That famous author was highly criticized for his
womanish behaviour.
116) Graceful, gracious –
a) Graceful (handsome) : He has graceful appearance.
b) Gracious : One must be gracious to one’s junior.

117) Grate, great –
a) Grate (fine place) : They stay around the grate.
b) Great (big) : Mahatma Gandhi was a great politician.
118) Gamble, Gambol –
a) Gamble (to play for money) : I used to gamble on my birthday only.
b) Gamble (to dance about or play) : The monkeys were gamboling in the garden.
119) Gate, gait –
a) Gate (an entrance) : The gate of that fort is very lucrative.
b) Gait (manner of walking) : Her gait is very attractive.
120) Ghostly, ghastly –
a) Ghostly (like a ghost) : His ghostly actions frightened me.
b) Ghastly (shocking): It is a ghastly news for me.
121) Heard, herd –
a) Heard (past tense of hear) : As soon as I heard that news, I was shocked.
b) Herd (a number of cattle) : A herd of cattle were grazing here and there.
122) Expenditure, expenses –
a) Expenditure (amount spent) : I tried my best to minimise my expenditure.
b) Expenses (cost, that which is spent) : I am ready to bear the expenses for that
trip.
123) Felicity, facility –
a) Felicity (a blessing, happiness) : Writing stories is a thing of felicity for me.
b) Facility (case or comfort) : I will give you each and every facility if you accept
my proposal.
124) Fair, feign –
a) Fair (gladly) : I would fair declare that you are the only person who can do
that heroic deed.
b) Feign – to pretend – To feign always is not an easy job.

125) Feat, feet –
a) Feat (an act of skill) : Bajirao showed a number of feats of bravery in his short
life.
b) Feet (part of body) : They stood on their on their feet.
126) Foul, fowl –
a) Foul (unfair) : William always uses foul means to achieve his success.
b) Fowl (bird) : I shot a fowl with my old gun.
127) Weather, whether –
a) Weather (season) : Today’s weather is very pleasant.
b) Whether (if) : I do not know whether he will bring you sari or not.
128) Wander, wonder –
a) Wander (walk aimlessly) : Don’t wander here and there.
b) Wonder (surprise) : I am too much wondered to see his marksheet.
129) Wet, whet –
a) Wet : Is it good to wear wet dress ?
b) Whet (sharpen) : I used to whet the razor every Monday.
130) Various, variable –
a) Various (manifold) : Various kinds of paintings have been painted by her.
b) variable(changeable) : He is termed as a pathetic figure due to his variable
remarks.
131) Violence, violation –
a) Violence (force) : I am opposed to violence in any field.
b) Violation (infringe) : Violation of any type of rule in any field is bad than
worse.
132) Venture, Adventure –
a) Venture (a business undertaking) : He started a new venture in the form of
opining a new factory.
b) Adventure (hazardous deed) : His adventure made us to praise him.

133) Verbal, verbose –
a) Verbal (relating to words) : It is quite essential to sent verbal message to her.
b) Verbose (full of words) : Her style is verbose.
134) Topical, tropical –
a) Topical (currents) : It is not possible for each and every person to understand
topical events.
b) Tropical (hot) : it is but natural that tropical region has hot climate.
135) Septic, sceptic –
a) septic (a medical term involving sepsis) : The patient is about to die due to the
septic caused by pains.
b) Sceptic (agnostic) : His sceptic nature makes him difficult to understand
religion well.
136) Recollect, remember –
a) Recollect (to recall to mind) : Though I had seen her a number of times, it was
somewhat difficult for me to recollect her name.
b) Remember : I always remember my youth.
137) Physic, physique –
a) Physic (medicine) : Please give me a dose of physic.
b) Physique (health) : Meher enjoys very strong physique.
138) Eligible, illegible -
a) Eligible (fit to be chosen): She is not eligible for that service.
b) Illegible (unreadable) : My handwriting is illegible.
139) Draught, drought –
a) Draught (a quantity of drink at a time) : He drank a glass of milk in one
draught.
b) Drought (want of rain or dry weathers) : Due to the drought, the C. M. has to
declare the famine in the state.
140) Defy, deify –
a) Defy (to break the level) : I try level my best to defy the ban but in vain.
b) Deify (to worship as a God) : I deify my parents.

141) Differ, defer –
a) Differ (to disagree) : Sohail and Altaf differ in many respects.
b) Defer (to postpone) : Please defer your programme.
142) Deny, refuse –
a) Deny (to declare untrue) : I denied all the charges of corruption against me.
b) Refuse (not to accept) : The principal refused to give the admission to me.
143) Destiny, Destination –
a) Destiny (fate) : Man is the puppet in the hands of destiny.
b) Destination (goal) : They reached their destination late in night.
144) Dependant, dependent –
a) Dependant (one who depends on another) : My brother is dependent on me.
b) Dependent (Subordinate on depending) : Now, India cannot be termed as
dependent country.
145) Discover, Invent –
a) Discover (to find out which already exist) : Colcumbus discovered America.
b)Invent (we invent a thing which did not exist before) : Alexander Fleming
invented Penicillin.
146) Prerequisite, Perquisite –
a) Prerequisite (essentiality) : In spite of all the pre requisite qualifications, she
cannot get the job.
b) Perquisite (privilege) : One should not fight for one’s perquisites.
147) Prescribe, Proscribe –
a) Prescribe (to recommend, to lay down) : This medicine had been prescribed
by my family doctor.
b) Proscribe (to ban, to prohibit legally) : Two marriages are proscribed in
Hinduism.
148) Price, Prize –
a) Price (value) : What is the price of that book ?
b) Prize (reward) : Rohan had won a number of prizes.
150) Historic, historical, histrionic –

a) Historic (important) : The assassination of Indira Gandhi was historic event in the
politics of India.
b) Historical (relating to history) : The Taj Mahal is the historical place.
c) Histrionic: (Talent of acting): She has histrionic talent.
151) Humility, humiliation –
a) Humility (modesty) : I thuink that humility always given us a number of
unseen beneficial things.
b)Humiliation (disrespect) : He is too much conscious of his humiliation.
152) Lay, Lie.
a) Lay - (to give) : That hen laid six eggs yesterday.
b) Lie - (be horizontal) : Lie down on the ground
153) Principle, principal -
a) Principle (a doctrine): As he is a man of principle, he has to face a number of
problems.
b) Principal (chief or head of a college) : Mr. Johnson is the principal of our
college.
154) Wilful, willing –
a) Wilful (obstinate) : His wilful nature mars his character.
b) Willing (Cheerfully ready) : I am willing to do anything for you.
155) Superficial, superfluous-
a) Superficial (shallow) : One should not be proud of one’s superficial knowledge.
b) Superfluous (not essential) : He always utters superfluous words in his talk.
156) A) Accessary (a helper in act): John is an accessary in this conspiracy.
b) Accessory (additional): I don't want to discuss about the accessory points
now, I will think over them later on.
157) Economic, economical -
a) Economic - (relating to economy): Don't worry about the economic problems
of India.
b) Economical (frugal) : I hate Raj because he is very economical.
158) Respectable, respectful, respective-
a) Respectable (worthy of respect) : My branch manager is are spectable person.

b) Respectful (showing respect): One should be respectful to one's elders.
c) Respective (particulars) : I ordered the students to take their respective seats.
159) President, precedent -
a) President (one who presides): Manohar was the president of that important
meeting.
b) Precedent (earlier event taken as example): As a proof, the lawyer quoted a
precedent from previous cases.
160) Waist, waste -
a) Waist (a part of body): What a large waist she has!
b) Waste (to spoil) : Don't waste my valuable time.
161) Rich, richly -
a) Rich (wealthy) : John is a rich person.
b) Richly (thickly): Mumbai is a richly populated city.
162) Root, rout, route -
a) Root (source or origin) : What is the root cause of that quarrel ?
b) Rout (a complete defeat) : The Indian cricket team put the Bangladesh team to
rout.
c) Route (path, road or course): Which is the shortest route to the aerodrome?
163) Query, quarry -
a) Query (question): Have you asked any query to me ?
b) Quarry (a place where stone is got from ground): Ramesh has beenworking in
the quarry since 1992.
164) Rise, raise -
a) Rise (to get up, appears): The sun rises in the east.
b) Raise (to lift) : The government have raised the price of sugar.
165) Medal, meddle -
a) (Medal token of reward) : He won the medal in that race.
b) Meddie (to interfere): It is a bad habit to meddle with anyone's affairs.
166) Economic, economical -
a) Economic - (relating to economy): Don't worry about the economic problems
of India.

b) Economical (frugal) : I hate Raj because he is very economical.
167) Licence, license -
a) Licence (permission-noun) : My scooter licence had been lost.
b) License (allowed-verb): I have been licensed to sell those old paintings.
168) Judicial, judicious -
a) Judicial (relating to a judge or justice): The judicial court will look into the
matter and decide the final result.
b) Judicious (wise): My father is very judicious in the distribution of property
among brothers.
169) Petrol, patrol -
a) Petrol : He is badly in need of petrol for his scooter.
b) Patrol (to go round, guard): The police is patrolling the affecting area.
170) Refuge, refugee -
a) Refuge (shelter, sanctuary): When my friend was in danger, he took refuge my
house.
b) Refugee (Migrant, fugitive): Tens of thousands of refugees fled their homes
during partition.
171) Right, rite
a) Right (proper and just) : You must give the right answer to me.
b) Rite (ceremonies): The marriage rites were performed a day before
yesterday\
172) Urban, urbane -
a) Urban (of the city): In the urban area, we do not find calm and quietness.
b) Urbane (polite): The clerk's urbane manners won the word of praise from his
boss.
173) Excite, Incite
a) Excite (to arouse feelings): It was her habit to excite others.
b) Incite (to arouse to action): The leader must incite the followers to do a right
thing at right time.
174) Tail, tale -
a) Tail (part of animal's body): The cat has a tail.

b) Tale (story) : My daughter is interested in a fairy tale.
175) Vain, vein -
a) Vain (useless) : He tried his best but in vain.
b) Vein (manner) : She treated in a humorous vein. Veins carry blood.
176) Stair, stare -
a) Stair : She went upstairs.
b) Stare : Don't stare at those girls.
177) Envelop, envelope -
a) Envelop (to cover) : That small village was enveloped in the darkness.
b) Envelope (wrapper): He put his love letter in the envelope.
178) Gentle, Genteel -
a) Gentle (polite): He was kind and 200) gentle.
b) Genteel (Well bred, well dressed): She is genteel in her manners.
179) Heal, Heel -
a) Heal (to cure): Her wound had been 201) healed.
b) Heel (part of the foot) : My heel is somewhat aching.
180) Marry, merry -
a) Marry (to wed) : I don't want to 202) marry her.
b) Merry (to be happy) : Omar - Khayyam said, “Eat, drink and be merry".
181) Main, mane
a) Main (chief): Who is the main villain 202 in that picture ?
b) Mane (long hair on the neck of a horse or lion) : Has lioness any mane?
182) Odious, odorous -
a) Odious (hateful): It is always said 20 that comparisons are odious.
b) Odorous (giving out offensive smell) : I found somewhat odorous in that
matter.
183) Canon, cannon -
a) Canon (principle): She lives her life as per her canon.
b) Cannon (big gun): Cannons were used in wars in ancient era.

184) Continual, continuous-
a) Continual (very frequent) : I had continual visits to her house last week.
b) Continuous (without break): It has been raining since 5 O'clock continuously.
185) Artful, artificial
a) Artful (skill) : Mahesh is an artful person.
b) Artificial (not natural): His behaviour is somewhat artificial.
186) Course, coarse -
a) Course (a line of action): In the course of time, the knot of love will be
strengthened.
b) Coarse (rough): Her behaviour is coarse.
187) Dual, Duel -
a) Dual (double): I always criticise his dual policy
b) Duel (a fight between two persons) : Vishwas wanted to defeat Prakash 219)
FIC in the duel.
188) Yoke, yolk-
a) Yoke (bondage): India shook off the foreign yoke as per the policy of 220) DO
Nehru.
b) Yolk (the yellow part of the egg) We get the maximum energy from b) yolk.
189) Shade, shadow -
a) Shade : She sat in the shade of a tree.
b) Shadow : Is it possible for us to be catch our shadow ?
190) Sail, sale -
a) Sail : The ship sailed for London.
b) Sale : That old fan is for sale.
191) Loath, loathe -
a) Loath (unwilling) : Suresh is loath to criticizes Smita.
b) Loathe (to hate): I loathe him because of his debaucherous nature.
192) Jealous, zealous -
a) Jealous (envious) : He is very jealous of my genius.
b) Zealous (enthusiastic) : Satish is always zealous for doing his work.

193) Idle, idol -
a) Idle (lazy): Sameer is an idle fellow.
b) Idol (an image of God): Vandana does not believe in idol worship.
194) Flour, floor-
a) Flour: There is strike in that flour mill.
b) Floor: She lives on the third floor.
195) Doze, dose -
a) Doze (little sleep): After lunch, 1 have to doze
b) Dose (of medicine): He took three doses of that mixture yesterday.
196) Dairy, diary -
a) Dairy (a milk depot) : Dr. Purnale is the chairman of Sane-Guruji Dairy.
b) Diary (a note book): I used to write each and everything in my diary.
197) Vocation, vacation -
a) Vocation (profession) : Teaching is my wife's vocation.
b) Vacation (holidays) : I spent my summer vacation at Mahabaleshwar.
198) Team, Teem -
a) Team (a company): A cricket team consists of eleven players.
b) Teem ( a full of) : This dish teems with a number of hairs.
199) Story, storey -
a) Story (a naration): I listened to the story told by my mother.
b) Storey (a floor or level of building): I live in the lower storey of that house.
200) Popular, populous
a) Popular : Mahatma Gandhi is still popular in India.
b) Populous (thickly populated): Tokyo is a populous city.
201) Dye, die
a) Dye (to colour) : Will you, please, dye this sari blue?
b) Die (to expire) : That poor lady died yesterday
202) Fare, fair, far-
a) Fare (Passage money) : What is the fare from Delhi to Haridwar ?

b) Fair (a show): Children have the attraction of a fair
c) Far (distance) : How far is the railway station from your office ?
203) Dam, dame, damn -
a) Dam (barrier to hold back flow of water) : Generally dam is built between two
hills.
b) Dame (lady): She was his dame.
c) Damn (condemn to hell) : He damns care for notorious people.
204) Pray, prey -
a) Pray (to offer prayer to God): She prays to God daily.
b) Prey (hurt and kill) : Tiger preys upon the animals.
205) Favourite, favourable -
a) Favourite (one who is favoured): Madhuri Dixit is his favourite heroine.
b) Favourable (which favours) : This situation is not favourable for the
development of my character.
206) Human, Humane -
a) Human (pertaining to man): It is human nature to criticize the every act of
one's opponent.
b) Humane (kind) : He is famous for his humane nature.
207) Political, politics
a) Political (pertaining to politics): 1 hate those political leaders who do not keep
their words.
b) Politics (elements of political activity): For unemployed persons, politics is the
best one because it in the beginning
208) Plain, plane, plan
a) Plain (simple): Though truth is very plain, it is very difficult to put it into
practice
b) Plane (aeroplane) : My plane was cancelled due to bad - weather.
c) Plan : His plan was not viable.
209) Steal, still, steel -
a) Steal (to take away without anyone's notice) : Isn't stealing a bad habit?
b) Still (Yet): He is poor still he wants to wear costly dresses.

c) Steel (a metal) : Steel furniture is popular these days.
210) Reign, Rein, Rain -
a) Reign (Supreme authority of a monarch) : The reign of Akbar is praiseworthy
b) Rein : (the strings to control a horse): One has to pull the reins to control a
horse.
c) Rain (down pour): It had been raining since 8 o'clock.
211) Expect, accept, except -
a) Expect (to hope): I don't expect anything more from you.
b) Accept (to receive a thing): Please accept my offer
c) Except (excluding) : Everyone attended that meeting except Ashok.
212) Cast, caste, cost-
a) Cast (made): Cast up this column please -
b) Caste: What is his caste?
c) Cost (price): I cannot bear the cost of those things
213) Gold, golden-
a) Gold (a metal): This is made of gold,
b) Golden (good, noble): To help the needy and the poor is a golden principle.
214) Site, sight -
a) Site (place for a building): I don't like that site for my bungalow.
b) Sight (power of seeing) : My grandfather has lost his eyesight.
215) Eminent, imminent -
a) Eminent, (Notable) - He is an eminent personality.
b) Imminent (near or impending) :I do not bother about the imminent danger
216) Birth, berth -
a) Birth (being born): The date of birth of Mahatma Gandhi is 2nd October, 1869
b) Berth (sleeping place in a train on ship) : Please reserve the upper berth for
me.
217) Alter, altar -
a) Alter (to change): My love will not alter in future for you.

b) Altar (a place for sacrifice or worship) : That altar is always surrounded by
devotees.
218) Confirm, conform -
a) Confirm (endorse) : The Supreme Court had confirmed the order of the High
court.
b) Confrom (adopt to rule): His behaviour conforms to the latest rules of the
hostel.
219) Conscious, conscience -
a) Conscious (to know) : I am conscious of my weaknesses.
b) Conscience (moral sense) : Conscience is always right.
220) Perverse, perversity -
a) Perverse (obstinate in the wrong way): One should try to get rid of
perverse thinking.
b) Perversity (wrong use): Perversity of mind can be checked by the brain.
221) Alternate, alternative -
a) Alternate (by turn): I visited her house on alternate days.
b) Alternative (choice): I had no alternative but to accept that proposal
222) Beside, Besides -
a) Beside (by the side of) : She sat beside me.
b) Besides (apart from) : Besides English, I like Marathi.
223) Council, counsel -
a) Council (assembly): He was the elected member of the legislative council.
b) Counsel (advice): I had to think over the counsel given by him.
224) Industrial, Industrious
a) Industrial (relating to Industry): Mumbai is an industrial city.
b) Industrious - (hard working): One should be industrious to become successful
in the life.

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emídV AH°$S>‘r English for…

Ý¶y B§p½be ñHy$bÀ¶m g‘moa, Competitive Examinations

 Useful for all competitive examinations – UPSC| MPSC|

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

Shaswat Academy, Pune Office: 7820847350 / 7415248787

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