4/12/2015

CommonlyconfusedwordsOxfordDictionaries

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CommonlyconfusedwordsOxfordDictionaries

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Commonlyconfusedwords

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AllBritish&WorldEnglishUSEnglishSpanishEnglishsynonymsUSEnglishsynonymsEnglish
FrenchFrenchEnglishEnglishGermanGermanEnglishEnglishItalianItalianEnglishEnglish
PortuguesePortugueseEnglishEnglishSpanishSpanishEnglishEnglishArabicArabicEnglishEnglish
ChineseChineseEnglishEnglishRussianRussianEnglishNewHart'sRulesGarner'sDictionaryofLegal
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CommonlyconfusedwordsOxfordDictionaries

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Commonlyconfusedwords

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CommonlyconfusedwordsOxfordDictionaries

Discussgrammar,spelling,andpunctuationStartaconversationaboutwordtrendsJointheOxford
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Commonlyconfusedwords
Takealookatthesetwosentencesoneofthemcontainsamistake:
Ipouredoverbookafterbook.
Weporedoverthecatalogues.
Areyouuncertainwhichoneisright?TherearealotofwordsinEnglishthatlookorsoundalikebut
haveverydifferentmeanings,suchasporeandpourorflauntandflout.Itseasytogetthemconfused
andmostelectronicspellcheckerswontbemuchhelpinthistypeofsituation:theycantellyouifaword
hasbeenspelledwronglybuttheycantgenerallyflagupthemisuseofacorrectlyspelledword.
Heresaquickreferencelistofpairsofwordsthatregularlycausepeopleproblems.Thewordsfollow
theacceptedBritishEnglishspelling.SomeofthemdohavealternativeAmericanspellingsandyouwill
findtheseatthemaindictionaryentryonthiswebsite.

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/commonlyconfusedwords

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4/12/2015

CommonlyconfusedwordsOxfordDictionaries

Word1
accept

Meaning
toagreetoreceiveordo

Word2
except

Meaning
notincluding

adverse
advice
affect
aisle
alltogether

unfavourable,harmful
recommendationsaboutwhattodo
tochangeormakeadifferenceto
apassagebetweenrowsofseats
allinoneplace,allatonce

averse
advise
effect
isle
altogether

along

movingorextendinghorizontallyon

along

aloud
altar

outloud
asacredtableinachurch

allowed
alter

amoral

notconcernedwithrightorwrong

immoral

appraise
assent
aural
balmy
bare

apprise
ascent
oral
barmy
bear
baited

withbaitattachedorinserted

bazaar

toassess
agreement,approval
relatingtotheearsorhearing
pleasantlywarm
nakedtouncover
inphrase'withbatedbreath',i.e.ingreat
suspense
aMiddleEasternmarket

stronglydislikingopposed
torecommendsomething
aresulttobringaboutaresult
anisland
completelyonthewhole
referringtosomethingofgreat
length
permitted
tochange
notfollowingacceptedmoral
standards
toinformsomeone
theactionofrisingorclimbingup
relatingtothemouthspoken
foolish,crazy
tocarrytoputupwith

bizarre

berth

abunkinaship,train,etc.

birth

born

havingstartedlife

borne

bough

abranchofatree

bow

strange
theemergenceofababyfromthe
womb
carried
tobendtheheadthefrontofa
ship

bated

breach
broach
canvas

adeviceforstoppingavehicletostopa
vehicle
tobreakthrough,orbreakaruleagap
toraiseasubjectfordiscussion
atypeofstrongcloth

censure

tocriticizestrongly

censor

cereal

agrassproducinganediblegraina
breakfastfoodmadefromgrains

serial

brake

break

toseparateintopiecesapause

breech
brooch
canvass

thebackpartofagunbarrel
apieceofjewellery
toseekpeoplesvotes
tobanpartsofabookorfilma
personwhodoesthis
happeninginaseries

alengthofstringacordlike
bodypart
climactic
formingaclimax
climatic
relatingtoclimate
adirectionaschoolsubjectpart
coarse
rough
course
ofameal
complacent smugandselfsatisfied
complaisant willingtoplease
toaddtosoastoimproveanadditionthat
topraiseorexpressapprovalan
complement
compliment
improvessomething
admiringremark
chord

agroupofmusicalnotes

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/commonlyconfusedwords

cord

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CommonlyconfusedwordsOxfordDictionaries

council
cue

agroupofpeoplewhomanageoradvise
asignalforactionawoodenrod

counsel
queue

curb

tokeepsomethingincheckacontrolor
limit

kerb

currant

adriedgrape

current

defuse

tomakeasituationlesstense
awaterless,emptyareatoabandon
desert
someone
discreet
carefulnottoattractattention
disinterested impartial

advicetoadvise
alineofpeopleorvehicles

diffuse

(inBritishEnglish)thestone
edgeofapavement
happeningnowaflowofwater,
air,orelectricity
tospreadoverawidearea

dessert

thesweetcourseofameal

meter
militate
palate
pedal

discrete
separateanddistinct
uninterested notinterested
afirstversionofapieceof
acurrentofair
draft
writing
anevenscoreattheendofagame
drawer
aslidingstoragecompartment
afightorcontestbetweentwo
havingtwoparts
duel
people
todrawoutareplyorreaction
illicit
notallowedbylaworrules
toprovidecompensationifa
tomakecertainthatsomethingwillhappen insure
persondiesorpropertyis
damaged
tocoverorsurround
envelope
apapercontainerforaletter
physicalactivitytodophysicalactivity
exorcise
todriveoutanevilspirit
amythicalbeing,partman,part
ayoungdeerlightbrown
faun
goat
todisplayostentatiously
flout
todisregardarule
tomoveclumsilytohavedifficultydoing
founder
tofail
something
torefrain
forebear
anancestor
anintroductiontoabook
forward
onwards,ahead
toturntoice
frieze
adecorationalongawall
gruesome,revolting
grizzly
atypeofbear
astore
horde
alargecrowdofpeople
tosuggestindirectly
infer
todrawaconclusion
reluctant,unwilling
loathe
tohate
tobedeprivedoftobeunableto
tounfastentosetfree
lose
find
ameasuringdevice
metre
ametricunitrhythminverse
tobeapowerfulfactoragainst
mitigate
tomakelesssevere
theroofofthemouth
palette
aboardformixingcolours
afootoperatedlever
peddle
tosellgoods

pole

along,slenderpieceofwood

poll

pour

tofloworcausetoflow

pore

draught
draw
dual
elicit
ensure
envelop
exercise
fawn
flaunt
flounder
forbear
foreword
freeze
grisly
hoard
imply
loath
loose

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/commonlyconfusedwords

votinginanelection
atinyopeningtostudy
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CommonlyconfusedwordsOxfordDictionaries

theuseofanideaormethodtheworkor
businessofadoctor,dentist,etc.

practice

toauthorizeuseofmedicinetoorder
authoritatively
mostimportanttheheadofaschool
apersoninclinedtodoubt
theabilitytosee
notmoving
alevelofabuilding
toarouseinterest
fulloftwistscomplex
aringshapedarrangementofflowersetc.

prescribe
principal
sceptic
sight
stationary
storey
titillate
tortuous
wreath

practise

somethingclosely
todosomethingrepeatedlyto
gainskilltodosomething
regularly

proscribe

toofficiallyforbidsomething

principle
septic
site
stationery
story
titivate
torturous
wreathe

afundamentalruleorbelief
infectedwithbacteria
alocation
writingmaterials
ataleoraccount
tomakemoreattractive
fullofpainorsuffering
tosurroundorencircle

Backtousage.
Youmayalsobeinterestedin
Shallorwill?
Whoorwhom?
Canormay?
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TESTYOURSELF

CommonlyConfusedWords
1. 1)Whichofthefollowingiscorrect?
heunpluggedthepowerchord
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/commonlyconfusedwords

7/13

4/12/2015

CommonlyconfusedwordsOxfordDictionaries

heunpluggedthepowercord
NextScore:0/0

Grammarandusage
Grammar
Grammartips
Compoundsubjects
Doublenegatives
Danglingparticiples
Endingsentenceswithprepositions
Matchingsubjectsandverbs
Matchingverbstocollectivenouns
Personalpronouns
PluralsofEnglishnounstakenfromLatinorGreek
Singularnounstreatedasplural
Splitinfinitives
Thecommasplice
Usingtheyandtheminthesingular
Verbsfromnouns
Verbswithtwodifferentpasttenseforms
Whentousemyselfandyourself
Whentousepassiveverbs
Whentousethesubjunctive
GrammarAZ
Wordclasses(orpartsofspeech)
Adjectives
Comparativeandsuperlativeadjectives
Gradableandnongradableadjectives
Qualitativeandclassifyingadjectives
Adverbs
Sentenceadverbs
Adverbialsandadjuncts
Conjunctions
Determiners
Exclamations
Nouns
Countableanduncountablenouns
Prepositions
Pronouns
Verbs
Verbtenses
Regularandirregularverbs
Subjectsandobjects
Transitiveandintransitiveverbs
Participles
Activeandpassiveverbs
Moods
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/commonlyconfusedwords

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CommonlyconfusedwordsOxfordDictionaries

Phrasalverbs
Auxiliaryverbs
Sentences,clauses,andphrases
Sentences
Clauses
Relativeclauses
Phrases
Spelling
Addingendingstowordsthatendinour
Addingendingstowordsthatendiny
Addingendingstowordsthatendinadoublel
Abbreviations
Acronyms
Contractions
Initialisms
Shortenings
Addingfulorfully
Addingly
Anteoranti?
Commonmisspellings
Endingsbeginningwithvowels
Wordsendinginanceandence
Wordsendinginancyandency
Wordsspelledwithae/oe
Wordsendinginary,ory,andery
Wordsendinginantandent
Wordsendinginefyandify
Wordsendinginence/ense
Nounsendinginer,or,andar
Wordsendinginiousandeous
Wordsendinginogue/og
ize,ise,oryse?
Wordsendinginableorible
Nounsendinginacyandasy
Englishspellingchanges
foreorfor?
Formingadverbs
Formingcomparativeandsuperlativeadjectives
Howwordsarebuilt
ibeforeeexceptafterc
Pluralsofnouns
Prefixesandsuffixes
Spellingdifferencesandchanges
Minusculeorminiscule?
Curryingfavour
Oldandnewforms
Onewordortwo?
BritishandAmericanspelling
Spellingrulesandtips
Trackingthechanges
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/commonlyconfusedwords

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CommonlyconfusedwordsOxfordDictionaries

Usingcapitalletters
Verbtenses:addingedanding
Wordscontainingtheletterq
Wordsendinginavowelplusl
Wordsendingincede,ceed,andsede
Wordsendinginchandtch
Wordsendinginre/er
Wordsendinginsion,tion,andcion
Wordswithmisleadingbeginnings
Punctuation
Fullstop(.)
Comma(,)
Semicolon()
Colon(:)
Apostrophe()
Hyphen()
Dash()
Brackets()[]
Invertedcommas
Exclamationmark(!)
Questionmark(?)
Bulletpoints
Punctuationindirectspeech
Punctuationinlists
Punctuationinabbreviations
Writinghelp
Topwritingtips
Toptipsforbetterwriting
Toptipsforwordchoice
ToptipsforCVwriting
Toptipsforwritingacoverletter
Toptipsforbetterbusinesswriting
Toptipsforwritingbetteressays
Toptipsforwritingapersonalstatement
Toptipsforonlinewriting
Toptipsforcreativewriting
Toptipsforwritingasuccessfulspeech
Toptipsforwritingareview
Buildingapieceofwriting
Structure
Cohesion
Clichsandredundantexpressions
Avoidingclichs
Avoidingredundantexpressions
Applyingforajob
WritingaCV/rsum
Writingjobapplications
Lettersandinvitations
Howtolayoutaletter
Letterformats:block,modifiedblock,andsemiblock
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/commonlyconfusedwords

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CommonlyconfusedwordsOxfordDictionaries

Choosetherightgreetingandsignoff
InvitationsandRSVPs
Insuranceclaims
Lettersofcomplaint
Lettersofcondolence
Businesswriting
Howtowriteabusinessletter
Optionalelementsforbusinessletters
Howtowritealetterofresignation
Writingabusinessemail
Businessemaildosanddon'ts
Emailmistakestoavoid
Writingabusinessmemo
Partsofamemo
Writingbusinessreports
Structuringabusinessreport
Reportpreparation
Writingessays
Howtoplantimeforessaywriting
Howtounderstandtheessayquestion
Howtodoresearchforanessay
Howtoorganizematerialforyouressay
Writingessaydrafts
Thelanguageofgender
Thelanguageofmentalorphysicaldisability
Usage
Ahistoriceventoranhistoricevent?
Adverseoraverse?
Affectoreffect?
Allrightoralright?
Alludeorelude?
Alternateoralternative?
Amongoramongst?
Amoralorimmoral?
Assumeorpresume?
Appraiseorapprise?
Bareorbear?
Betweenyouandme
Boredby,of,orwith?
Bringortake?
BritishandAmericanterms
Canormay?
Cannotorcannot?
Censureorcensor?
Cite,site,orsight?
Climacticorclimatic?
Commonlyconfusedwords
Comparewithorcompareto?
Complementorcompliment?
Continualorcontinuous?
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/commonlyconfusedwords

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CommonlyconfusedwordsOxfordDictionaries

Couldoforcouldhave?
Denoteorconnote?
Dialect
Differentfrom,than,orto?
Diffuseordefuse?
Discreetordiscrete?
Disinterestedoruninterested?
Elicitorillicit?
Enquireorinquire?
Ensureorinsure?
Especiallyorspecially?
Fartherorfurther?
Flairorflare?
Flauntorflout?
Formallanguage
Grizzlyorgrisly?
Heorsheversusthey
Historicorhistorical?
Hopefully
Iorme?
i.e.ore.g.?
Implyorinfer?
Informallanguage
Irregardless
Itsorits?
Laidorlain?
Learntorlearned?
Lessorfewer?
Like
Literally
Literarylanguage
Looseorlose?
Mayormight?
Neitherandnor
Oldfashionedlanguage
Ontooronto?
Phenomenonorphenomena?
Principalorprinciple?
Shallorwill?
Slang
StandardEnglish
Thankfully
Thatorwhich?
Themselvesor'themself?
Theseorthose?
Toortoo?
Whoorwhom?
Tortuousortorturous?
English(UK)
http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/words/commonlyconfusedwords

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CommonlyconfusedwordsOxfordDictionaries

English(UK)

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