🤔 Confusing Words in English

Learn some confusing words in English and test your knowledge.

🤔 Confusing Words in English

Nowadays it’s easier for everyone to correct spelling using a spell-check. The problem you sometimes face however is that your word might be spelled correctly, but it may be the wrong word!

 English is full of confusing words that sound alike but are spelled differently. It’s also full of words that share similar (but not identical) meanings that are easy to misuse. 

Try our mini- quiz to test your knowledge of commonly confused and misused words in English. Then look at the explanations and examples below.

EXPLANATIONS OF SOME CONFUSING WORDS

Among/Between

confusing words

Among expresses a collective relationship of several items. Between expresses the relationship of one thing to another thing or to many other things. Example: The toy sheep is between the books.

Breath/Breathe

confusing words in English

Breath is a noun; it’s the air that goes in and out of your lungs. Breathe is a verb; it means to exhale or inhale.

Lay/Lie

confusing words

To lay means to put or to place. To lie means to recline. Be careful, though. The past tense of to lay is laid. The past tense of to lie is lay. Example: The dog lay on the sofa.

Lead/Led

confusing words

Lead, when it rhymes with “bed,” refers to a type of metal. Led is the past tense of the verb to lead, which means to guide or to be first. Example: Lead pencils do not contain any lead.

It's/Its

It’s is a contraction of “it is”.  Its is a possessive pronoun that means “belonging to it”

Then/Than

Than is used for comparisons. Then is used to indicate time or sequence.

Who's/Whose

Who’s is a contraction of “who is”. Whose is a possessive pronoun that means “belonging to [someone]” Example: Whose bag is this?

confusing words

Hope/Wish

Although both of them speak about things in the future they need different grammar patterns.
Wish is usually used in the past tense, though it can be used in present tense.  It often talks about regrets or wants. It is also used in the phrase “to make a wish”.
 Hope is used as a form of future tense, though it can also be used for the present tense.  It often focuses on aspirations.

Disinterested/Uninterested

Disinterested means impartial, so a judge or an examiner should be a disinterested party assessing someone. Uninterested means bored or not wanting to be involved with something.

Stationary/Stationery

Stationary means unmoving. Stationery refers to writing, school and office materials like pens, paper etc.

Now test your knowledge.
Try Our Quiz

Now download these exercises to try

We hope you found this post useful.
If you'd like more information about our English courses please get in touch

Please leave us a message

The English School Como

via Tommaso Grossi 9 22100 Como

Telephone

+ 39 031 3100945
+ 39 333 61 80 910

© 2011-2023 The English School Como sede legale: via Tommaso Grossi 9, 22100 Como partita IVA: 03300880139 email: info@englishincomo.com