Commonly Confused Words

Commonly (and Not-So-Commonly) Confused Words

Many resources are available for commonly confused words, such as “affect/effect”, “it’s/its” and “their/there/they’re.” I’d rather not reinvent the wheel, but I also want to be of service. So for advice with such commonly confused pairings, please check out what I consider an excellent resource, Oxford University Press. Their Dictionary for Students has a companion website with many valuable aids, including a do wnloadable worksheet of commonly confused words.

Here, I offer a few not-so-commonly confused words for your consideration. Some of these you’re likely to see regularly, like “continuous” vs. “continual” or “accord vs. abide.” Others you might encounter more rarely, such as “tortuous vs. torturous.” Hopefully, this list helps to educate, enlighten, and perhaps entertain.

What words do you commonly see confused? Please email me at michelle@conservationwritingpro.com I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Word	Part of Speech	Definition	Description / Example
abide/	verb	to accept patiently; to behave in line with a set of prescribed norms	People happily *accord; they grudgingly abide. “Marie fully accorded* with the homeowner’s association’s rules but was unable to *abide* her neighbor Sylvia.”
accord	verb	to agree with; to act in agreement with
accumulate/	verb	to gather, little by little	*Accumulate* suggests a slow gathering of materials. Like its cousin “glom,” *agglomerate* connotes a sticky mess. “The tents underneath the bridge have *agglomerated* into a large a homeless encampment.” “The pension fund has *accumulated* significant interest.”
agglomerate	verb	to stick together
adverse/	adj.	contradictory or opposed to	*Adverse* is often used in the medical sense to describe a physical reaction to a stimulus, e.g., “The patient had an *adverse* reaction to the injection.” People demonstrate adversity to those things about which they have strong negative feelings: “My uncle has been exceedingly *averse* to the government’s injection campaign.”
averse	adj.	a feeling of distaste or contempt
ambiguous/	adj.	having multiple meanings	Concepts are *ambiguous; people are ambivalent. So think about where the confusion originates: the information receiver or the information giver: “Martin was ambivalent* about the direction in which the neighborhood was headed.” “The council’s zoning laws were *ambiguous*.”
ambivalent	adj.	feeling several ways simultaneously
appraise/	verb	to estimate the value of	Professionals *appraisersapprise*** owners of their property’s value.
apprise	verb	to make aware of
assure/	verb	to make certain or safe	The distinction here is subtle and more a matter of connotation than definition. *Assure* is an emotional word, implying a word of honor or a kind gesture. *Ensure* is generally the preferred term in scientific and technical writing as it connotes an authority figure verifying the work of a practitioner. *Insure* should be used with caution, as it implies the provision of a financial guarantee.
ensure/	verb	to make certain or safe
insure	verb	to make certain or safe
aural/	adj.	related to the ear	We hear what is spoken; thus, sounds are both *oral* and *aural*. To distinguish, we must consider perspective. Are we talking about the speaker or the listener? "The concert's aural tones were magnificent." "The instructions were given both orally and in written form."
oral	adj.	related to the mouth
compose/	verb	to make up	Writers sometimes use the word *comprise* because they think it sounds “fancier” or “smarter” than its counterpart, *compose. Unfortunately, the two are not synonyms. Compose* describes the parts that make up the whole; *comprise* refers to the whole, which contains the parts. Thus, “the landscape *comprises* three distinct ecological units. Each unit *composes* an indispensable part of the landscape.”
comprise	verb	to contain
continually/	adv.	periodically	If it’s happening in nature, it might be occurring ceaselessly; if humans are doing it, chances are it’s periodic. “Ecological resources within a landscape are *continuously* changing, while our understanding of those changes *continually* grows.”
continuously	adv.	without cease
finally/	adv.	as a last step	Both words can designate the last step in a sequence, but *ultimately* also implies the most fundamental or important step. When summarizing a group of steps, such as in a methodology, consider using *ultimately* instead of *finally* if you wish to stress what it all boils down to.
ultimately	adv.	last, most importantly
flaunt/	verb	to show off	Both words have a negative connotation, but *flaunt* implies the sin of pride, while *flout* suggests derision, especially toward society and its conventions. “With his torn t-shirts and baggy jeans, Simon frequently *flaunted* his *flouting* of the company’s sartorial policy.”
flout	verb	to mock or scorn
rational/	adj.	sane or reasonable	The distinction here is between parts of speech rather than shades of meaning. A person or concept can be *rational, the explanation for which is the rationale*.
rationale	noun	the reasoning behind a proposition
relevant/	adj.	pertaining to	*Salient* should be reserved for truly exceptional cases, as its other meanings suggest: jumping forward or projecting outward. Unless a topic is truly “out there,” it’s *relevant, not salient*.
salient	adj..	conspicuous
tortuous/	adj.	twisted	A labyrinth is *tortuous, but unless we confront the Minotaur at its center, can we truly say that navigating it was torturous*?
torturous	adj.	severely painful

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