confusable words

confusable words

1. Words are most often confused because they are alike in form (or spelling) and in some aspect of meaning, as with fortunate and fortuitous, or prevaricate and procrastinate. Some sets are confused simply in spelling, although the meanings and even the parts of speech differ (e.g. the verb forbear and the noun forebear). In some cases, the confusion is in one direction only: infer is used controversially to mean imply but the same is not true the other way round. In some cases, the overlap is so marked that distinction in actual usage is virtually impossible, as with sensual and sensuous. Some word sets have a long history of interaction and meaning overlap (e.g. admission and admittance), whereas in other cases a later word encroaches on an earlier word that, despite being originally distinct, is close to it in form and meaning (e.g. biennial on biannual; childlike on childish). Some sets consist of words that originally had the same meaning but diverged with time (e.g. continual and continuous; ensure and insure), whereas others consist of words whose relation in meaning has been unstable (e.g. disinterested and uninterested)

2. Confusability is a matter of language production and language understanding, since in some cases the writer/speaker will be unsure of which word to use, causing ambiguity or doubt from the outset, and in others the uncertainty will begin with the reader/hearer, either because of ignorance or because the context allows more than one interpretation. The following table shows sets of words that are commonly confused or used in place of each other, with date of entry of each word (in the part of speech, though not necessarily in the precise meaning, at issue) into English (or ME in the case of Middle English, i.e. before about 1470; and OE in the case of Old English, i.e. before 1150) and a brief summary of the primary meaning. The selection is representative but by no means exhaustive, and other sets will be found in this book.

For further information on the words given, see the individual entries.

word / date / meaning / word 2 / date / meaning

adherence / ME / (to belief etc.) / adhesion / 15c / sticking

admission / ME / (general meanings) / admittance / 16c / right to be admitted

adverse / ME / unfavourable / averse / 16c / opposed

affect / ME / cause change in / effect / 16c / bring about

allusion / 16c / indirect reference / illusion / ME / deceptive appearance

alternate / 16c / one after another / alternative / 16c / available instead

altogether / OE / entirely / all together / ME / everyone together

ambiguous / 16c / (statements etc.) / ambivalent / 20c / (feelings etc.)

amend / ME / change / emend / ME / alter (text etc.)

appraise / ME / assess value of / apprise / 17c / inform

avoid / ME / keep away from / evade / 15c / avoid by guile

baleful / OE / menacing / baneful / 16c / causing harm

baluster / 17c / (in balustrade) / banister / 17c / (in staircase)

biannual / 19c / twice a year / biennial / 17c / every two years

censor / 16c / act as censor of / censure / 16c / criticize harshly

childish / OE / (immature qualities) / childlike / 16c / (good qualities)

coherent / 16c / logical and clear / cohesive / 18c / sticking

complacent / 17c / too confident / complaisant / 17c / too willing to please

condole / 16c / express sympathy / console / 17c / give comfort to

continual / ME / repeated / continuous / 17c / going on without a break

council / OE / administrative body / counsel / ME / advice etc.

credible / ME / believable / credulous / 16c / too ready to believe

decided / 18c / unquestionable / decisive / 17c / conclusive

decry / 17c / belittle / descry / ME / catch sight of

definite / 16c / clear and distinct / definitive / ME / decisive, authoritative

deprecate / 17c / disapprove of / depreciate / ME / lower in value

discomfit / ME / disconcert / discomfort / ME / make uneasy

discreet / ME / circumspect / discrete / ME / distinct

disinterested / 17c / impartial / uninterested / 17c / not interested

draft / 16c / preliminary sketch etc. / draught / ME / air current etc.

elusive / 18c / difficult to find / illusory / 16c / deceptive in appearance etc.

enormity / ME / (act of) wickedness / enormousness / 17c / large size

ensure / ME / make sure / insure / ME / take out insurance on

euphemism / 16c / milder term / euphuism / 16c / affected style of writing

evince / 16c / make evident / evoke / 17c / draw forth (feelings)

exceptionable / 17c / open to objection / exceptional / 19c / unusually good

flaunt / 16c / display ostentatiously / flout / 16c / disregard (rules etc.)

forbear (verb) / OE / desist from / forebear (noun) / 15c / ancestor

forego / OE / go before / forgo / OE / go without

forever / 18c / continually / for ever / ME / eternally

gourmand / ME / glutton / gourmet / 19c / food connoisseur

homogeneous / 17c / of the same kind, uniform / homogenous / 19c / of common descent

illegal / 17c / against the law / illicit / 16c / not allowed

imply / ME / strongly suggest / infer / 15c / deduce, conclude

impracticable / 17c / not able to be done / impractical / 19c / not practical

inapt / 17c / not suitable / inept / 16c / clumsy, unskilful

incredible / ME / not believable / incredulous / 16c / unwilling to believe

ingenious / ME / well thought out / ingenuous / 16c / innocent, honest

interment / ME / burial / internment / 19c / being interned

its / 16c / (possessive pronoun) / it's / 17c / = it is

luxuriant / 16c / lush / luxurious / ME / comfortable and rich

masterful / ME / domineering / masterly / 16c / highly skilful

militate / 16c / have force (against) / mitigate / ME / make less severe

observance / ME / keeping a law or custom etc. / observation / ME / perception, remark

occupant / 16c / person in a vehicle etc. / occupier / ME / person living in a property

official / ME / having authorized status etc. / officious / 15c / aggressive in performing duty

perquisite / ME / extra privilege etc. / prerequisite / 17c / something needed in advance

perspicacious / 17c / having insight, perceptive / perspicuous / 15c / clearly expressed

pitiable / ME / deserving pity / pitiful / ME / causing pity, contemptible

precipitate steep / 17c / headlong / precipitous / 17c / abruptly

prevaricate / 16c / act evasively / procrastinate / 16c / defer action

purposely / 15c / intentionally / purposefully / 19c / resolutely

refute / 16c / prove to be false / repudiate / ME / reject, disown

regrettable / 17c / causing regret, undesirable / regretful / 17c / feeling regret

sensual / ME / gratifying the body / sensuous / 17c / gratifying the senses

slither / ME / slip or slide / sliver / ME / long thin piece

titillate / 17c / excite pleasantly / titivate / 19c / adorn, smarten

tortuous / ME / twisting, devious / torturous / 15c / causing torture, tormenting