This list contains many of the pairs of English words that look or sound alike but have different meanings. Using the list will help you to understand the difference between the words and to choose the right word for the particular situation.
All the words below follow the standard British English spelling.
| Word 1 | Meaning | Word 2 | Meaning |
|---|
| accept | to agree to receive or do | except | not including; apart from |
| adverse | unfavourable, harmful | averse | strongly disliking; opposed |
| advice | recommendations about what to do | advise | to recommend something |
| affect | to change or make a difference to | effect | a result; to bring about a result |
| all together | all in one place, all at once | altogether | in total; completely; on the whole |
| aloud | out loud | allowed | permitted |
| amoral | not concerned with right or wrong | immoral | not following accepted moral standards |
| appraise | to assess | apprise | to inform someone |
| augur | to be a sign of a good or bad outcome | auger | a tool for boring holes |
| aural | relating to the ears or hearing | oral | relating to the mouth; spoken |
| bare | naked; to uncover | bear | to carry; to tolerate |
| bated | with bated breath (in great suspense) | baited | taunted |
| blanch | make or become white or pale | blench | flinch through fear or pain |
| born | having started life | borne | carried |
| brake | a device for stopping a vehicle; to stop a vehicle | break | to separate into pieces; a pause |
| censure | to criticize severely | censor | to ban parts of a book or film; an official who does this |
| chord | a group of musical notes | cord | a length of string; a cord-like body part |
| climactic | forming a climax | climatic | relating to climate |
| coarse | rough | course | a direction |
| complacent | smugly self-satisfied | complaisant | willing to please |
| complement | to add to so as to improve; an addition that improves something | compliment | to politely congratulate or praise; a polite expression of praise |
| complementary | combining to form a whole or to improve something | complimentary | praising; given free of charge |
| council | a group of people who manage or advise | counsel | advice; to advise |
| cue | a signal for action; a wooden rod | queue | a line of people or vehicles |
| curb | to keep something in check; a control or limit | kerb | (in British English) the stone edge of a pavement |
| currant | a dried grape | current | happening now; a flow of water, air, or electricity |
| defuse | to make a situation less tense | diffuse | to spread over a wide area |
| dependant | a person who relies on another for support | dependent | determined or influenced by; relying on |
| desert | a waterless, empty area | dessert | the sweet course of a meal |
| discreet | careful to keep something secret or to avoid attention | discrete | separate and distinct |
| disinterested | impartial | uninterested | not interested |
| draught | a current of air | draft | a first version of a piece of writing; to write such a version |
| draw | to produce a picture; to pull; an even score at the end of a game | drawer | a sliding storage compartment |
| dual | having two parts | duel | a fight or contest between two people |
| elicit | to draw out a reply or reaction | illicit | forbidden by law or rules |
| emotional | showing intense feeling | emotive | arousing intense feeling |
| empathy | the ability to understand another person's feeling | sympathy | the feeling of being sorry for someone |
| ensure | to make certain that something will happen | insure | to provide compensation if a person dies or property is damaged |
| envelop | to cover or surround | envelope | a paper container for a letter |
| exercise | physical activity; to do physical activity | exorcize | to drive out an evil spirit |
| faint | to lose consciousness; not clearly seen, heard, or smelled | feint | a pretended attacking movement; to make such a movement |
| fawn | a young deer; light brown | faun | a mythical being, part man, part goat |
| flair | a natural ability or talent | flare | to gradually become wider; a brief burst of flame or light |
| flaunt | to display in a way intended to attract attention | flout | to openly fail to follow a rule |
| flounder | to have difficulty doing something | founder | to fail |
| forbear | to stop oneself from doing something | forebear | an ancestor |
| foreword | an introduction to a book | forward | onwards, ahead |
| freeze | to turn to ice | frieze | a decoration along a wall |
| grisly | causing horror or disgust | grizzly | a type of bear |
| historic | famous or important in history | historical | relating to history |
| hoard | a secret store | horde | a large crowd of people |
| imply | to suggest indirectly | infer | to draw a conclusion about something not directly stated |
| its | belonging to it | it's | short for it is or it has |
| judicial | relating to a law court or judge | judicious | sensible |
| lama | a Buddhist monk | llama | an animal related to the camel |
| licence | a permit to own or do something | license | to grant a licence or authorize something |
| lightening | getting lighter | lightning | a high-voltage electrical discharge; very quick |
| loath | reluctant, unwilling | loathe | to hate |
| loose | to unfasten or set free; not fixed in place | lose | to have something taken away; to be unable to find |
| meter | a measuring device | metre | a unit of measurement; rhythm in poetry |
| militate | to be a powerful factor in preventing | mitigate | to make less severe |
| muscle | tissue that moves a body part | mussel | a shellfish |
| pain | unpleasant feeling | pane | a sheet of glass |
| palate | the roof of the mouth | palette | a board for mixing colours |
| pedal | a foot-operated lever; to work the pedals of a bicycle | peddle | to sell goods or promote an idea |
| peninsula | piece of land jutting out into the sea | peninsular | relating to a peninsula |
| perpetrate | to carry out a bad or illegal act | perpetuate | to make something continue for a long time |
| pore | a minute opening; to study or read something closely | pour | to flow in a steady stream |
| practice | the use of an idea or method; the work or business of a doctor, dentist, etc. | practise | to do repeatedly to gain skill; to carry out regularly |
| prescribe | to authorize use of medicine; to order authoritatively | proscribe | to officially forbid something |
| principal | most important; the most important person in an organization | principle | a fundamental law; a belief |
| prophecy | a prediction of a future event | prophesy | to predict a future event |
| quiet | making little or no noise | quite | moderately; completely |
| reign | period that a monarch rules; to rule as a monarch | rein | strap used to control a horse; also used in the phrase a free rein |
| role | a part played by an actor | roll | to move by turning over and over; a rolling movement |
| sceptic | a person who tends to question accepted opinions | septic | infected with bacteria |
| shear | to cut the wool off a sheep | sheer | nothing but; to change course quickly |
| sight | the ability to see | site | a location |
| silicon | element used in electronics | silicone | material used in cosmetic implants |
| stationary | not moving | stationery | paper and writing materials |
| storey | a level of a building | story | a tale or account |
| straight | without a curve or bend | strait | a narrow passage of water; (straits) trouble, difficulty |
| summary | a brief statement of the main points | summery | typical of summer |
| swat | to hit or crush | swot | to study intensively |
| tail | the rear or end part | tale | a story |
| team | a group of people playing or working together | teem | to be full of something; to pour down |
| their | belonging to them | there | in, at, or to that place |
| titillate | to interest or excite, especially sexually | titivate | to make more attractive |
| to | in the direction of | too | excessively; in addition |
| toe | part of the foot; also in toe the line | tow | to pull something along behind a vehicle or boat |
| tortuous | full of twists; complex | torturous | full of pain or suffering |
| vain | having too high an opinion of oneself | vein | a tube that carries blood around the body |
| waive | to choose not to insist on a right | wave | to move to and fro; a ridge of water |
| who's | short for who is or who has | whose | belonging to which person |
| your | belonging to you | you're | short for you are |
