30 Commonly Confused Words in English for ESL Learners (2023)

Commonly Confused Words in English! In this lesson, you will learn the list of popular 30 English word pairs that confuse absolutely everyone with their meaning and examples with ESL printable infographics.

Commonly Confused Words List

Here is the useful list of English word pairs that make you confuse:

Accept vs. Except

What is the difference between accept vs except?

Accept:

Accept means to agree to take something or to say yes to anofferorinvitation.

• I acceptfullresponsibilityfor thefailureof theplan.

Except:

Except means not including; but not. Except alsomeanswith thisdifferenceor in thiscaseonly

• It’scoolandquieteverywhereexcept in thekitchen.

Advice vs. Advise

Advice:

Advice is a noun which means guidance or recommendations offered with regard to prudent future action.

• I need some adviceonwhichcomputertobuy.

Advise:

Advise is a verb which means to offer suggestions about the best, to give some advice

• Hisdoctoradvised himagainstsmoking

Affect vs. Effect

Affect:

Affect is a verb which means to have an effect on; make a difference to.

• It’s adiseasethat affectsmainlyolderpeople.

Effect:

Effect is a noun which means a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause.

• IthinkI’msufferingfrom the effects of too littlesleep.

Allowed vs. Aloud

Allowed:

Allowed means give (someone) permission to do something.

• Theloopholehas allowed hundreds of drink-driverstoavoidprosecution.

Aloud:

Aloud means audibly; not silently or in a whisper.

• Childrenloveto havestoriesreadaloud to them.

Allude vs. Elude

Allude:

Allude means suggest or call attention to indirectly; hint at.

• He alluded toproblemswith the newcomputers.

Elude:

Elude means evade or escape from (a danger, enemy, or pursuer), typically in a skillful or cunning way.

• They hadminorbreakthroughsbutrealsuccess eluded them.

Ate vs. Eight

Ate:

Ate is past of “eat” which means to put or takefoodinto themouth, chew it and swallowit:

• Heateevery bit of the pudding.

Eight:

Eight is equivalent to the product of two and four; one more than seven, or two less than ten; 8.

• The two buildings areeightmetres apart.

Break vs. Brake

Break:

Break means to separate or cause to separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain.

• The rope broke with a loud snap.

Brake:

Brake means to make a moving vehicle slow down or stop by using a brake.

• He should not brakethe car abruptly on an icy road.

By vs. Buy

By

By is a preposition which is used to show thepersonor thing that does something:

• We wereamazedby what she told us.

Buy

Buy means to get something bypaying moneyfor it:

• The bank will supply andbuyback foreign currency.

Capital vs. Capitol

Capital:

Capital means the most important city or town of a country or region, usually its seat of government and administrative center.

• Australia’s capitalcityis Canberra.

Capitol:

Capitol is thebuildingin which the USCongressmeets.

• TheCapitolis a magnificent building.

Coarse vs. Course

Coarse:

Coarse means rough or loose in texture or grain.

• My clothes were made ofcoarsecloth.

Course:

Course a set ofclassesor aplanof studyon aparticularsubject, usually leadingto anexamorqualification

• They’re going awayonatrainingcourse nextweek.

Emigrate vs. Immigrate

Emigrate:

Emigrate means leave one’s own country in order to settle permanently in another.

• He’s decided toemigrateand start a new life in America.

Immigrate:

Immigrate means come to live permanently in a foreign country.

• They had no choice but toimmigrate.

Ensure vs. Insure

Ensure:

Ensure means make certain that (something) shall occur or be the case.

• I willensurethat the car arrives by six o’clock.

Insure:

Insure means arrange for compensation in the event of damage to or loss of (property), or injury to or the death of (someone), in exchange for regular advance payments to a company or government agency.

• It is advisable toinsureyour life against accident.

Farther vs. Further

Farther:

Farther means to agreater distance.

• The cinema wasfartherdown the road than I thought.

Further:

Further means to agreater distanceordegree, or at a more advancedlevel.

• We expect to seefurtherimprovement over the coming year.

Fewer vs. Less

Fewer:

Fewer means used to emphasize how small a number of people or things is.

• Women commitfewercrimes than men.

Less:

Less means a smaller amount of; not as much.

• Do youpaylesstaxif you’reself-employed?

For vs. Four

For

For is a preposition which means intended to be given to.

• There’s aphonemessagefor you.

Four

Four is an equivalent to the product of two and two; one more than three, or six less than ten; 4.

• A horse stumbles that hasfourlegs.

Forth vs. Fourth

Forth:

Forth means out from a starting point and forward or into view.

• April showers bringforthMay flowers.

Fourth:

Fourth means constituting number four in a sequence; 4th.

• He declined to make projections aboutfourthquarter earnings.

Foreword vs. Forward

Hear vs. Here

Hear:

Hear means perceive with the ear the sound made by (someone or something).

• Men love tohearwell of themselves.

Here:

Here means in, at, or to this place or position.

• Childrenherewalk several miles to school.

Loose vs. Lose

Difference between loose vs. lose in English:

Loose:

Loose means not firmly or tightly fixed in place; detached or able to be detached.

• There were someloosewires hanging out of the wall.

Lose:

Lose means be deprived of or cease to have or retain (something).

• You mustlosea fly to catch a trout.

Peace vs. Piece

Peace:

Peace means freedom from disturbance; tranquility.

• They hadworkedfor peace during thelong eraofconflict.

Piece

Piece means a portion of an object or of material, produced by cutting, tearing, or breaking the whole.

• Hecutthecakeinto six pieces.

Plain vs. Plane

Plain

Plain means not decorated or elaborate; simple or ordinary in character.

• I want a plainblack jumper with no fancy trimmings.

Plane

Plane means a flat surface on which a straight line joining any two points on it would wholly lie.

• I looked towards theplane. Six passengers had already disembarked.

Principle vs. Principal

Principle:

Principle means a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning.

• They work on aprincipleof heat absorption.

Principal:

Principal means the person with the highest authority or most important position in an organization, institution, or group.

• Theprincipalcastigate the student who have insult their teacher.

Quiet vs. Quite

Quiet:

Quiet means making little or no noise.

• Bequietor you’ll wake the whole house!

Quite:

Quite means to the utmost or most absolute extent or degree; absolutely; completely.

• He wasquiteagreeable to accepting the plan.

Stationary vs. Stationery

Stationary:

Stationary means not moving or not intended to be moved.

• The bus crashed into astationaryvehicle.

Stationery:

Stationery means the thingsneeded for writing, such as paper,pens,pencils, andenvelopes.

• If you need morestationery, I’ve got a good contact in a local printing firm.

Than vs. Then

Than:

Than means introducing the second element in a comparison.

• He pain of the mind is worsethanthe pain of the body.

Then:

Then means at that time; at the time in question.

• I’llcallyoutomorrow– I should have thedetails by then.

To vs. Too

What is the difference between to and too in English?

To:

To means used before averbto show that it is in theinfinitive.

• There is no endtolearning.

Too:

Too means more than isneededorwanted; more than issuitable or enough.

• It is nevertoo old to learn.

Weak vs. Week

Weak:

Weak means lacking the power to perform physically demanding tasks; lacking physical strength and energy.

• Every man has hisweak side.

Week:

Week means a period of seven days.

• After aweekof camping, I really needed a bath.

Weather vs. Whether

Weather:

Weather means the state of the atmosphere at a place and time as regards heat, dryness, sunshine, wind, rain, etc.

• We are hoping for goodweatheron Sunday.

Whether:

Whether means expressing a doubt or choice between alternatives.

• It all boils down towhetheryou want to go or not.

Which vs. Witch

Which:

Which means asking for information specifying one or more people or things from a definite set.

• Behavior is a mirror inwhicheveryone shows his image.

Witch:

Witch means a woman thought to have magic powers, especially evil ones, popularly depicted as wearing a black cloak and pointed hat and flying on a broomstick.

• Thewitchenchanted the princess with magic words.

Who vs. Whom

Who:

Who means what or which person or people.

• Sheaskedme if Iknewwho had got thejob.

Whom:

Whom is used instead of “who” as the object of a verb or preposition.

• Imeta man with whom I used towork

Confused Words in English | Infographics