Frequently Misused Words

By Jennifer Copley (Last Updated March 12, 2009)

The following are pairs of words that are often mistaken for one another, as well as a few individual words that are frequently misused.

Adverse/Averse

• Adverse: harmful, unfavourable, acting in opposition
• Averse: having a feeling of distaste, opposition, or aversion; strongly disinclined

Affect/Effect

• Affect: (as a verb) influence; change, imitate/adopt something (i.e., accents, styles of dress); (as a noun) emotion expressed in body language and facial expression
• Effect: (as a noun) the result of an agent or cause, an impression; (as a verb) cause to occur

Altogether/All Together

• Altogether: entirely, totally, completely, utterly
• All together: Refers to a group experiencing something simultaneously or performing a collective action

Assure/Ensure/Insure

• Assure: remove doubt, make certain, give confidence, reassure, promise
• Ensure: make certain, guarantee
• Insure: arrange, provide, or acquire insurance for; make secure

Auger/Augur

• Auger: tool used to bore holes in ice or wood; drill bit; earth-boring machine with helical shaft; rotating helical shaft that is used for conveying material (i.e., part of a snow blower); (as a verb) bore a hole using an auger
• Augur: (as a verb) predict, foretell, serve as an omen or sign; (as a noun) prophet, seer, soothsayer

Capital/Capitol

• Capital: (as a noun) city or town with official seat of government within a given political entity (i.e., nation or state); city that is an activity hub or center; money, property, other resources; net worth of a business; advantage or asset; (as an adjective) excellent, first-rate; punishable by death (i.e., capital offense); involving the use of wealth for investment
• Capitol: building or building complex where state legislature/U.S. Congress meets

Complement/Compliment

• Complement: complete, make whole, balance
• Compliment: (as a noun) expression of admiration, congratulation, or praise; formal act of courtesy, civility, or respect (compliments – good wishes or regard); (as a verb) praise, flatter

Console/Consul

• Console: control panel for a piece of electronic equipment; TV or audio system cabinet
• Consul: government-appointed official who resides in a foreign country to represent her own government’s commercial interests and citizens

Counsel/Council

• Counsel: (as a noun) guidance, advice; the act of exchanging ideas and opinions; (as a verb) advise, give counsel, recommend
• Council: assembly whose purpose is consultation or discussion; advisory or legislative body

Discreet/Discrete

• Discreet: exercising wise self-restraint or prudence in behaviour and speech
• Discrete: separate or distinct

Enervate/Energize

• Enervate: destroy or weaken the vitality or strength of something
• Energize: invigorate, excite

Fewer/Less

• Fewer: used for things that can be counted as individual units (i.e., people, trees, kilometres, minutes)
• Less: used for things that cannot be counted as individual units (i.e., time, distance, sugar, water)

Flammable/Inflammable

• Flammable: easily ignited, able to burn rapidly
• Inflammable: means the same as flammable, but many people mistakenly assume that this word means “not flammable”

Flaunt/Flout

• Flaunt: exhibit shamelessly or ostentatiously
• Flout: show scorn or contempt

Incredible/Incredulous

• Incredible: sufficiently implausible to cause disbelief, extraordinary
• Incredulous: doubtful, sceptical, disbelieving (does not mean difficult or impossible to believe)

Irregardless

• Not actually a real word, but rather a casual hybrid of irrespective and regardless

Its/It’s

• Its: the possessive form (The butterfly spread its wings.)
• It’s: It is – (It’s raining today.)

Literally

• Refers to something accurate, factual, and exact, but is often misused in figurative expressions (i.e., He ate so much food that he literally had to roll home.)

Penultimate

• Second to last – often mistakenly used in place of “ultimate”

Precipitate/Precipitous

• Precipitate: hurl downward (usually from great height); cause to happen prematurely or suddenly, condense and fall from the sky (i.e., rain); be separated as a solid from a solution
• Precipitous: steep, sheer, resembling a precipice, having several precipices

Prescribe/Proscribe

• Prescribe: impose or direct, set down as a guide or rule, order to be used (i.e., prescribe antibiotics), establish laws or rules
• Proscribe: prohibit, forbid, denounce, condemn, banish, outlaw

Principal/Principle

• Principal: (as an adjective) first or highest in rank, degree, worth, or importance; (as a noun) a person who holds the highest rank (i.e., school principal); financial holding that does not include revenue or interest; sum of money that is owed, on which interest must be calculated
• Principle: basic truth, standard, or rule

Seasonal/Seasonable

• Seasonal: dependent on or belonging to a specific season, occurring only during that season
• Seasonable: appropriate to a given season (i.e., clothing such as scarves in winter)

Sensual/Sensuous

• Sensual: related to and/or providing gratification for physical appetites (particularly sexual)
• Sensuous: means the same as sensual but more often refers to senses involved in aesthetic enjoyment (i.e., music or art)

Unexceptionable/Unexceptional

• Unexceptionable: beyond reasonable objection, irreproachable
• Unexceptional: usual, normal

Wherefore

• Means “why” or “for what purpose,” but is often mistakenly believed to be a synonym for “where”

See also Intelligent Words, Funny Words, and Beautiful Words. For a full list of writers' articles and resources, visit the Writing Resources page.

Reference: Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. (2004). 100 Words Almost Everyone Confuses & Misuses. Boston, MA: Houghton-Mifflin Company.

 

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