22 Words You Should NEVER Mix Up
Near the top of the list of the English language’s most evil inventions is the homophone. Homophones, or words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings, can confuse everyone from the most careless middle schoolers to the most advanced spell check software. These homophones can affect your writing in a way that has a negative effect on how people see you. You’ll be in dire straits if you don’t get them straight. If you want smart people to take your writing seriously, you need to avoid these common mix-ups at all costs.
1. effect vs. affect
This one befuddles a vast majority of English speakers, but it’s really quite simple 99% of the time: Affect is a verb, or action, and Effect is a noun, or result. The exception is that you can effect change or and affect is a noun in psychology, the definition and usage of which you can probably just ignore.
2. loose vs. lose
Again, this one is a fairly simple description, since both of these words have very clear antonyms: lose is the opposite of win, and loose is the opposite of tight. Remember that when you lose something, it’s lost, not loost.
3. then vs. than
Blame this mistake on British accents. Then describes a point in time, whereas than describes a comparison. If you just remember this, then you’ll be smarter than most people, who frequently mix these words up in their writing
4. whether vs. weather
Once again, these two homophones should be easy to distinguish because they are entirely different parts of speech. Whether goes with “or,” while the weather describes the sun. For instance, in Los Angeles, the weather is nice whether it’s winter or summer.
5. too vs. to
Two is also technically a homophone, but luckily most people recognize this number as something separate. Many writers mix up the number of o’s to include when they say ‘me to’ or talk about ‘going too the movies.’ Don’t make these mistakes, and remember that ‘too’ has an ‘o’ because its definition describes something extra
6. lie vs. lay
No lie, this one is actually tricky since these are both verbs that can have similar meanings. When you lie down, you use lie because you yourself are the one that is reclining. When you lay something down, you must be referring to a separate object or person other than yourself.
7. accept vs. except
Except in rare cases, this mistake is unacceptable. Except describes an exception, while to accept is a verb, or action, you do when someone or something is acceptable
8. our vs. are
This one shouldn’t be hard since these are both very common words. Our is related to ‘we’ and ‘us,’ while ‘are’ is just a plural form of ‘is.’ That’s all there is to it.
9. here vs. hear
Again, I’m hoping that no one mixes these up on purpose, as both are very distinct and common words. If you’re ever confused, just remember that you hear with your ear and that here is the opposite of there
10. break vs. brake
These two words are both similar in that they can be either nouns or verbs, but still there is enough of a difference that you should never mistake them. Brake relates to a car and refers to a sudden halt. If you take a break or there is a break in action, realize that you’re not referring to a sudden halt in your work, but rather your work being broken up into different parts.
11. complement vs. compliment
These two words again can be either nouns or verbs, but their meanings are different enough that you should be able to tell them apart. Both have positive connotations, but a compliment always involves a person, whereas a complement doesn’t necessarily. The red carpet in a room can complement the red drapes, meaning that they both work well together, but if the carpet were to compliment the drapes, then it would have to be able to talk and say something nice
12. threw vs. through vs. thru
Threw is a pretty straightforward word that is just the past tense of ‘throw’ and should never be confused with ‘through’ or ‘thru.’ Both these prepositions have the same meaning, but through should always be used in formal writing, with the one exception of describing a drive-thru.
13. buy vs. bye vs. by
These are all different parts of speech and honestly are pretty unforgivable to mix up. When you buy something at the supermarket, you check out by the exit and, if you want to be polite, say bye to the cashier.
14. premier vs. premiere
These commonly confused words are different parts of speech and therefore should be fairly simple to distinguish. Premiere with an e is a noun or verb that often describes the first showing of a movie (which also ends in e). When you are describing someone that is prominent and at the forefront, you use the adjective premier.
15. principal vs. principle
These two words can be tricky because they both can be nouns and even come from the same latin root princeps. However, you can make sure to avoid confusion if you remember that the -le principle has a single definition referring to values and standards. Principal, on the other hand, can refer to heads of school, financial capital before interest, or, as an adjective the main one in charge. Good principals have good principles.
16. capital vs. capitol
Again, these words are frighteningly similar in their meanings and derivations, but one of them has a very specific definition that you can remember. Capitol always refers to a legislative building, while capital can refer to a governing city, money, or an uppercase letter. The Capitol building is in the capital of the U.S., Washington, D.C.
17. cite vs. sight vs. site
Ever since the advent of the internet, site has probably become the most used of all these homophones. However, remember that sites are just places, with websites being places on the web. When you are describing what you see, that is sight, and when you are making a citation, you have to cite your sources (citing is not exciting). Teachers love the sight of properly cited websites.
18. peak vs. peek vs. pique
If you’ve already seen our article on why you can’t have your interest peaked, then you should know the difference between these already. Just imagine that the two e’s in peek are eyes staring around a corner, taking a peek at you. Pique is the most interestingly spelled of these homophones, and it usually refers to something that interests you. The peak of something always refers to the top or summit of something.
19. ensure vs. insure vs. assure
Ensure and insure are sometimes accepted as synonyms, but it’s easy enough to remember that insure refers to financial insurance, while ensure is the same thing as to make sure. Assure and ensure can be very similar, but assure implies doubt that needs to be assuaged, while ensure does not imply doubt.
20. straight vs. strait
While it may be tempting to save yourself two letters and remove the ‘gh,’ only do so if you are describing a situation of dire straits or a section of land jutting out into the water such as the Bering Strait. Otherwise, if you are talking about an uncurved direction, sexual orientation, or a poker hand, use straight.
21. conscience vs. conscious
Conscience is a noun and conscious is an adjective. You can listen to your conscience if you are making a tough decision and want to rely on what your inner psyche is saying. Just be conscious of the fact that your conscience isn’t always right.
22. anecdote vs. antidote
An anecdote won’t heal any poison, but it might provide an interesting side story!
Thanks for reading!! There are a lot more homophones to look out for, but if you’re aware of this list, that’s at least a good start to sounding smart in your writing. If any other confusing homophones come to mind or if you have any tricks for remembering these, don’t hesitate to start a comment thread below!
