English vocabulary has many problematic or confusing words or word pairs that can cause confusion for any writer.
The most common reason is because they are one of the two types of homonyms.
Homophones are words that sound the same but differ in meaning or spelling. Homographs are spelled the same but differ in meaning or pronunciation.
It always pays to check your writing carefully to avoid making mistakes with confusing words.
Our list of articles covers some of the most commonly confused words to help you improve your writing.
I’m sure you have come across peaked my interest or peeked my interest when reading. However, to be clear, the correct form of the expression is piqued my interest. I noticed this error in a text, which piqued my curiosity enough to write this short article. The problem, of course, is that the words piqued,…
Peeked, Peaked, Or Piqued My Interest? Are You Curious? Read More »
When do you use may be or maybe? These two parts of speech often cause confusion, but it’s quite easy to get them right. The key is to remember that maybe is an adverb and may be is a verb phrase. It uses a modal verb plus a verb. As long as you know when…
May Be Or Maybe And How To Get It Right All The Time Read More »
Being a writer is exciting and fun. But we have so many confused words to work with to express our ideas and imagination. We have such a vast vocabulary to play with. However, certain words that sound alike or have similar meanings can cause problems for even the best writers. One of the most common…
What’s the difference between blond vs. blonde? Why do we use two different nouns and adjectives for fair hair color? The word blond is a noun or adjective that is masculine, and blonde is the feminine form. Using gender-specific grammar and vocabulary in the English language is most unusual today. But the alternative spellings of…
Blond Or Blonde? Why Do We Use These Two Different Words? Read More »
There really are some weird names for things in English. Take, for instance, the day before yesterday. Most of us would probably use phrases like the day before the day before, or two days ago. But believe it or not, there’s a perfectly good word for it: ereyesterday. Who would know that? However, if you…
18 Strange And Weird English Words For Everyday Objects Read More »
What’s the difference between further vs farther? It’s easy to mix up these two confusing words, even for native English speakers. But there is a simple way to remember the difference between further and farther. We use farther when we refer to an actual distance. You want to indicate a physical distance that can be measured.…
What Is The Difference Between Further And Farther? Read More »
The two verbs lie vs. lay cause a lot of confusion, even for proficient English speakers. What is the past tense of lay? What is the past tense of the verb lie? But don’t confuse to lie, meaning not to tell the truth or to tell a falsehood. That’s a different story altogether. The cause…
Lie vs. Lay And Why It Is So Easy To Get Them Confused Read More »
The two words affect vs. effect can cause a lot of confusion. It’s because they sound so similar. When we speak, there is no problem when we use these two words as a noun or a verb. This is because they are almost homonyms. I say almost because there can be a slight difference. It…
Affect vs. Effect And Why The Effects Affect Your Writing Read More »
