Confused Words

Sore and Soar

Sore means painful, aching, stinging, injury, angry, annoyed, etc.

Soar means to fly, ascend, rise, climb, escalate, etc.

My feet were sore after the long walk.

She was sore over his sarcastic remark.

The eagle can soar high in the sky.

When the hospital offered free help, the poor couple’s spirits soared.

Confused Words

Roll and Role

Roll means to revolve, turn over, move, rotate, etc.

Role means function, task, responsibility, part, character, etc.

The lorry rolled down the hillside.

They rolled the injured guy on to his back to give him first aid.

Tom was sentenced for his role in the bank robbery.

He was given the lead role in the play.

Confused Words

Taut and Taught

Taut means tight, rigid, strained, firm, etc.

Taught means trained, educated, qualified, etc.

The rope was tied tautly.

His Uncle taught him to read and write.

Confused Words

Raise and Rise

Raise means to lift, elevate, move up, boost, improve, etc.

Rise means to arise, stand up, ascend, grow, etc.

An iron fence surrounding the mansion was raised.

Their hopes were raised after a few survivors were found.

Land prices are rising steeply with every passing day.

They all rose to greet the Mayor.

Confused Words

Soul and Sole

Soul means spirit, core, character, individual, etc.

Sole means single, lone, exclusive, unique, etc.

They all prayed for the departed soul.

His company has bagged the sole rights for telecasting the Golf championship.  

Confused Nouns

Cause and Reason

Rule: Cause is that which produces a result; Reason is the cause to do something, it justifies the result.

Incorrect Usage: (a) You need to have a good cause to come here.

                                  (b) What was the reason of that accident?

Correct Usage: (a) You need to have a good reason to come here.

                                        (b) What was the cause of that accident?

Confused Nouns

Shade and Shadow

Rule: Shade is the portion, which is sheltered from direct sunlight; Shadow is the form that is created when something comes in front of light.

Incorrect Usage: (a) They took rest in the shadow of a tree.

                                (b) He was afraid of his own shade.

Correct Usage: (a) They took rest in the shade of a tree.

                                             (b) He was afraid of his own shadow.

Confused Words

Teem and Team

Teem means swarm, abound, pour, etc.

Team means side, gang, squad, group, etc.

The river is teeming with fish.

The hockey team put up an impressive performance in the World Championship.

Confused Nouns

Floor and Ground

Rule: Floor is the surface of a room on which we walk; Ground is the surface of the earth outside a building.

Incorrect Usage: (a) His clothes were scattered on the ground of his room.

                             (b) That floor is not fit for building houses.

Correct Usage: (a) His clothes were scattered on the floor of his room.

                          (b) That ground is not fit for building houses.

Confused Words

Sale and Sail

Sale means selling, deal, trade, retailing, etc.

Sail means navigate, drift, flow, travel, etc.

That house is up for sale.

They sailed in the luxury liner.

Confused Words

Dying and Dyeing

Dying means death, demise, fading, vanishing, etc.

Dyeing means coloring, painting, etc.

He arrived in the early morning flight to meet his dying grandfather.

Thai bronzeware has become a dying art.

Tom had dyed his hair brown.

Confused Words

Hail and Hale

Hail means sleet, frozen rain, call, summon, greet, salute, acknowledge, etc.

Hale means sound, healthy, strong, fit, etc.

The sinking ship’s crew hailed a fishing boat for help.

It hailed all night.

The people hailed their new king.

Even at the age of sixty, that man is hale and hearty.

Confused Words

Between and Among

Between is used only for two.

Among is used for more than two.          

                                

A scuffle started between the two gangs.

The team members started quarrelling among themselves.

Confused Words

High and Tall

High is used for things like buildings, trees, hills, etc.

Tall is commonly used when referring to people.

That building is very high.

She is just four feet tall.

Confused Words

Strait and Straight

Strait means narrow, closed, passage, channel, canal, etc.

Straight means direct, upright, at once, right, plain, frank, without curves, etc.

The Strait of Gibraltar connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Mediterranean Sea.

After the party, they headed straight to the airport.

The road was long and straight.

Confused Words

Cast and Caste

Cast means to throw, toss, fling, emit, radiate, etc.

Caste means a particular class, social group, genre, etc.

A large and strong net was cast to catch the shark alive.

Caste discrimination should be severely condemned.

Confused Words

Duel and Dual

Duel means contest, fight, clash, etc.

Dual means double, twin, twofold, etc.

The two politicians were engaged in a verbal duel.

His abroad trip had a dual purpose.

Confused Words

Waist and Waste

Waist means middle, waistline, the part of human body below the ribs and above the hips.

Waste means spend, destroy, squander, lose, etc.

The river has waist-deep water.

We should not waste money on unnecessary things.

Confused Words

Decease and Disease

Decease means death, depart, pass away, die, etc.

Disease means sickness, illness, ailment, etc.

Her deceased parents had left for her an ancestral house.

Heart diseases have become very common nowadays.

Confused Words

Pray and Prey

Pray means to implore, plead, ask, beg, etc.

Prey means quarry, victim, etc.

They prayed God for Tom’s quick recovery.

The helpless deer became an easy prey for the lion.

Confused Words

Site and Sight

Site means an area, place, location, etc.

Sight means to view, see, observe, look, etc.

This is the proposed site of the new temple.

The lookout caught sight of the trespassers.

Confused Words

Personal and Personnel

Personal denotes individual, private, belonging to a particular person, etc.

Personnel denote workers, staff, employees, etc.

One should not poke nose in others’ personal matters.

The newly joined sales personnel have to undergo training for a week.

Confused Plurals

Advice

Rule: The word advice cannot be used in a plural sense.

Incorrect Usage: He needs some good advices.

Correct Usage: He needs some good advice.

Confused Words

Further and Farther

Further denotes both greater distance and to a greater degree.

Farther is used only for distances.

We are not going to tolerate his behavior further.

They could not walk farther.

Confused Words

Later and Latter

Later indicates a subsequent time or stage.

Latter indicates the physical order (it denotes the second of two things).

I will come later.

Both, France and Europe are great tourist places; but, the latter is more popular.

Confused Words

Beside and Besides

Beside means next to, by the side of, near, etc.

Besides means in addition to, also, apart from, etc.

I have kept your lunch and medicine on the table beside your bed.

Besides being a successful businessman, he was also a top golf player.