Learning a language brings EFL students into contact with lots of interesting and confusing word combinations. Many confusing English words look similar but have totally different meanings and sometimes even opposite meanings. Even English people sometimes have trouble using the right word.
This all causes great potential for a language nightmare – but don’t worry!
In the instance of confusing words, the more you use English, the easier it will become to select the right word for the right occasion. So to spur you on, we’ve put together a short guide to help EFL learners out with some of these tricky words.
English words that are commonly confused
Accept / Except
Accept – to receive, to agree
“I accepted the invitation to dinner”
Except – not including
“I like all ice cream flavours, except strawberry”
Desert / Dessert
Desert – hot, dry and sandy place
“There are many sand storms in the desert”
‘They ate apple crumble for dessert’
Dessert – something you eat after dinner
“We ate chocolate cake for dessert”
A tasty dessert or an arid desert? – image source
Principle / Principal
Principles – values and beliefs
“He holds strong principles about that”
Principal – main idea / the head teacher of a school
“The principal idea of this website is to help teachers and students with EFL”
“She used to be the maths teacher but now she is the principal of the school”
Assure / Ensure / Insure
Assure – to reassure someone, to remove doubt
“I can assure you that there will be enough time”
Ensure – to make certain of something
“We bought a map to ensure that we could actually find the hotel”
Insure – to provide compensation in the event of loss or damage
“He insured the car against fire and theft for 300 pounds”
Its / It’s
Its – possessive of ‘it’
It’s – contraction of ‘it is’
“The cat ate its food” / “The car didn’t start – its engine was dead”
“It’s nearly time to go home” / “Don’t forget your coat – it’s cold tonight”
There / Their / They’re
There – location (not here) / something existing or not existing
Their – possessive of ‘they’
They’re – contraction of ‘they are’
“There are five people living in that house, over there.”
“The dogs are wagging their tails while they eat their food.”
“They’re walking too slowly – they’re going to be late!”
Affect / Effect
Affect – to change, make a difference to
“How will the new laws affect me?”
Affect – to fake, to pretend something
“He affected surprise when they gave him his present” / “His expression of surprise seemed affected”
Effect – a result, to bring about a result
“The effect of the meeting was that we all had to work late”
“The new roads will effect a great change in the transport system”
Borrow / Lend
Borrow – to receive something on loan
“Can I borrow your bike this weekend?”
Lend – to give something on loan
“Yes, I will lend you my bike this weekend”
Are you borrowing money or lending it? – image source
Stationary / Stationery
Stationary – at rest, not moving
“The bus was stationary while it waited for people to get on”
Stationery – writing equipment
“The stationery cupboard was full of paperclips”
Advise / Advice
Advise – to give your recommendation (verb)
“Could you advise me on the best route to the shops?”
Advice – recommendations (noun)
“She gave me some good advice on how to improve my English language skills”
What do you think are the most confusing English words?
There are lots more confusing words in the English language like these – all with the potential to befuddle and cause confusion, embarrassment or both!
Some other commonly confused words include ‘pour’ and ‘pore’ and ‘less’ and ‘fewer’ – many native English people do not choose the correct word. Explore more of these confusing words in our language guide section – you can find the page from the top menu.
Which words do you think are the most troublesome for EFL students?
Do you have a pair or a set of words that you sometimes get confused? Let us know in the comments.
