Frequently Confused, Misused and Mistaken Words

Sit down, sit up straight, hands folded atop your desk, eyes forward and pay attention.

That’s how school used to begin; in my day, at any rate. Personally, I don’t care if you are sitting up straight, eating or chewing gum. You can even be in your pajamas. I won’t tell, I promise--but I kind of would like everyone to pay attention.

I grew up reading because, (as I’ve mentioned before), my dad refused to have a TV in the house, so words, language and spelling became second-nature to me. Therefore, when I see incorrect usage and wrong words, it grates on my nerves, sets my teeth on edge, and as my dad used to say, “it wrinkles my bones!” It’s akin to fingernails on a chalkboard—it makes me cringe.

In this age of “teaching to a test,” Twitter and text-messaging acronyms, it seems there are few people left who know how to write correctly or choose the right word. More and more often, I see, (even among some writers here on Hub Pages), misspelled and mistaken words.

I am sure that most of these errors are honest mistakes, and there is no point scolding people for something they did not realize was wrong. As I often point out, if you believe you know the right answer, you are not going to ask for instruction. People only ask if they are unsure.

With that in mind, then, I have compiled a list of the most commonly confused words. In most cases, the problem is that they are homonyms/homophones—words that sound alike, (or very similar), but have different spellings and meanings, such as “sail” and “sale.”

I’ve grouped the offenders in the pairs usually mistaken for each other according to their sound-alike qualities, and offered the definitions of each so you can readily see why the spelling makes a huge difference in the meaning.

I've placed them more-or-less in alphabetical order, with a couple of exceptions where the similar-sounding words do not actually begin with the same letter.

It is easy to see why this first pair gets confused and misused so often. Not only do they have similar sounds, but related meanings. Yet, they are not identical meanings, so the difference is important.

Affect: To cause to happen, as, “How will the rain affect the hills?”

Effect: The result of something that affects another, as, “The effect of so much rain was major flooding." Contrasted as partnered words, "Many people were affected by the effects of the rain.

Altar: A raised platform, stand, table or other structure used in religious ceremonies for various offerings to a deity.

Alter: To change, re-design or otherwise make a difference in an object or regulation

Be very careful of this next pair—the difference in spelling is only the reversal of the final two letters, but the meanings are a universe apart!

Angel: A supernatural being, whether good or evil, often portrayed as having wings

Angle: A shape made by two straight lines meeting at any given point

Bare: Unadorned; naked, as in “..stripped to the bare essentials”

Bear: A large, dangerous furred mammal found in the woods. Also, to tolerate or manage, as in “to bear a burden.”

Brake: To stop or attempt to stop something in motion—to apply the brake

Break: To destroy by smashing into pieces, “did you break the glass?” Also, a rest period—“It’s break time—who wants coffee?”

Collage: (pronounced “Ko-lahzh”) An artwork consisting of many different pieces of colored paper, photos, or other material assembled to make a picture or an abstract form

College: An institution of higher learning, following high school

Hoard: To collect without particular purpose or aim, just to have the things, as a hoarder of magazines (or any other physical items)

Horde: A crowd, often implying an unruly mob

Passed: To go by, as in “I passed by the bakery, but did not enter.” Can also apply to time, as in “I passed the time by doing a crossword puzzle.”

Past: Time already gone, as, “In the past, I used to hate broccoli; now I like it.” This is not interchangeable with the passage of time as in the above example of passing time with a distracting activity.

Next, we have a trio:

Peak: the highest point of a land mass, such as a mountaintop; the highest level of effort, as “he ran the race at his peak performance”

Peek: a quick glimpse or sighting, often a stolen or forbidden sight, such as “a peek through the keyhole.”

Pique: curiosity, as in “it piqued my interest.” Also, resentment, anger, as “she left in a fit of pique.”

Persecute: To harass or bother, to torment a person or people for their views, race, gender, or other superficial reason. “The Romans persecuted the early Christians, as the Christians would later persecute the Pagans.”

Prosecute: To charge with and punish a wrongdoing under the code of law. “Shoplifters will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”

And finally, we come to:

Stake: A peg of wood or metal driven into the ground either as a support point for a temporary structure or to mark a layout for construction. Also, an interest in, whether monetary or of time and energy, “I don’t want to turn my back on that company—I have a stake in it.”

Steak: A cut of meat

There are many more, but these are the ones I’ve collected this week. Stay tuned for future discoveries or errant usage.

For homework, copy each pair ten times. Oh, wait--they don't do that anymore. And I don't give homework. Nevermind. Class dismissed.