100 Commonly Confusing Words with Easy Sentences

English has many words that look or sound the same but have different meanings. These words can confuse even good English learners. This article will help you understand 100 commonly confusing words with easy sentences.

Learning these words will help you speak and write better English. Let’s get started!

Confusing Words with Easy Sentences

1. Accept vs. Except

Accept means to agree or take something.
Except means not including.

Examples:

I accept your gift.
Everyone came except Ali.

2. Affect vs. Effect

Affect is a verb (action).
Effect is a noun (result).

Examples:

Bad news can affect your mood.
The new law had a good effect.

3. Then vs. Than

Then is about time.
Than is for comparison.

Examples:

First we eat, then we play.
She is taller than her brother.

4. Lose vs. Loose

Lose means not to have something.
Loose means not tight.

Examples:

Don’t lose your keys.
My shirt is too loose.

5. Its vs. It’s

Its shows possession.
It’s means it is.

Examples:

The dog wagged its tail.
It’s a sunny day.

6. Your / You’re

Your shows something belongs to you.
You’re means you are.

Examples:

Is this your book?
You’re my best friend.

7. Their / There / They’re

Their shows possession.
There shows place.
They’re means they are.

Examples:

This is their house.
The pen is over there.
They’re playing football.

8. Weather / Whether

Weather is about rain, sun, etc.
Whether is for choices.

Examples:

The weather is cold today.
I don’t know whether to go or stay.

9. To / Too / Two

To shows direction.
Too means also or very.
Two is a number.

Examples:

I’m going to the park.
I am too tired.
I have two pens.

10. Passed / Past

Passed means to go by.
Past means time before now.

Examples:

The bus passed my house.
That happened in the past.

The above-listed words are very misused words in our everyday conversation and writing in English. But there is more to learn. Now we are going to learn 90 more misused and confusing words along with easy sentences.

Confusing Words in English

No.	Word 1	Example Sentence	Word 2	Example Sentence
11	Allusion	The book makes an allusion to Greek myths.	Illusion	The magician created an amazing illusion.
12	Appraise	The jeweler will appraise the ring.	Apprise	Please apprise me of the situation.
13	Born	She was born in April.	Borne	The pain was borne with courage.
14	Canvas	The artist painted on a large canvas.	Canvass	They will canvass for votes.
15	Cite	You should cite your sources.	Sight	The sunset was a beautiful sight.
16	Coarse	This towel feels coarse.	Course	I’m taking a new English course.
17	Compliment	He gave her a nice compliment.	Complement	The shoes complement her dress.
18	Council	The council met to discuss the issue.	Counsel	He gave good legal counsel.
19	Discreet	Please be discreet about the matter.	Discrete	The data is divided into discrete units.
20	Elicit	His story elicited laughter.	Illicit	He was arrested for illicit trade.
21	Eminent	He is an eminent doctor.	Imminent	A storm is imminent.
22	Envelop	Dark clouds envelop the mountains.	Envelope	I put the letter in an envelope.
23	Ensure	Please ensure all doors are locked.	Insure	I want to insure my car.
24	Everyday	These are my everyday shoes.	Every day	I walk to school every day.
25	Faint	She felt faint after the run.	Feint	He used a quick feint in boxing.
26	Flair	She has a flair for music.	Flare	The fire started to flare up.
27	Flaunt	He loves to flaunt his new car.	Flout	They flout the rules often.
28	Gambit	His opening gambit was clever.	Gamble	Don’t gamble your savings.
29	Hangar	The plane is in the hangar.	Hanger	I need a hanger for my coat.
30	Human	He is a kind human.	Humane	Be humane to animals.

50 Confusing Words in English

No.	Word 1	Example Sentence	Word 2	Example Sentence
31	Ingenious	That’s an ingenious idea.	Ingenuous	Her ingenuous smile was sweet.
32	Later	I’ll call you later.	Latter	Between tea and coffee, I prefer the latter.
33	Lay	Please lay the book on the table.	Lie	I need to lie down.
34	Lightening	The cream is for lightening skin.	Lightning	Lightning struck the tree.
35	Loose	His shirt is loose.	Lose	Don’t lose your phone.
36	Medal	She won a gold medal.	Meddle	Don’t meddle in others’ matters.
37	Metal	This pipe is made of metal.	Mettle	He showed great mettle in crisis.
38	Moral	Every story has a moral.	Morale	The team’s morale is high.
39	Naval	He serves in the naval forces.	Navel	The baby’s navel is healing.
40	Overdo	Don’t overdo the salt.	Overdue	The payment is overdue.
41	Pair	I bought a new pair of shoes.	Pare	Pare the apple before eating.
42	Peak	We reached the mountain peak.	Peek	He took a quick peek inside.
43	Pedal	Push the bicycle pedal.	Peddle	Vendors peddle goods in the street.
44	Persecute	They were persecuted for their beliefs.	Prosecute	The police will prosecute the criminal.
45	Personal	That’s my personal opinion.	Personnel	All personnel must report by 9 a.m.
46	Perspective	Try to see it from her perspective.	Prospective	He is a prospective buyer.
47	Prescribe	Doctors prescribe medicine.	Proscribe	The law proscribes violence.
48	Principal	The principal welcomed us.	Principle	Always stand by your principles.
49	Quiet	Be quiet in the library.	Quite	It’s quite cold today.
50	Raise	Please raise your hand.	Raze	They will raze the old building.
51	Reign	The king’s reign lasted 40 years.	Rein	He pulled the rein of the horse.
52	Respectfully	He bowed respectfully.	Respectively	Ali and Sara got 1st and 2nd respectively.
53	Right	You gave the right answer.	Rite	The rite of marriage is sacred.
54	Role	She got the lead role in the play.	Roll	Please call the roll.
55	Seam	The seam of the dress ripped.	Seem	You seem happy today.
56	Sensual	The painting is very sensual.	Sensuous	The perfume has a sensuous aroma.
57	Sole	He is the sole owner.	Soul	Music touches the soul.
58	Stationary	The car stayed stationary.	Stationery	I bought stationery from the shop.
59	Story	Tell me a story.	Storey	We live on the second storey.
60	Tail	The dog wagged its tail.	Tale	It’s a fairy tale.

Examples of Confusing Words

No.	Word 1	Example Sentence	Word 2	Example Sentence
61	Team	Our team won the match.	Teem	The street was teeming with people.
62	Their	That is their car.	There	The book is over there.
63	Threw	He threw the ball.	Through	We went through the tunnel.
64	Troop	A troop of scouts arrived.	Troupe	A dance troupe performed at the event.
65	Vain	Don’t be vain about your looks.	Vein	Blood flows in the veins.
66	Vary	Results may vary.	Very	I’m very happy today.
67	Waist	Tie the belt around your waist.	Waste	Don’t waste food.
68	Weather	The weather is pleasant.	Whether	I don’t know whether to go.
69	Weak	He is too weak to walk.	Week	I’ll be back in a week.
70	Who’s	Who’s knocking at the door?	Whose	Whose phone is this?
71	Wonder	I wonder where she went.	Wander	They like to wander in the hills.
72	Yoke	The oxen were tied with a yoke.	Yolk	The yolk is the yellow part of the egg.
73	Cite	Don’t forget to cite the author.	Site	We visited the historical site.
74	Born	She was born in May.	Borne	All expenses will be borne by us.
75	All ready	We are all ready to go.	Already	I have already finished.
76	Altar	The couple stood at the altar.	Alter	Can we alter the plan?
77	Bazaar	We went shopping at the bazaar.	Bizarre	That’s a bizarre story.
78	Dew	Morning dew covered the grass.	Due	The rent is due tomorrow.
79	Dual	He has dual nationality.	Duel	The knights fought a duel.
80	Hoard	Don’t hoard food.	Horde	A horde of fans rushed in.
81	Kernel	The popcorn has a soft kernel.	Colonel	The colonel led the troops.
82	Lean	Don’t lean on the wall.	Lien	The bank has a lien on the property.
83	Marshal	The army marshal gave orders.	Martial	They declared martial law.
84	Miner	He worked as a miner.	Minor	It’s a minor problem.
85	Palate	She has a fine palate.	Palette	The artist mixed colors on the palette.
86	Peak	He climbed the mountain peak.	Pique	Her rude words caused pique.
87	Principal	She’s the school’s principal.	Principle	He follows strong principles.
88	Root	The plant has deep roots.	Route	What route will we take?
89	Seam	There’s a tear in the seam.	Seem	You seem worried.
90	Shear	Farmers shear sheep in spring.	Sheer	It’s sheer luck that we won.