Here is an alphabetized list of the most commonly confused words in the English language. The ones most common in student writing (and therefore the ones you should know by heart how to use) are in gold. When in doubt about a word, use the "find" function of your browser to skip to the entries you need on this list or consult a dictionary.
Green Words
Use specific synonyms instead of common words
angry/mad: acrid, annoyed, antagonistic, ballistic, bent out of shape, bitter, bristling, cantankerous, choleric, churlish, crabby, cranky, cross, enraged, fit to be tied, foaming, fuming, furious, grouchy, grumpy, huffy, ill-tempered, incensed, indignant, infuriated, irascible, irate, livid, outraged, quick-tempered, rabid, rancorous, rankled, ranting, raving, riled, seething, sore, spiteful, testy, vengeful, vindictive, vitriolic, wrathful
bad/evil: adverse, atrocious, bane, base, black, condemned, contemptible, corrupt, cruel, dangerous, dark, degenerate, despicable, dishonest, forbidden, hurtful, ignoble, immoral, improper, infernal, insidious, lousy, malignant, miserable, nasty, nefarious, noxious, objectionable, obscene, ominous, pernicious, pestilential, prohibited, rotten, ruinous, sinister, sordid, taboo, unethical, unsavory, unseemly, venomous, vicious, vile, villainous, vulgar, wicked, wretched
big: abundant, ample, appreciable, astronomical, bulky, Bunyanesque, considerable, copious, cyclopean, earthshaking, elephantine, enormous, excessive, extravagant, extreme, gargantuan, gigantic, grand, gross, hefty, herculean, huge, hulking, humongous, immense, jumbo, king-size, leviathan, major, mammoth, massive, momentous, monolithic, monstrous, monumental, mountainous, oversized, plentiful, staggering, stupendous, substantial, tectonic, titanic, tremendous, vast, voluminous, whopping
cold: algid, arctic, blizzard-like, bitter, bone-chilling, brisk, chilled, chilly, cool, cryogenic, crisp, cutting, freezing, frigid, frosty, frozen, gelid, glacial, icy, keen, nippy, numbing, piercing, polar, refrigerated, shivering, snappy, snowy, subzero, wintry
cool: awesome, bang-up, banner, blue-chip, boffo, boss, bully, capital, classic, crackerjack, dandy, dope, down, dynamite, excellent, fab, fantastic, fine, first-rate, gangbusters, grand, great, groovy, hip, hot, immense, jim-dandy, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, par excellence, peachy keen, primo, radical, righteous, sensational, stellar, swell, terrific, tip-top, top-notch, top-shelf, wizard
funny: amusing, antic, blithesome, campy, chucklesome, clownish, comedic, comical, diverting, droll, entertaining, farcical, flip, hilarious, humorous, hysterical, jocular, jocund, jokey, killer, knockabout, laughable, ludicrous, mad, merry, mirthful, pert, playful, priceless, rich, ridiculous, riotous, screaming, sidesplitting, slapstick, smart, smart-alecky, snickery, uproarious, waggish, whimsical, witty, wry, zany
good: admirable, affable, agreeable, alluring, altruistic, amiable, apt, attractive, awesome, beneficent, benevolent, bighearted, charming, cheery, cherished, comforting, compassionate, congenial, delightful, desirable, dreamy, dulcet, enchanting, enjoyable, euphoric, excellent, faithful, felicitous, genial, good-natured, gracious, gratifying, heavenly, hospitable, humane, kind, kindly, magnanimous, nice, nirvanic, philanthropic, pleasing, pleasurable, rapturous, satisfying, sweet, tasty, unselfish
happy: beaming, blissful, blithe, buoyant, cheerful, chuffed (British), delighted, ecstatic, elated, euphoric, exhilarated, exuberant, exultant, glad, gleeful, hopeful, jocund, jolly, jovial, joyous, jubilant, laughing, lighthearted, merry, mirthful, optimistic, overjoyed, pleased, rapt, rapturous, rhapsodic, rosy, sanguine, satisfied, smiling, sunny, thankful, thrilled, tickled, upbeat
hot: ardent, blazing, boiling, broiling, burning, canicular, equatorial, fervent, fervid, fiery, glowing, igneous, molten, muggy, piping, red, roasting, scalding, scorching, searing, seething, sizzling, sultry, summerlike, sweltering, torrid, toasty, tropical, warm, white-hot
many: abounding, a bunch, abundant, ample, countless, endless, gobs of, handful of, heaps of, immeasurable, infinite, innumerable, legion, limitless, manifold, multifold, multiple, multitudinous, myriad of, numberless, number of, numerous, oodles, passel of, plenty of, several, slew of, smattering of, some, sundry, tidy sum, umpteen, uncountable, untold, various, voluminous
old: adult, aged, ancient, anile, antique, archaic, decrepit, doddering, elderly, geriatric, golden, grown-up, long-lived, matriarchal, mature, obsolete, over-the-hill, patriarchal, pensioned, relic, retired, ripe, senescent, senile, senior, spavined, tottery, venerable
pretty: alluring, appealing, attractive, beauteous, beautiful, bonny, charming, comely, cute, delightful, desirable, drop-dead, elegant, exquisite, fair, fetching, flawless, foxy, glamorous, good-looking, goodly, gorgeous, handsome, hunky, Junoesque, knockout, lovely, luscious, magnificent, nubile, perfect, radiant, ravishing, resplendent, seemly, slick, splendid, statuesque, stunning, sublime, seductive, sexy, taking, tasty, toothsome, well-favored, yummy
sad: anguished, bleak, blue, brokenhearted, cheerless, crestfallen, dejected, depressed, despairing, despondent, disappointed, disheartened, distressed, doleful, dolorous, down, dreary, forlorn, gloomy, glum, gray, grieving, hangdog, heartbroken, heavyhearted, hopeless, inconsolable, joyless, lachrymose, low, lugubrious, melancholic, miserable, morose, plaintive, rueful, saturnine, somber, sorrowful, sullen, tearful, troubled, unhappy, unquiet, upset, weeping, woebegone, wretched
said: affirmed, alleged, announced, answered, argued, asked, asserted, chimed in, clarified, commented, cried, declared, defended, denied, echoed, explained, implied, implored, insisted, interjected, murmured, muttered, noted, pleaded, professed, queried, quipped, remarked, replied, responded, retorted, revealed, screamed, shot back, shouted, sobbed, stated, suggested, surmised, told, urged, uttered, vented, ventured, whispered, yelled
small: bantam, bite-size, diminutive, dinky, dwarf, dwarfish, fine, infinitesimal, itsy-bitsy, lacking, Lilliputian, meager, microscopic, mini, miniature, manikin, minuscule, minute, paltry, pint-size, pocket-sized, puny, pygmy, runty, scant, shrimpy, skimpy, slight, slim, sparse, stunted, teensy, teeny-weeny, tiny, wanting, wee
smart: acute, alert, apt, astute, brainy, bright, brilliant, cerebral, clever, crafty, creative, cunning, educated, erudite, exceptional, highbrow, ingenious, insightful, intellectual, inventive, judicious, keen, knowing, knowledgeable, learned, literate, logical, perceptive, prudent, quick-witted, rational, reasonable, resourceful, sage, sapient, savvy, scholarly, sensible, shrewd, well-read, wily, wise
strong: able-bodied, athletic, brawny, burly, cast iron, concentrated, durable, enduring, flinty, fortified, hale, healthy, hearty, inured, leathery, lusty, mighty, potent, powerful, red-blooded, rich, robust, rugged, sinewy, sound, stable, stalwart, staunch, stout, strapping, sturdy, tenacious, tough, unyielding, vigorous, virile
stuff/things: accessories, accouterments, aspects, attitudes, attributes, belongings, characteristics, chattel, commodities, concerns, distinctions, effects, elements, encumbrances, equipment, facets, facilities, factors, features, gear, gizmos, goods, hardware, holdings, impedimenta, instruments, items, junk, materials, objects, paraphernalia, pieces, points, property, provisions, qualities, resources, stipulations, substance, supplies, tools, traits, trappings, units
weird: aberrant, abnormal, atypical, baffling, bewildering, bizarre, confounding, conspicuous, crazy, curious, eccentric, erratic, extraordinary, fantastic, far-out, freaky, funky, funny, idiosyncratic, kooky, mystifying, nonconformist, offbeat, off-kilter, outlandish, outrageous, out-there, peculiar, perplexing, phantasmagoric, phenomenal, puzzling, quaint, queer, quirky, rare, remarkable, salient, screwy, shocking, strange, uncommon, unconventional, unique, unorthodox, unusual, wacky, wild
ugly: abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, disgusting, distasteful, dreadful, frumpy, gross, grotesque, hideous, homely, horrible, horrid, ill-favored, loathsome, monstrous, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, plain, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, sickening, unappealing, unattractive, unbeautiful, unbecoming, uncomely, unpleasing, unpretty, unshapely, unsightly, vile
young: adolescent, babyish, blooming, blossoming, burgeoning, callow, childish, childlike, embryonic, emergent, ephebic, flowering, green, immature, inexperienced, infantile, infantine, juvenile, kid-like, minor, preteen, puerile, raw, teenage, underage, undeveloped, unfinished, unfledged, unformed, unripe, youthful
Use specific synonyms instead of common words
angry/mad: acrid, annoyed, antagonistic, ballistic, bent out of shape, bitter, bristling, cantankerous, choleric, churlish, crabby, cranky, cross, enraged, fit to be tied, foaming, fuming, furious, grouchy, grumpy, huffy, ill-tempered, incensed, indignant, infuriated, irascible, irate, livid, outraged, quick-tempered, rabid, rancorous, rankled, ranting, raving, riled, seething, sore, spiteful, testy, vengeful, vindictive, vitriolic, wrathful
bad/evil: adverse, atrocious, bane, base, black, condemned, contemptible, corrupt, cruel, dangerous, dark, degenerate, despicable, dishonest, forbidden, hurtful, ignoble, immoral, improper, infernal, insidious, lousy, malignant, miserable, nasty, nefarious, noxious, objectionable, obscene, ominous, pernicious, pestilential, prohibited, rotten, ruinous, sinister, sordid, taboo, unethical, unsavory, unseemly, venomous, vicious, vile, villainous, vulgar, wicked, wretched
big: abundant, ample, appreciable, astronomical, bulky, Bunyanesque, considerable, copious, cyclopean, earthshaking, elephantine, enormous, excessive, extravagant, extreme, gargantuan, gigantic, grand, gross, hefty, herculean, huge, hulking, humongous, immense, jumbo, king-size, leviathan, major, mammoth, massive, momentous, monolithic, monstrous, monumental, mountainous, oversized, plentiful, staggering, stupendous, substantial, tectonic, titanic, tremendous, vast, voluminous, whopping
cold: algid, arctic, blizzard-like, bitter, bone-chilling, brisk, chilled, chilly, cool, cryogenic, crisp, cutting, freezing, frigid, frosty, frozen, gelid, glacial, icy, keen, nippy, numbing, piercing, polar, refrigerated, shivering, snappy, snowy, subzero, wintry
cool: awesome, bang-up, banner, blue-chip, boffo, boss, bully, capital, classic, crackerjack, dandy, dope, down, dynamite, excellent, fab, fantastic, fine, first-rate, gangbusters, grand, great, groovy, hip, hot, immense, jim-dandy, marvelous, mean, neat, nifty, par excellence, peachy keen, primo, radical, righteous, sensational, stellar, swell, terrific, tip-top, top-notch, top-shelf, wizard
funny: amusing, antic, blithesome, campy, chucklesome, clownish, comedic, comical, diverting, droll, entertaining, farcical, flip, hilarious, humorous, hysterical, jocular, jocund, jokey, killer, knockabout, laughable, ludicrous, mad, merry, mirthful, pert, playful, priceless, rich, ridiculous, riotous, screaming, sidesplitting, slapstick, smart, smart-alecky, snickery, uproarious, waggish, whimsical, witty, wry, zany
good: admirable, affable, agreeable, alluring, altruistic, amiable, apt, attractive, awesome, beneficent, benevolent, bighearted, charming, cheery, cherished, comforting, compassionate, congenial, delightful, desirable, dreamy, dulcet, enchanting, enjoyable, euphoric, excellent, faithful, felicitous, genial, good-natured, gracious, gratifying, heavenly, hospitable, humane, kind, kindly, magnanimous, nice, nirvanic, philanthropic, pleasing, pleasurable, rapturous, satisfying, sweet, tasty, unselfish
happy: beaming, blissful, blithe, buoyant, cheerful, chuffed (British), delighted, ecstatic, elated, euphoric, exhilarated, exuberant, exultant, glad, gleeful, hopeful, jocund, jolly, jovial, joyous, jubilant, laughing, lighthearted, merry, mirthful, optimistic, overjoyed, pleased, rapt, rapturous, rhapsodic, rosy, sanguine, satisfied, smiling, sunny, thankful, thrilled, tickled, upbeat
hot: ardent, blazing, boiling, broiling, burning, canicular, equatorial, fervent, fervid, fiery, glowing, igneous, molten, muggy, piping, red, roasting, scalding, scorching, searing, seething, sizzling, sultry, summerlike, sweltering, torrid, toasty, tropical, warm, white-hot
many: abounding, a bunch, abundant, ample, countless, endless, gobs of, handful of, heaps of, immeasurable, infinite, innumerable, legion, limitless, manifold, multifold, multiple, multitudinous, myriad of, numberless, number of, numerous, oodles, passel of, plenty of, several, slew of, smattering of, some, sundry, tidy sum, umpteen, uncountable, untold, various, voluminous
old: adult, aged, ancient, anile, antique, archaic, decrepit, doddering, elderly, geriatric, golden, grown-up, long-lived, matriarchal, mature, obsolete, over-the-hill, patriarchal, pensioned, relic, retired, ripe, senescent, senile, senior, spavined, tottery, venerable
pretty: alluring, appealing, attractive, beauteous, beautiful, bonny, charming, comely, cute, delightful, desirable, drop-dead, elegant, exquisite, fair, fetching, flawless, foxy, glamorous, good-looking, goodly, gorgeous, handsome, hunky, Junoesque, knockout, lovely, luscious, magnificent, nubile, perfect, radiant, ravishing, resplendent, seemly, slick, splendid, statuesque, stunning, sublime, seductive, sexy, taking, tasty, toothsome, well-favored, yummy
sad: anguished, bleak, blue, brokenhearted, cheerless, crestfallen, dejected, depressed, despairing, despondent, disappointed, disheartened, distressed, doleful, dolorous, down, dreary, forlorn, gloomy, glum, gray, grieving, hangdog, heartbroken, heavyhearted, hopeless, inconsolable, joyless, lachrymose, low, lugubrious, melancholic, miserable, morose, plaintive, rueful, saturnine, somber, sorrowful, sullen, tearful, troubled, unhappy, unquiet, upset, weeping, woebegone, wretched
said: affirmed, alleged, announced, answered, argued, asked, asserted, chimed in, clarified, commented, cried, declared, defended, denied, echoed, explained, implied, implored, insisted, interjected, murmured, muttered, noted, pleaded, professed, queried, quipped, remarked, replied, responded, retorted, revealed, screamed, shot back, shouted, sobbed, stated, suggested, surmised, told, urged, uttered, vented, ventured, whispered, yelled
small: bantam, bite-size, diminutive, dinky, dwarf, dwarfish, fine, infinitesimal, itsy-bitsy, lacking, Lilliputian, meager, microscopic, mini, miniature, manikin, minuscule, minute, paltry, pint-size, pocket-sized, puny, pygmy, runty, scant, shrimpy, skimpy, slight, slim, sparse, stunted, teensy, teeny-weeny, tiny, wanting, wee
smart: acute, alert, apt, astute, brainy, bright, brilliant, cerebral, clever, crafty, creative, cunning, educated, erudite, exceptional, highbrow, ingenious, insightful, intellectual, inventive, judicious, keen, knowing, knowledgeable, learned, literate, logical, perceptive, prudent, quick-witted, rational, reasonable, resourceful, sage, sapient, savvy, scholarly, sensible, shrewd, well-read, wily, wise
strong: able-bodied, athletic, brawny, burly, cast iron, concentrated, durable, enduring, flinty, fortified, hale, healthy, hearty, inured, leathery, lusty, mighty, potent, powerful, red-blooded, rich, robust, rugged, sinewy, sound, stable, stalwart, staunch, stout, strapping, sturdy, tenacious, tough, unyielding, vigorous, virile
stuff/things: accessories, accouterments, aspects, attitudes, attributes, belongings, characteristics, chattel, commodities, concerns, distinctions, effects, elements, encumbrances, equipment, facets, facilities, factors, features, gear, gizmos, goods, hardware, holdings, impedimenta, instruments, items, junk, materials, objects, paraphernalia, pieces, points, property, provisions, qualities, resources, stipulations, substance, supplies, tools, traits, trappings, units
weird: aberrant, abnormal, atypical, baffling, bewildering, bizarre, confounding, conspicuous, crazy, curious, eccentric, erratic, extraordinary, fantastic, far-out, freaky, funky, funny, idiosyncratic, kooky, mystifying, nonconformist, offbeat, off-kilter, outlandish, outrageous, out-there, peculiar, perplexing, phantasmagoric, phenomenal, puzzling, quaint, queer, quirky, rare, remarkable, salient, screwy, shocking, strange, uncommon, unconventional, unique, unorthodox, unusual, wacky, wild
ugly: abhorrent, abominable, appalling, awful, disgusting, distasteful, dreadful, frumpy, gross, grotesque, hideous, homely, horrible, horrid, ill-favored, loathsome, monstrous, nauseating, nauseous, noisome, plain, repellent, repugnant, repulsive, revolting, sickening, unappealing, unattractive, unbeautiful, unbecoming, uncomely, unpleasing, unpretty, unshapely, unsightly, vile
young: adolescent, babyish, blooming, blossoming, burgeoning, callow, childish, childlike, embryonic, emergent, ephebic, flowering, green, immature, inexperienced, infantile, infantine, juvenile, kid-like, minor, preteen, puerile, raw, teenage, underage, undeveloped, unfinished, unfledged, unformed, unripe, youthful
Acute, Chronic: Acute means "sharp", as an acute illness is one that rapidly worsens and reaches a crisis. A chronic illness is a long lasting or lingering illness.
Adapt, Adept, Adopt: Adapt means “to adjust or become accustomed to” and is usually followed by to. Adept means "very skilled at something" and is an adjective. Adopt means “to take as one’s own.”
Adverse, Averse: Adverse is an attributive adjective meaning unfavorable, contrary, or hostile. Averse is a predicate adjective that means having a strong feeling of opposition or repugnance.
Affect, Effect: Affect is a verb meaning “to influence.” Effect is usually a noun meaning result. Effect is sometimes a verb meaning “to bring about.”
Aggravate, Irritate: Aggravate means “to make worse” (the lotion aggravated my skin), NOT “to annoy.” Irritate means "to annoy or cause discomfort."
All ready, Already: All ready means “completely prepared.” Already means “happened before.”
All together, Altogether: All together refers to everyone in a group gathered. Altogether means “entirely.”
Allusion, Illusion: An allusion is a reference. An illusion is a false impression or misconception.
Alternately, Alternatively: Alternately is an adverb that means in turn (one after the other). Alternatively is an adverb that means on the other hand (one or the other).
Amoral, Immoral: Amoral describes an action or belief that is considered neither good nor evil; immoral describes an action or belief that is considered evil.
Anecdote, Antidote: An anecdote is an amusing or instructive story; an antidote is a cure for a poison but not a venom (see poisonous, venomous)
Ambiguous, Ambivalent: Ambiguous means “unclear or suggestive;” ambivalent means “torn between opposites.”
Amount, Number: Amount is used for items that are too numerous to count; number is used for items that can be counted.
Appraise, Apprise: To appraise is to assess or value something; to apprise is to teach or inform.
Assume, Presume: Assume is to suppose to be true, especially without proof. Presume is to take for granted as being true in the absence of proof to the contrary.
Assure, Ensure, Insure: To assure is to give confidence; to ensure is to make certain of; to insure is to purchase insurance
Awhile, A while: Awhile is an adverb; a while is a noun phrase.
Backup, Back up: Backup is a noun; back up is a verb phrase.
Belie: "To misrepresent;" it does not mean the opposite, i.e. "to give evidence of.”
Bemused: To be bemused is to be confused or bewildered, not to be confused with “amused.”
Beside, Besides: Beside is a preposition meaning “next to;” besides is a preposition meaning “except” or an adverb meaning “moreover”
Between, Among: Between is used for two people or items, while among is used for three or more.
Bisect, Dissect: Bisect means “to cut into two"; dissect means "to cut apart.”
Brake, Break: Brake means to stop, while break means to fracture or to stop work temporarily
Breath, Breathe: Breath is a noun, breathe is a verb.
Bring, Take: Bring is used when an object is coming nearer to you, while take is used when an object is coming nearer to you
Can, May: Can means “able to;” may means “has permission to”
Cannon, Canon: A cannon is a weapon, while canon is religious law or a set of written works
Canvas, Canvass: Canvas is a noun (cloth), while canvass is a verb meaning to cover an area.
Capital, Capitol: Capital refers to a city or amount of money; capitol refers to a building where lawmakers meet
Climactic, Climatic: Climactic is derived from the word climax, the point of greatest intensity. Climatic is derived from the word climate; it refers to meteorological conditions.
Coarse, Course: Coarse is an adjective meaning “rough;” course is a noun meaning a track or class.
Collaborate, Corroborate: Collaborate means to work with; corroborate means to support
Compare to, Compare with: Compare to means to show similarities; compare with means to show differences
Compelled, Impelled: Compelled means to be forced to do something by an outside force; impelled means to feel like you should do something.
Comprehensive, Comprehendible: Comprehensive means “covering all subjects;” comprehendible means “understandable.”
Compose, Comprise: Comprise means “is made up of;” compose means “to create or fashion.”
Complementary, Complimentary: Things or people that go together are complementary (they complete each other), while complimentary is an item given without charge.
Conscience, Conscious: Conscience is a noun referring to one’s moral guidance; conscious is an adjective meaning “awake” or “focused.”
Contiguous, Continual, Continuous: Contiguous means "touching;” continual means "repeated in rapid succession;" continuous means "uninterrupted"
Contingent, Contingency: A group is a contingent; a contingency is a possible event
Continual, Continuous: Continual means “frequently repeated,” while continuous means “without any interruption.”
Counsel, Council: Counsel is a verb meaning to give advice; council is a noun meaning a meeting or group.
Criteria: This term is plural. A singular rule is a criterion.
Data: Though this term is plural (a singular piece of information is a datum), usage has changed and “data” can be singular as well.
Decimate: Decimate affects living populations only, like murder or illness, and means a population has dropped by around one-tenth. If destruction affects an environment in addition to living things, use “devastated.”
Desert, Dessert: A desert is a barren or uninhabited place. A dessert is the last course of a meal.
Differ from, Differ with: Differ from means “to be unlike;” differ with means “to disagree.”
Diffuse, Defuse: To diffuse is to disperse randomly, whereas to defuse is to remove the fuse from a bomb, or in general to render a situation less dangerous.
Disassemble, Dissemble: To disassemble means “to take apart;” to dissemble means "to tell lies".
Disburse, Disperse: To disburse means “to give out.” To disperse means “to scatter.”
Discrete, Discreet: Discrete means separate, while discreet means tactful or discerning.
Disinterested, Uninterested: To be disinterested in something means to be unbiased. To be uninterested means to not care.
Dragged, Drug: Dragged is the past tense of the verb “drag.” Drug is a medical or mind-altering chemical substance.
e.g., i.e.: The abbreviation e.g. stands for the Latin “exempli gratiā” (“for example”), and should be used when examples given are a few of many. The abbreviation i.e. stands for the Latin “id est” ("that is"), and is used to qualify or explain the statement just made.
Each Other, One Another: Each other is for two; one another is for three or more
Elicit, Illicit: Elicit is a verb meaning to bring out or to evoke. Illicit is an adjective meaning unlawful.
Emigrate, Immigrate: Emigrate means to leave one country or region. Immigrate means to enter another country and reside there.
Enormity: This word means “extreme evil,” not “extreme size.”
Every day, Everyday: “Every day” refers to the frequency of something; “everyday” is a synonym for “common.”
Extremely: This word means “at the most extreme” and should only be used when talking about something severe (Ex: extremely loud is on the extremes of the decibel scale).
Farther, Further: Farther means a greater distance; further means more
Felt: Means touched, not believes
Flair, Flare: Flair is an adjective meaning style, while flare is a verb meaning to burn
Flesh out, Flush out: To flesh out is to add substance to an incomplete rendering (like flesh to a skeleton). To flush out is to frighten any quarry from a hiding place.
Flounder, Founder: To flounder is to be confused or indecisive, as if flopping about like a fish out of water. To founder is to fail
Good, Well: Good is an adjective and only describes nouns, while well is an adverb and only describes verbs and adjectives
Grisly, Grizzly: Grisly means horrible, while grizzly means streaked with gray
Hay, Straw: Hay is a grassy plant used as animal fodder. Straw is the dry stalk of a cereal plant (e.g., barley, oats, rice, rye), after the grain or seed has been removed; it is used to line an animal's stall or for insulation.
Hanged, Hung: To hang something or someone in the present tense, one uses the same form. In the past, however, pictures are hung and criminals are hanged.
Hangar, Hanger: Airplanes go in the hangar; a coat goes on the hanger.
Hear, Here: To hear is to detect a sound with one's ears. Here refers to one's immediate location.
Hilarious, Hysterical: Hilarious means very funny and is positive; hysterical means having no control over one’s emotions and is negative
Historical, Historic: Historical means a thing happened in history, while historic means the thing was important in history
Hoard, Horde: A hoard is an accumulation of things. A horde is a large group of people.
However: If meaning “in whatever way,” it can be the first word in the sentence (However discouraging the prospect, he never lost heart). If meaning “nevertheless,” it should not be the first word in a sentence (At last, however, we succeeded.)
Imminent, Eminent: Imminent means soon to take place, while eminent means important
Imply, Infer: Imply means to suggest, while infer is to conclude
Ingenious, Ingenuous: Ingenious is used to describe something brilliant or novel; ingenuous is used to describe something false or untrue.
Isle, Aisle: An isle is an island; an aisle is a corridor.
It's, Its: It's is a contraction that replaces “it is” or “it has.” Its means "belonging to it."
Jive, Jibe: Jive is foolish talk. Jibe is to be in accord with.
Kind of and Sort of: These words are substitutes for “a type of,” not “rather.”
Less, Fewer: Less refers to quantities that can’t be counted; fewer refers to quantities that can be counted.
Liable: Liable means “obligated or “legally responsible” not “likely to.”
Lie, Lay: Lie is an intransitive verb meaning to recline or rest on a surface. Lay is a transitive verb meaning to put or place.
Like: Like is a preposition and can only be followed by a noun or noun phrase. It is NOT a subordinate conjunction, and in the sentence “She looks like she could use a hug,” “like” is used incorrectly and should be replaced with “as if.”
Literally and Certainly: Should only be used for something that has actually happened, not for a figure of speech or synonym of “very.”
Loathe, Loath: Loathe is a verb meaning "to strongly dislike", and loath is an adjective meaning "unwilling" or "reluctant"
Lose, Loose: Lose is the opposite of win; loose is the opposite of tight
Marinate, Marinade: Marinade is the noun and marinate is the verb.
Media: This term is plural. A singular channel of information is a medium.
Moral, Morale: Moral is a lesson, while morale is spirit
Most: Not a substitute for “almost” (as in “Most people agree)
Nauseous: Nauseous means “to cause an ill feeling,” not “to feel ill.”
Oral, Verbal: Oral is just spoken; verbal can be spoken or written
Panacea: A “cure-all,” not just a cure for a single illness or problem.
Palate, Palette, Pallet: Palate is the roof of a mouth; a palette is an artist's paint holder; a pallet is a platform
Peace, Piece: Peace means a calm, while a piece is a part of something
Percent, Percentage: Percent is always used with a specific number, while percentage is used with general descriptions like “small.”
Persons, People: Persons are of a quantity that can be counted; people are of a quantity that cannot be counted.
Peruse: Peruse means “to review in-depth;” it does not mean skimming over information.
Phenomenon, Phenomena: Phenomenon is singular, while phenomena is plural.
Photogenic, Photographic: Photogenic means desirable to photograph. Photographic is anything pertaining to photography.
Plus: Cannot be used to combine two independent clauses
Point of View, Viewpoint: A point of view is an opinion or perspective; a viewpoint is a literal place where one can see something, like a “scenic viewpoint” on a tourist road
Poisonous, Venomous: Poisonous describes something that will hurt you if you ingest it; venomous describes something that will hurt you if it bites or scratches you. Additionally, the cure for a poison is an antidote, while the cure for a venom is antivenin (antivenom is not a real word)
Populous, Populace: Populace is a noun; populous is an adjective.
Premier, Premiere: Premier is the most importance or a prime minister; premiere is the opening night of a movie or play
Prescribe, Proscribe: To prescribe something is to command or recommend it. To proscribe somebody or something is to outlaw him, her, or it.
Prevaricate, Procrastinate: To prevaricate is to avoid telling the truth. To procrastinate is put off doing something.
Principle, Principal: Principal is a noun meaning the head of a school or a sum of money. Principle is a noun meaning a basic truth or law.
Progeny, Prodigy: Progeny are offspring or things that follow something. A prodigy is a genius or best example of something.
Prophecy, Prophesy: Prophecy is a noun; prophesy is a verb
Quotation, Quote: Quotation is a noun, while quote is a verb. You cannot “have a quote from the text” (The same goes for the words “citation” and “cite”).
Raise, Rise: Raise is a transitive verb and requires a direct object. Rise is an intransitive verb.
Real, Really: Real is an adjective; really is an adverb.
Redundant, Repetitive: Redundant means “unneeded;” repetitive means “mentioned several times.”
Regimen, Regiment: A regimen is a system of order. A regiment is a military unit.
Redundant: Redundant does not mean "useless" or "unable to perform its function". It means that there is an excess of something that is no longer needed.
Reign, Rein: A reign refers to the rule of a monarch. Reins are the straps used to control an animal.
Reluctant, Reticent: Reluctant means “unwilling to act;” reticent means “unwilling to speak.”
Sensual, Sensuous: Sensual means “gratifying to the physical senses” and has sexual connotations; sensuous means “pleasing to the senses” and is used to describe art.
Session, Cession: A session is a meeting; cession means “to stop.
Set, Sit: Sit is an intransitive verb meaning to be seated; set is a transitive verb meaning to place
Shear, Sheer: Shear means to clip or shave, while sheer means clear or transparent
Shirk, Shrink: To shirk means "to consistently avoid;” to shrink means "to contract."
Since: This word denotes a relationship in time; do not use as a synonym for “because.”
Since, Sense: Since is an adverb or a preposition; sense is a noun.
Sight, Site, Cite: A sight is something seen; a site is a place. To cite is to quote or list as a source.
Smelt: The word smelt means "to extract metal from rock ore by melting it;" this word is not the past tense of smell (that word is smelled).
Staring, Starring: Staring is the present perfect form of the verb “stare;” starring is the present perfect form of the verb “star.”
Stationary, Stationery: Stationary means not moving, while stationery is fancy paper.
Striping, Stripping: Striping is the present perfect form of the verb “stripe;” stripping is the present perfect form of the verb “strip.”
Than, Then: Than is a conjunction used in comparisons; then is an adverb denoting time.
Temblor, Trembler: A temblor is an earthquake; trembler is something that trembles.
Too, To, Two: Too is an adverb; to is a preposition; two is a number.
There, Their, They're: There is an adverb specifying place. Their is a possessive pronoun. They're is a contraction of they are.
Throe, Throw: Throe is a spasm; throw means to pass an object back and forth through the air.
Travesty: Travesty means “a mockery,” not “a tragedy”
Trimester: A trimester is a period of three months, commonly used in conjunction with a nine-month academic year or a term of human pregnancy. A trimester is not a synonym for one third.
Ultimate: The word ultimate means “last” or “final,” not “the best.”
Unique: Unique means one-of-a-kind and cannot be used with qualifiers like “very” or “rather.”
Utilize: This word refers to literally handling a physical hand tool. One can utilize a wrench, but cannot utilize language or a computer.
Utensil: This refers to a handheld kitchen tool or vessel-- for any item not involved with the kitchen, use “instrument”
Venal, Venial: Venal means corrupt; venial means not serious
Warranty, Warrantee: A warranty is a legal assurance that some object meets certain quality standards. A warrantee is the person who benefits from a warranty (the verb form is warrant)
Wary, Weary: Wary means suspicious; weary means tired.
Want, Won't, Wont: Want means the act of desiring something (I want candy) or needing something (I am in want of a house). Won't is a contraction for “will not.” Wont (pronounced like want) is a word meaning "inclined to" (as an adjective) or "habit or custom" (as a noun).
Weather, Whether: Weather is a noun referring to temperature and precipitation; whether is conjunction indicating alternatives
Who, Whom: Who is a subjective pronoun, while whom is an objective pronoun.
Who, Which, That: Do not use which to refer to people. Use who instead. That, though generally used to refer to things, may be used to refer to groups
Who's, Whose: Who's is a contraction for "who is" or "who has". Whose is an interrogative word or a relative pronoun
Would, Could, Should: Would is conditional but not certain; could is capable of; should is almost completely certain. Also, these words should not be paired with of (would of, could of, should of): in these instances, the correct modal verb is have (would have, could have, should have).
Wrangle, Wangle: Wrangle means to fight or control an animal (wrangle a steer); wangle means to gain through persuasion (I wangled a couple of tickets to the concert). Wangle is a synonym of “obtain;” wrangle is not.
Your, You're: Your is a possessive pronoun; you're is a contraction of you are.