Word choice & usage · Topic 8 of 17

Commonly Confused Words

Commonly Confused Words — Set 1

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Grammar · confused words (set 1)

Commonly Confused Words — Set 1

Each pair sounds or looks alike: choose by meaning and part of speech, and expand a contraction to test it.

01 · Affect vs effectaffect = verb; effect = noun (result)

02 · There / theirtheir = owns · there = place · they're = they are

03 · Its vs it'sits = belongs to it · it's = it is

What it is

Homophones sound alike but differ in spelling and meaning: here / hear

The pairs

affect = verb (to influence) · effect = noun (the result) must know

their = belongs to them · there = that place · they're = they are must know

its = belongs to it · it's = it is / it has must know

your = belongs to you · you're = you are must know

than = comparing · then = time (next, at that time) must know

accept = receive, agree to · except = excluding, but

advice = noun (guidance) · advise = verb (to recommend)

between = two things · among = three or more, or a group

amount = can't count (water) · number = can count (pills)

bring = toward here · take = away, to there

can = able to · may = permission (formal) or possibility

complement = completes, goes with · compliment = praise

farther = physical distance · further = more, to a greater degree

here = this place · hear = take in sound (hear has "ear")

i.e. = that is (restates) · e.g. = for example (gives examples)

learn = gain knowledge · teach = give it to someone

lose = misplace, not win (verb) · loose = not tight (adjective)

passed = verb (went by) · past = earlier time, or beyond

principal = chief, school head · principle = rule, belief

to = toward, to + verb · too = also, very · two = 2

Possessive or contraction?

Commonly confused

	Possessive (no apostrophe)	Contraction (apostrophe)
it	its = belongs to it	it's = it is / it has
you	your = belongs to you	you're = you are
they	their = belongs to them	they're = they are
Test	shows ownership	reads correctly as two words

Also know

Expand the contraction to test it: it's → it is, you're → you are

In a sentence

Show 20 example sentences

affect / effect: Loud alarms can affect sleep, and one effect is a tired night staff.

their / there / they're: They're parking over there because their usual lot is full.

its / it's: It's clear that the clinic changed its hours.

your / you're: You're welcome to leave your coat on the hook.

than / then: Finish the quiz first, and then see whether you scored higher than last week.

accept / except: The office will accept every form except the one without a signature.

advice / advise: The pharmacist advised the patient to keep the written advice by the pill box.

among / between: The bench sits between two oaks, among dozens of pines.

amount / number: The number of visitors rose, and so did the amount of coffee we drank.

bring / take: Bring your lab report to me, then take the empty cups to the kitchen.

can / may: You can lift the box, but you may not move it without asking.

complement / compliment: The guest paid the chef a compliment on how the sauce complemented the fish.

farther / further: We drove farther than planned, so we will talk about the route further tonight.

here / hear: Come sit here so you can hear the speaker.

i.e. / e.g.: Pack a warm layer (e.g., a fleece or sweater) for the night shift, i.e., 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

learn / teach: The coach will teach the class a new drill, and the class will learn it fast.

lose / loose: If that bolt stays loose, we could lose the wheel.

passed / past: A truck passed us on the bridge, and then it sped past the old mill.

principal / principle: Our principal concern is safety, a principle the whole staff shares.

to / too / two: The two of us walked to the store, but it was too late to buy bread.

Pearl

In these pairs an apostrophe means missing letters, never ownership: it's, you're and they're each split into two words.

Sources · OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook — Handbook (H5 Words and Language: Words Commonly Confused) · University of Illinois Springfield Learning Hub — Commonly Confused Words · Cambridge English Grammar Today — Between or among? · Cambridge English Grammar Today — Amount of or number of? · Cambridge English Grammar Today — Bring or take? · Cambridge English Grammar Today — Can, could or may? · Cambridge English Grammar Today — Learn, teach or study? · Cambridge Dictionary — i.e. · Cambridge Dictionary — e.g. · Cambridge Dictionary — past · Cambridge Dictionary — pass · Vocabulary.com Dictionary — here · Vocabulary.com Dictionary — hear · Cambridge Dictionary — affect (verb; noun, psychology) · Union Test Prep — HESI A2 Grammar study guide p. 6 (Commonly Confused Words) · Union Test Prep — HESI A2 Grammar study guide p. 4 (tricky apostrophe words: your/you're, its/it's, there/their/they're) · Built from the verified NurseSavvy HESI A2 fact map (facts reviewed 2026-10-16). HESI is a trademark of Elsevier; NurseSavvy is not affiliated with Elsevier.

Commonly Confused Words — Set 2

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Grammar · confused words (set 2)

Commonly Confused Words — Set 2

More sound-alike and look-alike pairs: choose by meaning and part of speech, and split one-word forms to test them.

01 · Weather vs whetherweather = sky; whether = if

02 · Breath vs breathebreath = noun; breathe = verb

03 · Conscienceconscience = right vs wrong · conscious = awake

The pairs

breath = noun (the air) · breathe = verb (to inhale and exhale) must know

conscience = sense of right and wrong · conscious = awake, aware must know

weather = rain, sun, temperature · whether = if, a choice must know

aid = help (noun or verb) · aide = a person who assists

all together = as a group · altogether = completely, in total

allusion = indirect reference · illusion = false impression

already = by now, before now · all ready = fully prepared

capital = government city, or money · capitol = the building

cite = name a source · site = a place · sight = vision, a view

desert = dry land, or to abandon · dessert = sweet course (two s's)

elicit = draw out (verb) · illicit = illegal (adjective)

emigrate = leave a country (exit) · immigrate = move into one (in)

ensure = make certain · insure = cover with insurance

everyday = ordinary (adjective) · every day = each day

heal = get well, cure · heel = back of the foot

maybe = perhaps · may be = might be (verb)

personal = private, one's own · personnel = staff, employees

precede = come before · proceed = go forward, continue

quiet = little noise · quite = very, fairly, completely

stationary = not moving · stationery = writing paper, envelopes

vain = conceited, useless · vane = wind blade · vein = blood vessel

One word or two?

Commonly confused

	One word	Two words
ready	already = by now	all ready = fully prepared
together	altogether = completely, in total	all together = as a group
day	everyday = ordinary	every day = each day
may	maybe = perhaps	may be = might be

Also know

Two words when each word still works alone: all ready = all are ready

In a sentence

Show 21 example sentences

aid / aide: The aide gave first aid until the paramedics arrived.

all together / altogether: Put the files all together on one shelf; altogether, there are forty.

allusion / illusion: The poem makes an allusion to a fairy tale, and the mirror trick creates an illusion of depth.

already / all ready: Dinner is already cold, though the guests are all ready to eat.

breath / breathe: Take one slow breath, then breathe out through your mouth.

capital / capitol: Lawmakers met in the capitol, a domed building in the state capital.

cite / site / sight: Please cite the study that tracked how sight changes in older adults at each clinic site.

conscience / conscious: Fully conscious after the fall, the witness spoke up because a guilty conscience kept nagging.

desert / dessert: After a hot day hiking the desert, we shared a cold dessert.

elicit / illicit: The officer's questions elicited a confession about the illicit sales.

emigrate / immigrate: My neighbor will emigrate from Spain next year and hopes to immigrate to Ireland.

ensure / insure: To ensure we were covered, we insured the new van before the trip.

every day / everyday: These everyday shoes are comfortable enough to wear every day.

heal / heel: The blister on my heel should heal within a week.

may be / maybe: Maybe the lab is closed, or the results may be late.

personal / personnel: All personnel must lock personal items in the staff lockers.

precede / proceed: A short video will precede the tour, and then we will proceed to the lab.

quiet / quite: The unit was quite quiet after midnight.

stationary / stationery: I wrote the thank-you note on blue stationery while riding a stationary bike.

vain / vane / vein: After trying in vain to spot the weather vane, the student traced a vein on the anatomy chart.

weather / whether: Check the weather and decide whether to bring an umbrella.

Pearl

If "perhaps" fits, write maybe; if "might be" fits, write may be.

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