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Commonly Confused Words Part II Skyword, October 2022

The English language is packed with nuance. Words that sound too similar to each other get casually swapped, and with maybe an extra letter or added syllable, a little bit of your original intent is lost. Other times, two words that are completely different seem like they mean the same thing, and yet one might be not quite right and throw off your whole flow.

Many editors live for those kinds of in-text sightings, tidying them up like out-of-place hairs. Our magician’s secret, though, is that we don’t always instinctively know the right word … but we do know how to pause and look it up.

Here are some of the most common mix-ups we come across and how to know which to use.

That vs. Which

Tip: Weigh the clause’s essentialness.

  • If the info is necessary to have full context, don’t use commas and use “that."

The dog that won best in show was Buster’s bulldog.

  • If it’s extra info but not strictly necessary, use commas and “which.”

Buster’s bulldog, which had one white ear, won best in show.

Whether vs. If

Tip: Determine if there’s a specific choice.

  • If there’s a choice between limited alternatives, use “whether.”

Richie didn’t know whether he should wear the blue or green tie.

  • If it’s an open choice (or in a “whether or not” situation), use “if.”

Richie didn’t know if he should wear a tie.

e.g. vs. i.e.

Tip: Focus only on the first letter and think “example” or “in other words.”

  • In Latin, “e.g.” is short for exempli gratia or “for example.” Use it to name some possibilities.

Kirk and Spock had common interests (e.g., astronomy, space travel, concern for the crew).

  • In Latin, “i.e.” is short for id est or “that is.” Use it to further explain something.

They had one obvious difference (i.e., their ears).

May vs. Might

Tip: Either is fine — unless there’s an element of past tense.

  • “May” usually suggests more range of possibility than “might,” but distinguishing between them is outdated.

Hermione may take the train. / Hermione might take the train.

  • When the phrase involves the past tense along with a nonevent (an action that hasn’t happened yet), lean toward using “might.”

Hermione thought she might take the train. If she had, she might have been on time.

Affect vs. Effect

Tip: Affect is the doing. Effect is the result.

  • “Affect” is most commonly a verb meaning “to influence something.”

The construction noise outside affected Lucy’s recital.

  • “Effect” most commonly is a noun meaning “the result of some action.”

Lucy didn’t like the effect it had on her nerves.

  • But sometimes “affect” can be a noun meaning “display of emotion.”

Lucy tried to show an indifferent affect but was secretly upset.

  • And sometimes “effect” can be a verb meaning “to accomplish or make happen.”

Lucy wanted to effect change by banning construction noise.

Lay vs. Lie

Tip: People lie. Things lay.

  • “Lay” technically means “to place.”

She lays down the phone. She laid it there. She has laid it there before.

  • “Lie” technically means “to recline.”

She lies on the bed. She lay there earlier. She has lain there since 5 p.m.

… And Other Similar but Distinctly Different Words
  • Alternate: Something that takes the place of another
  • Alternative: An additional option that can exist at the same time as another
  • Appraise: To assess the value of
  • Apprise: To inform, notify, or tell
  • Assure: To dispel doubts
  • Ensure: To guarantee, to make certain
  • Insure: To protect against risk with a promise of compensation
  • Compliment: A praiseful comment, or giving one
  • Complimentary: Expressing appreciation, including giving away a token of it
  • Complement: Something that completes another or makes it better
  • Complementary: Combining together well
  • Compose: To be made up of or formed by parts being put together: The U.S. is composed of 50 states. A set of 52 cards composes a deck.
  • Comprise: To contain, to include (Tip: You’ll never use the phrase “is comprised of.”): The U.S. comprises 50 states. A deck comprises 52 cards.
  • Consistently: The action happens the same way on each occasion
  • Constantly: The action happens all the time, without pausing or varying
  • Continually: The action happens and then recurs again regularly or frequently
  • Continuously: The action happens without interruption
  • Perpetually: The action happens without an end (or seemingly so)
  • Defuse: To remove the danger or tension of a situation
  • Diffuse: To spread out over a large area
  • Disinterested: Impartial, having no stake in the matter
  • Uninterested: Bored, lacking the motivation to become involved
  • Economic: Relating to wealth or resources or their management
  • Economical: Using or showing judicious restraint with wealth or resources
  • Emigrate: To move away from a place: They emigrated from France to Sweden.
  • Immigrate: To move to a place from elsewhere: They immigrated to Sweden from France.
  • Eminent: Prominent, respected, powerful: With eminent domain, the government exerts its superior power to seize land.
  • Imminent: About to happen or impending: My farm was by the pipeline, so I suspected eminent domain was imminent.
  • Empathy: The ability to understand another person’s feelings by knowing or imagining
  • Sympathy: A feeling of sorrow or pity for someone else’s suffering, misfortune, or hardship
  • Farther: An additional physical or measurable distance
  • Further: A figurative amount more or beyond, a metaphorical distance
  • Forego: To go before
  • Forgo: To go without, opt out, or pass up voluntarily
  • Historic: Something important that happened in the past
  • Historical: Something — whether important or not — that happened in the past
  • Precede: To go in front of
  • Proceed: To begin or move forward
  • Prescribe: To recommend or establish a course of action
  • Proscribe: To forbid by law, to condemn
  • Reluctant: Unwilling to do something
  • Reticent: Unwilling to speak or reveal your thoughts/feelings

— Originally compiled by Kimberly Pavlovich; additional info from Tana Totsch-Kimsey

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