Most Confusing English Words
1. Advice v/s Advise
Advice
Pronunciation: /ədˈvʌɪs/
Advice is a noun
Meaning: Guidance
Eg: My English teacher always gives good advice.
Advise
Pronunciation: /ədˈvʌɪz/
Advise is a verb,
Meaning: Recommend.
Eg: I advised him to join Mihiraa for OET and IELTS coaching.
so you can advise someone by giving them good advice.
2. Affect v/s Effect
Affect
Pronunciation: /əˈfɛkt/
Affect is a verb
Meaning: make a difference to
Eg: COVID-19 has affected all sectors of the economy.
Effect
Pronunciation: /ɪˈfɛkt/
Effect is a noun
Meaning: a change which is a result
Eg: The effect of the COVID-19 is enormous.
3. Council v/s counsel
Council
Pronunciation: /ˈkaʊns(ə)l/
Meaning: a group of people who manage or advise
Eg: The council will amend new voting rules today.
Counsel
Pronunciation: /ˈkaʊns(ə)l/
Meaning: advice; to advise
Eg: I can’t manage my stress. Who is there to counsel me?
4. It’s v/s Its
It’s
Pronunciation: /ɪts/
‘It’s’ is a contraction of “it is”.
Eg: I know it’s hard, but you’ll be okay.
Its
Pronunciation: /ɪts/
‘Its’ is a possessive pronoun.
Meaning: belonging to it.
Eg: Don’t judge a book by its cover.
5. Loose v/s Lose
Loose
Pronunciation: /luːs/
Loose is usually an adjective:
Meaning: not firmly or tightly fixed in place.
Eg: The screw became loose
Lose
Pronunciation: /luːz/
Lose is always a verb.
Meaning: becomes unable to find or to be unvictorious in a game.
Eg: Mick was careful not to lose his ticket.
6. Practice v/s Practise
Practice
Pronunciation: /ˈpraktɪs/
Meaning: the use of an idea or method.
Eg: She just retired from her medical practice.
Practise
Pronunciation: /ˈpraktɪs/
Meaning: to do something repeatedly to gain skill.
Eg: I will practise my writing.
7. Principle v/s Principal
Principle
Pronunciation: /ˈprɪnsɪp(ə)l/
Meaning: beliefs, values, or basic truths.
Eg: Everyone must know the fundamental principles of physics law.
Principal
Pronunciation: /ˈprɪnsɪp(ə)l/
Meaning: the head of a school or the main thing.
Eg: The principal actor in the play gave a great performance.
8. Quiet vs. Quite
Quiet
Pronunciation: /ˈkwʌɪət/
Quiet functions as an adjective, a verb, and a noun.
Meaning:
Adjective: describes things or people who make little noise.
Verb: to make or become calmer or less noisy.
Noun: the quality or state of being quiet or calm.
Eg: The whole class was quiet for a few minutes.
Quite
Pronunciation: /kwʌɪt/
Quite is an adverb
Meaning: very, completely or entirely, exactly or precisely.
Eg: Your thoughts are quite sensible.
9. Sight v/s Site
Sight
Pronunciation: /sʌɪt/
Meaning: the ability to see
Eg: It was love at first sight.
Site
Pronunciation: /sʌɪt/
Meaning: a location
Eg: The police visited the site of the accident.
10. Stationary vs. Stationery
Stationary
Pronunciation: /ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n(ə)ri/
Stationary is an adjective.
Meaning: not moving or not changing.
Eg: The bus crashed into a stationary vehicle.
Stationery
Pronunciation: /ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n(ə)ri/
Stationery is a noun
Meaning: refer to materials (such as paper, pens, and ink) that are used for writing or typing, or specifically to paper.
Eg: He bought some stationery at the school store.