Confusing words – part 11

Contents
1. ACCEDE /EXCEED_________________________________________________2
2. ALL WAYS / ALWAYS_______________________________________________2
3. AWAKE / WAKE___________________________________________________2
4. BEAT / BEET______________________________________________________2
5. BOLD / BOWLED__________________________________________________2
6. BROACH / BROOCH________________________________________________2
7. CAST / CASTE____________________________________________________3
8. CLEAN / PURE____________________________________________________3
9. COMPLETION / COMPLETENESS______________________________________3
10. CONVEX / CONCAVE_______________________________________________3
11. DAM / DAMN_____________________________________________________3
12. DEPREDATION / DEPRIVATION_______________________________________3
13. DISPEL / EXPEL___________________________________________________4
14. EARTHLY / EARTHY________________________________________________4
15. EVERY ONE / EVERYONE____________________________________________4
16. EXTRACT / EXTRICATE______________________________________________4
17. FEW / LITTLE_____________________________________________________4
18. FORT / FORTH / FOURTH____________________________________________4
19. GOOD / WELL____________________________________________________5
20. HARDY / HEARTY__________________________________________________5
21. HURDLE / HURTLE_________________________________________________5
22. INTENSE / INTENT_________________________________________________5
23. KNIGHT / NIGHT__________________________________________________5
24. LINEAMENT / LINIMENT_____________________________________________5
25. MAIZE / MAZE____________________________________________________6
26. MELTED / MOLTEN_________________________________________________6
27. MOTIF / MOTIVE__________________________________________________6
28. MOAN / MOWN____________________________________________________6
29. OBSOLESCENT / OBSOLETE_________________________________________6
30. PEER / PIER______________________________________________________6
31. PRECEDENCE / PRECEDENTS_________________________________________7
32. RAP / WRAP______________________________________________________7
33. REST / WREST____________________________________________________7
34. RUNG / WRUNG___________________________________________________7
35. SIDE / SIGHED___________________________________________________7
36. STEP / STEPPE____________________________________________________7
37. TEA / TEE________________________________________________________8
38. TOAD / TOWED___________________________________________________8
39. VALE / VEIL______________________________________________________8
40. WET / WHET_____________________________________________________8

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Choose the correct word from the following pairs:

1. ACCEDE /EXCEED
1. She was found guilty on three charges of ____________ the speed limit.
2. It is doubtful whether the government will ever ____________ to the nationalists'
demands for independence.
3. The diaries were written in 1837, when Queen Victoria ____________ to the throne.
4. The success of our campaign has ____________ our wildest expectations.

2. ALL WAYS / ALWAYS

1. If you miss this train you can ___________ catch the next one.
2. This problem can come around ___________.
3. We will ___________ remember our dear friends who are no longer with us.
4. The team was in ___________ the best team we ever had.

3. AWAKE / WAKE
1. Try not to ________ the whole house when you come in!
2. I'm surprised to see you ________ - ten minutes ago you were sound asleep.
3. Businesses need to be ________ to the advantages of European integration.
4. ‘She ________ from a coma a few days later to learn the awful truth.’

4. BEAT / BEET
1. Slugs are attacking my leaf _______ leaves growing in one of the containers on the
patio.
2. Let's try to _______ the traffic by leaving early in the morning.
3. I was just going to clean the kitchen, but you _______ me to it.
4. I also planted out the leaf _______ seeds - they're not so large but they will do
equally well outside.
5. I spend time with our daughter, allowing her to _______ me in several games of
checkers.

5. BOLD / BOWLED
1. Of the three organizations criticized, only one was _________ enough to face the
press.
2. I was just not happy with the way he _________ the new ball.
3. They are like cartoons, with their _________ lines, bright colours and flat shapes.
4. Like a _________ boy at a children's party, he still insists on being the centre of
attention even though it's not his birthday.
5. They _________ down the street on their new bicycles.
6. When the first ball was _________, Mandira gave a simple catch.

6. BROACH / BROOCH
1. I saw silver rings and a gold _________, jewelled knives and other finely worked
objects.
2. At some point we've got to discuss money but I don't know how to _________ the
subject with him.

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3. I hope they _________ their bottles, because the whisky, with its honey and praline
richness, deserves it.
4. They made off with a silver charm bracelet, two passports, a gold _________ and a
silver chain.

7. CAST / CASTE
1. The discovery of the dinosaur skeleton has _________ light on why they became
extinct.
2. All three villages have a mixed population of Hindus of different _________.
3. My leg was in a _________ for about six weeks.
4. He was born into the Brahman _________ which meant he was from the highest
ranking _________ of Hindu priests.
5. Could you _________ an eye over this report for me?
6. Part of the movie's success lies in the strength of the supporting _________.

8. CLEAN / PURE
1. For _______ wool it's also lovely and soft and I won't have to wear anything
underneath to stop scratchiness.
2. We want _______ rivers and lakes, where you can swim without risk to your health.
3. The Government schemes to provide _______ drinking water has not benefited the
people living in the remote villages.
4. Make sure your hands are _______ before you have your dinner.

9. COMPLETION / COMPLETENESS
1. For the sake of _______________, I should also mention two other minor
developments.
2. Two decades intervened between the _______________ of the design and the
opening of the theatre.
3. The heavenly principle of love in its _______________ is not comprehensible.
4. The cost of _______________ has been revised upwards again due to inflation.

10. CONVEX / CONCAVE

1. Galileo's telescope had a __________ object lens but a __________ eye-piece.
2. With water the surface is __________, with mercury it is __________.
3. Powerful images captured through a __________ lens are frozen in time.
4. You stand in a dark room looking at a round __________ surface perhaps five feet in
diameter.

11. DAM / DAMN

1. The Aswan High _________ is on the River Nile in Egypt.
2. _________, I've spilled coffee down my blouse!
3. Hydroelectric _________ use water turbines in the same way to generate power.
4. He knew _________ well how much trouble it would cause.
5. As a child she was taught that she would be _________ for her sins.

12. DEPREDATION / DEPRIVATION

1. There were food shortages and other _______________ during the Civil War.
2. The entire area has suffered the _______________ of war.

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3. They used sleep _______________ as a form of torture.
4. _______________ of the environment is destroying hundreds of species each year.

13. DISPEL / EXPEL

1. I'd like to start the speech by _____________ a few rumours that have been
spreading recently.
2. The new government has _____________ all foreign diplomats.
3. Actually listening to the record does little to _____________ these feelings of
disappointment.
4. My brother was _____________ from school for bad behaviour.

14. EARTHLY / EARTHY

1. There is no __________ reason why you should deprive yourself of the luxury.
2. At the time I thought the wine was far too heavy and had an __________y flavour.
3. She says what she thinks and has an __________ sense of humour.
4. Next, get a close-up of our __________ neighbour, the planet Mars in the
breathtaking photo book ‘Visions of Mars.

15. EVERY ONE / EVERYONE

1. When ____________ had gathered in the garden, Sergeant joined them and said,
‘Welcome, ____________!
2. ____________ of those present agreed with the speaker.
3. Twenty years ago ____________ used an alarm clock that rang like a bell.
4. ____________ has to climb to the top. When they get to the top, they have to blow
their whistle
5. There are 107 two-letter words in the dictionary and John Catto, an Aberdeen lorry
driver, knows ____________ of them.

16. EXTRACT / EXTRICATE

1. It took hours to ____________ the car from the sand.
2. After much persuasion they managed to ____________ the information from him.
3. I tried to ____________ myself from the situation.
4. The oil which is ____________ from olives is used for cooking.

17. FEW / LITTLE

1. If you can't fit all the bags in your car, I can take a _________ in mine.
2. After that, she began to tell them a _________ about her life in Scotland, particularly
her life with the Rosenblooms.
3. _________ cities anywhere in Europe can match the cultural richness of Berlin.
4. I’m not very happy about it but I suppose I have _________ choice.

18. FORT / FORTH / FOURTH

1. At the east end is a small promontory _________, probably Iron Age.
2. The pendulum in the grandfather clock swung back and _________.
3. We met for the first time at the fireworks on the _________ of July.
4. Medical errors in the NHS now constitute the _________ largest cause of death in
Britain.
5. From that day _________ we have had a lowering of public confidence in the police.

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6. I'll be out of the office for a few hours - will you hold the _________ until I get back?

19. GOOD / WELL

1. These mangos smell and taste really _______.
2. The students all did very _______ on the grammar test.
3. My dad is _______ at languages and my mum is _______ at fixing things.
4. His job is not as _______ paid as his father’s, but he works less, and the holidays are
better.
5. Their German is very _______. They speak German very _______. They speak very
_______ German.

20. HARDY / HEARTY

1. A few _________ souls continue to swim in the sea even in the middle of winter.
2. I'm making Shepherd's Pie for tea; _________ food that sticks your ribs together.
3. Ah, well I'm particularly interested in your range of _________ Geraniums.
4. There were no smiles, back slapping or _________ handshakes.

21. HURDLE / HURTLE

1. A chase involves larger, rigid fences while a _________ race is run over shorter,
more flexible obstacles.
2. The road was little-trafficked, though cars tended to _________ past at alarming
speeds.
3. I'm trying to be patient, but my confidence is low and that is a hard _________ to
overcome.
4. Throwing the glass vase against the wall will cause pieces of it to _________ in
random directions.
5. They say he can _________ as well - and run a decent 200m.

22. INTENSE / INTENT

1. I've tried persuading her not to go but she's __________ on it.
2. They rushed to the blazing aircraft, but were forced back by the __________ heat.’
3. The same eyes were looking at me, almost burning me with their __________ gaze.
4. He's __________ and serious about the work, but sometimes he'll go off on a comic
riff.

23. KNIGHT / NIGHT

1. He hopes to be made a __________ for his work at the Bank of England.
2. The opening __________ of her new movie was a great success.
3. The __________ of King Arthur were at his service day and __________.
4. That nasty pin stopped me from moving my __________.
5. Let's go for a __________ on the town to celebrate our graduation.

24. LINEAMENT / LINIMENT

1. Oil of wintergreen, also known as methyl salicylate, is a time-honoured rub or
_____________ used for sprains, strains, aches, pains and arthritis.
2. Their final powerful lines reduced to _____________ around the eyes.
3. If you experience such a symptom, there is no point in ignoring it or rubbing
_____________ in the belief that it is a muscle pain.

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4. His vanity is a _____________ in his character which had entirely escaped me.

25. MAIZE / MAZE

1. In Britain, this flour usually goes under the name of ________ meal.
2. The old part of the town was a ________ of narrow passages.
3. The villagers grow coffee and ________ to sell in the market.
4. The kids got lost in the ________ that was created in a ________ field.
5. It's almost impossible to get through the ________ of bureaucracy.

26. MELTED / MOLTEN

1. The furnaces produce _________ iron in the initial phase of steel production.
2. I smell something strange and find the smoke alarm _________ on the stove.
3. Place under a hot grill until the cheese has _________.
4. The _________ rock rises to the seafloor and cools to form the layer of crust that
paves the ocean floor.

27. MOTIF / MOTIVE

1. I think you should examine their __________ in offering to lend you the money.
2. We chose some curtains with a flower __________.
3. These flying triangles aren't ready to bear the weight of their own __________
energy source.
4. It is decorated with __________ designed by local school children.

28. MOAN / MOWN

1. Apart from a slight _______ about the waiter, he seemed to enjoy the meal.
2. Three shoppers were _______ down this afternoon when a drunken driver lost control
of his car.
3. I love the smell of new-_______ hay.
4. The homeowner had a _______ that the gardener hadn’t _______ the lawn properly.
5. His ears began to twitch when they picked up the sound of a soft _______ coming
from within the rubble.

29. OBSOLESCENT / OBSOLETE

1. Gas lamps became ______________ when electric lighting was invented.
2. Much of our existing military hardware is ______________.
3. The hostel at Waterbank has served a purpose for 40 years but is now
______________.
4. So much equipment becomes ______________ almost as soon as it's made.

30. PEER / PIER

1. The shops weren't as good, there were no amusement arcades and no _______ or
beach.
2. He doesn't really want to join in, it's just _______ pressure.
3. As soon as the ship was close to the wharf, he jumped from the boat to the _______.
4. He watched the Customs official _______ into the driver's window.

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31. PRECEDENCE / PRECEDENTS
1. There are several _____________ for promoting people who don't have formal
qualifications.
2. _____________ must be given to the injured in the evacuation plans.
3. There are plenty of _____________ in Hollywood for letting people out of contracts.
4. The order of _____________ for titled nobility in Britain is duke, marquis, earl,
viscount, baron.

32. RAP / WRAP

1. I got a _______ on the knuckles for not finishing my essay on time.
2. Take your purchases to the sales clerk, and he will _______ them for you.
3. She could _______ her father around her little finger.
4. I don't _______ too well but I've always liked making mix tapes.

33. REST / WREST

1. He looked away from the computer screen to ________ his eyes.
2. For the past year he has been trying to ________ control from the central
government.
3. We cannot allow the matter to ________ here - further action has to be taken.
4. When told of Smith's angry response to her claim, she said simply, "I ________ my
case."
5. Their bodies twisted as each tried to ________ the weapon from the other's grasp.

34. RUNG / WRUNG

1. She ________ her hands together as she struggled with how to announce the news.
2. I stepped out, swung around, grabbed the other side of the ladder and placed my foot
on the proper ________.
3. The seventies were ________ in with platforms, the Roaring twenties had the round-
toed bar shoes.
4. Sofia ________ out the washcloth into the basin and hung it on its peg.’

35. SIDE / SIGHED

1. Elizabeth _________ wearily as she was woken from her sleep by Joshua crying in his
crib.
2. She seems quite fierce, but actually she has a gentle _________.
3. Both children, disengaging themselves from their game, came to her _________.
4. The runner _________ as he felt a stitch in his _________.
5. A breeze _________ through the branches and we came to a glade, a secret place of
fir and silver birch.
6. I've listened to your _________ of the story, but I still think you were wrong to do
what you did.

36. STEP / STEPPE

1. Most people believe that the decision to cut interest rates was a __________ in the
right direction.
2. These people have lived for centuries on the Russian __________.
3. She clung to the handrail as she walked down the slippery __________.

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4. Across the country extend belts of tundra (in the far north), forest, __________, and
fertile areas.

37. TEA / TEE

1. In a few hours' time most of the world's top golfers ______ off in the U.S. Masters.
2. How about a nice cup of ______? That'll make you feel better.
3. Believe me, the game is a lot easier when your ______ shots consistently find the
short grass.
4. The problem has to be stamped out - not given ______ and sympathy.
5. The golfers had time to drink some sweet ______ before it was their ______ time.

38. TOAD / TOWED

1. The road was closed while the vehicles that had been involved in the accident were
________ off.
2. This snivelling little ________ said with utter contempt in his voice, ‘Oh sure the
French have culture.
3. You're not allowed to park here - your car will be ________ away .
4. A ________ has a drier, lumpier skin than a frog and spends less time in the water.

39. VALE / VEIL

1. There stood the king, dark against a narrow window, looking out upon the _______.
2. After the ceremony, the bride lifted up her _______ to kiss her husband.
3. What favour was it to other souls to bring them into this _______ of tears?
4. The view over the lake was obscured by a _______ of mist that hung in the air.

40. WET / WHET

1. She took out her dagger and began to _______ its blade in even, rhythmic strokes.
2. When assembling the pie, _______ the edges where the two crusts join.
3. She rendered the walls in cement and, while it was still _______, applied the shells.
4. It should be a platform for all film-makers to exchange their ideas and _______ their
skills.
5. Well, how about keeping me company while I _______ my whistle?

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Key
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 exceeding accede acceded exceeded
2 always all ways always all ways
3 wake awake awake wakes
4 beet beat beat beet beat
5 bold bowled bold bold bowled bowled
6 brooch broach broach brooch
7 cast castes cast caste, caste cast cast
8 pure clean pure clean
9 completeness completion completeness completion
10 convex, concave, convex concave
concave convex
11 Dam Damn dams damn damned
12 deprivations depredations deprivation Depredation
13 dispelling expelled dispel expelled
14 earthly earthy earthy earthly
15 everyone, Every one everyone Everyone every one
everyone
16 extricate extract extricate extracted
17 few little Few little
18 fort forth Fourth fourth forth fort
19 good well good, good well good, well,
good
20 hardy hearty hardy heart
21 hurdle hurtle hurdle hurtle hurdle
22 intent intense intent intense
23 knight night knights, night knight night
24 liniment lineaments liniment lineament
25 maize maze maize maze, maize maze
26 molten melted melted molten
27 motives motif motive motifs
28 moan mown mown moan, mown moan
29 obsolete obsolescent obsolescent obsolete
30 pier peer pier peer
31 precedents Precedence precedents precedence
32 rap wrap wrap rap
33 rest wrest rest rest wrest
34 wrung rung rung wrung
35 sighed side side sighed, side sighed side
36 step steppes steps steppe
37 tee tea tee tea tea, tee
38 towed toad towed toad
39 vale veil vale veil
40 whet wet wet whet wet

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