Common Mistakes and Confusing Words in English

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Let's face it, English can be confusing. A lot of words are similar but with different meanings.
It is almost impossible to avoid making mistakes in English, but if you can get your head
around these explanations, you might be able to avoid making these ones.

accept vs except | advice vs advise

affect vs effect | a lot/alot/allot 
all ready vs already | all right vs alright | allude vs elude | alone vs lonely
altogether vs all together | ambivalent vs indifferent
any vs some | any one vs anyone
apart vs a part | astrology vs astronomy | at vs in
been vs gone | beside vs besides
bored vs boring | borrow vs lend 
bought vs brought | by vs until
career vs carrier vs courier | certain vs curtain | check vs control | come over vs overcome
complement vs compliment
concentrate vs concentrated | council vs counsel 
councillor vs counsellor | curious vs interesting | curtain vs certain
data vs datum | decent vs descent
defrost vs melt | desperate vs disparate
discreet vs discrete | do or make 
don't have to vs mustn't | dose vs doze | downside vs underside 
dress up vs get dressed | driving test vs test drive 
effect vs affect | e.g. or i.e. | -er vs -re | either or vs neither nor 
either vs as well / too
enquire vs inquire | enquiry vs inquiry 
every day vs everyday | excited vs exciting
expand vs expend | experience vs experience(s) 
fewer vs less | for vs since (time) | get dressed vs dress up
good vs well | going out vs outgoing | gone vs been
hard vs hardly | hear vs listen | heroin vs heroine | he's vs his
holiday vs the weekend | homework vs housework 
"How do you do?" vs "How are you?"
I vs me | improve vs improvise
inquire vs enquire | inquiry vs enquiry 
interested vs interesting | interesting vs curious
later vs latter | lay vs lie | lay down vs lie down | learn vs teach | less vs fewer
look after vs look for | look at vs watch
look forward(s) vs look forward to 
look over vs overlook | loose vs lose 
massage vs message | me vs I | me vs my | moan vs mourn
moral vs morale | most vs the most | most vs mostly | my vs me
neither | nor vs or
outgoing vs going out
overlook vs look over | overtake vs takeover / take over
of course vs off course
personal vs personnel | practice vs practise
precede vs proceed | principal vs principle
quiet vs quite
raise/rise | -re vs -er | regard vs regardless vs regards
remember vs remind | replay vs reply
said vs told | say vs talk | say vs tell | scared vs scary
see vs watch | shortage vs shortness 
so vs such | some vs any | some time vs sometime vs sometimes | stationary vs stationery
take care vs take care of | talk vs say | teach vs learn
tell vs say | than vs then | that/which/who
then vs than | told vs said | to/too/two | there/their/they're
trainer vs trainee | travel/trip/voyage/journey
used to vs used to do
wander vs wonder | warn vs worn | watch vs look at | watch vs see | what vs which | who vs
whom 
wrong vs wrongly

Tests and Quizzes

If you want the definition of any of the words below just double click on the word.