ACCEPT vs EXCEPT
 This restaurant does not accept checks.
 This shop is open all days except Monday.
COMPLIMENT vs COMPLEMENT
 Your friend gave me a
nice compliment yesterday.
 The dressing is an expected complement of
salad.
AFFECT vs EFFECT
 The cold weather has really affected her health.
 Did the noise have an effect on your sleep?
ELICIT vs ILLICIT
 They were able to elicit the support of the
public.
 Illicit diamond exports are said to be worth
over $200 million.
ITS vs IT’S
 A car is no good without its wheels.
 “Do you know where my purse is?” – “It’s on
the table”.
PRINCIPAL vs PRINCIPLE
 The principal is a very busy woman.
 This principle applies to all kinds of selling.
STATIONARY vs STATIONERY
 The traffic got slower and slower until it
was stationary.
 In order to compose my letter, I will need
some stationery.
THEN vs THAN
 Finish your homework and then we will go out
for dinner.
 It’s warmer in Florida than in North Dakota.
THERE THEIR THEY’RE
 There will be a party tomorrow.
 This is their room and that is ours.
 If they’re ready, we can go.
THREW vs THROUGH
 He threw the ball to me, and I caught it.
 The sunlight coming through the window woke
me up.
TO TOO TWO
 She stood up and walked to the window.
 I ate too quickly and got hiccoughs.
 There is a gulf between the two cities.
YOUR vs YOU’RE
 You need to readjust your attitude.
 You’re the best friend I have ever had.
BORN vs BORNE
 James was born to be a great composer.
 The sound of music was borne along on the
wind.
BREAK vs BRAKE
 Please don’t touch the vase or else it will break.
 She pressed her foot down sharply on
the brake pedal.
PLAIN vs PLANE
 The problem is quite plain to us.
 He went to New York by plane.
WHOSE vs WHO’S
 She’s an artist whose work I really admire.
 This is my brother, who’s an accountant.
BARE vs BEAR
 Don’t walk around outside in your bare feet.
 I can’t bear having cats in the house.
WEATHER vs WHETHER
 Did you have good weather on your trip?
 Maurice asked me whether I needed any help.
PAST vs PASSED
 She’s very cagey about her past life.
 My examination was a cinch and
I passed easily.
DISCREET vs DISCRETE
 He is very discreet in giving his opinions.
 The pizza came as eight discrete slices.
CAPITAL vs CAPITOL
 Washington is the capital of the United States.
 They marched in procession to
the capitol building.
LED vs LEAD
 The receptionist led the way to the boardroom.
 The road will lead you back to the garden.

 COUNCIL vs COUNSEL
 Members of the council are elected annually.
 I would counsel you to say nothing about the
affair.
CUE vs QUEUE
 They all took their cue from their leader.
 We stood in a queue for half an hour.
APART vs A PART
 Their birthdays are only three days apart.
 I’m happy to have been a part of your life.
MAYBE vs MAY BE
 Maybe you’ll have better luck next time.
 They may be in for some bad weather.
THYME vs TIME
 I saw saxifrages and wild thyme and others that
were unfamiliar to me.
 There is no time like the present.
ALTOGETHER vs ALL TOGETHER
 I don’t altogether agree with you.
 Can you put your books all together in this
box?
ADVICE vs ADVISE
 I really need to get some basic financial advice.
 I strongly advise you not to do this.
PREMIER vs PREMIERE
 He is doing a second year as premier.
 Lots of celebrities were at the film premiere.
AID vs AIDE
 Vitamin D is necessary to aid the absorption of
calcium from food.
 The aide reported to Daley that he was a
perfect choice.
LETS vs LET’S
 Max lets the door swing open.
 Let’s all get together over Christmas.
PAIR vs PEAR
 This pair of shoes fit me well.
 The pear is a delicious fruit and I like it very
much.
PEACE vs PIECE
 Why can’t they live together in peace?
 Can you manage another piece of cake?
PROFIT vs PROPHET
 Our daily profit is usually around $500.
 Mohammed is the prophet of the Muslims.
SAUCE vs SOURCE
 Pour the sauce over the pasta and serve
immediately.
 Your local library will be a useful source of
information.
REAL vs REEL
 Don’t call me unless it is a real emergency.
 The baby raveled the reel of thread up.
SIGHT vs SITE
 It was love at first sight.
 I picked a sheltered site for the tent.
RIGHT vs WRITE
 None of the answers are right.
 She plans to write her memoirs.

AISLE vs ISLE
 You can check out at aisle eight.
 He is from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea.
SHORE vs SURE
 He was standing on the shore.
 I’m sure you can do an excellent job next time.
SOLE vs SOUL
 I’ve got a hole in the sole of my shoe.
 Punctuality is the soul of business.
FOUR vs FOR
 This lesson is divided into four units.
 Don’t climb a tree to look for fish.
EIGHT vs ATE
 I work eight hours a day.
 She ate a small lunch before the meeting.
CEREAL vs SERIAL
 I have a bowl of cereal every morning.
 Each computer has a serial number on it.
MEAT vs MEET
 She cut the meat into small pieces.
 If there is if, I hope I don’t meet you.
MAIZE vs MAZE
 The villagers grow coffee and maize to sell in
the market.
 I was led through a maze of corridors.
SON vs SUN
 Their son will start college in September.
 The sun disappeared behind heavy clouds.
HAIR vs HARE
 His black hair gleamed in the sun.
 The hare crouches low on the ground.
STEAL vs STEEL
 He tried to strangle a border policeman
and steal his gun.
 Guitar strings nowadays are made from steel or
nylon.
CENT vs SCENT
 I am sure that he will pay back every cent he
owes you.
 The scent of the flowers was wafted to us by
the breeze.
HEAL vs HEEL
 This kind of ointment will heal the scald.
 I put a moleskin patch on my heel.
ACCEDE vs EXCEED
 Will you accede to her request?
 Working hours must not exceed 42 hours a
week.
ADDITION vs EDITION
 Ann will be a very useful addition to our team.
 The first edition was published in 1998.
SWEET vs SUITE
 Too much sweet food is bad for your teeth.
 She has a suite of rooms in the hotel.
ALL READY vs ALREADY
 I was all ready to leave when the phone rang.
 She had already gone when I arrived.
GAGE vs GAUGE
 What gage of wire do you require?
 The petrol gauge is still on full.
NONE vs NUN
 None of us was going to the party.
 I decide to become a nun.
MARRY vs MERRY
 I am going to marry John.
 I wish you a Merry Christmas.
FARE vs FAIR
 When do they start paying full fare?
 Fair words will not fill the belly.
KNOW vs NO
 Let me know when they come.
 No man can do two things at once.
DEER vs DEAR
 The hunter hit at a deer with his gun.
 She was a very dear friend.
BEER vs BIER
 Where can I buy some beer?
 He began to wail like a man at a bier.
WAIT vs WEIGHT
 Let’s wait until the rain stops.
 It is about 76 kilos in weight.
BEET vs BEAT
 The demonstration plant is currently
using beet sugar.
 I will love you with every beat of my heart.
LEEK vs LEAK
 Do you also like to eat leek?
 The boat had a small leak.
WEAR vs WHERE
 I wear blue-tinted glasses on sunny days.
 Where are you going on your honeymoon?
BELL vs BELLE
 The bell has rung for a long time.
 You were the belle of the ball.
CELL vs SELL
 He was left to sober up in a police cell.
 They sell all kinds of things.
SOME vs SUM
  I have some work to do this evening.
 He donated a large sum of money to the
orphanage.
BERRY vs BURY
 This kind of jam is made of berry.
 She had learned to bury her feelings.
KNIGHT vs NIGHT
 He was made an honorary knight.
 Now I shall go to sleep. Good night.
 VARY vs VERY
 Test scores vary from school to school.
 I’m very optimistic about our chances of
success.
I vs EYE
 I don’ t want to go home in the dark.
 The eye is the organ of sight.
FAIRY vs FERRY
 He likes to listen to fairy stories.
 He went over the river by ferry boat.
WEAK vs WEEK
 She is still weak after her illness.
 We’re having an oral test this week.
SCENE vs SEEN
 I can hardly imagine such a scene.
 Karen had seldom seen him so angry.
BUY BY BYE
 What do you want to buy?
 She sent the letter by airmail.
 Bye, see you tomorrow.
FLOUR vs FLOWER
 He added some flour to thicken the soup.
 A single flower does not make a spring.
WE’LL vs WHEEL
 We’ll go there by air.
 He spun the wheel of his bicycle.
SINK vs SYNCH
 She filled the sink with hot water.
 Do you want to synch to protected actuals?
TALE vs TAIL
 Is there anyone who can tell a fairy tale?
 Don’t toy with the cat’s tail.
SLAY vs SLEIGH
 Those old movies still slay me!
 They traveled across the snow in a sleigh.
STEAK vs STAKE
 The main dish is steak.
 He set the stake in the ground.
VEIN vs VAIN
 The team has hit a rich vein of form recently.
 She’s just a vain, foolish woman.
RED vs READ
 She was wearing a red hat.
 She listened closely while he read the letter.
LESSEN vs LESSON
 We invest broadly to lessen the risk.
 He illustrates the lesson with a picture.
TROOP vs TROUPE
 The troop trotted the hills and valleys.
 The troupe produced a new play last night.
TUBA vs TUBER
 He taught himself to play the tuba.
 The potato is a tuber plant.
STALK vs STORK
 Two flowers usually develop on each stalk.
 The stork is starting to move.
CHECK vs CZECH
 Let me check your blood pressure.
 The River Elbe flows through
the Czech Republic.
DRAFT vs DRAUGHT
 I read the first draft and thought it was very
good.
 This beer is not available on draught.
CLIQUE vs CLICK
 Our golf club is run by a very
unfriendly clique.
 Click on the icon to open the file.
COLONEL vs KERNEL
 The colonel paraded his troops.
 The nutshell includes the kernel.
ROOMER vs RUMOR
 So I thought maybe I’d take in a roomer.
 The rumor rocked the whole city.
ROLE vs ROLL
 Money played an important role in his life.
 She was chomping on a bread roll.
BLUE vs BLEW
 The sky was blue and clean.
 A cold wind blew from the northwest.
FATHER vs FARTHER
 Father needs a new electronic shaver.
 How much farther is it to the airport?
SEA vs SEE
 She never swims in the sea.
 Could you come and see me tomorrow?
GRATE vs GREAT
 There were red coals in the grate.
 I have a great affection for New York.
HEAR vs HERE
 I can hear voices through the wall.
 Is there a post office near here?
BAND vs BANNED
 She’s a singer with a band.
 Smoking is banned in the building.
BEAN vs BEEN
 Add bean sprouts and cook another half
minute.
 He’s been working hard all day.
CORAL vs CHORAL
 She was wearing a coral necklace.
 The third and final section of the evening
was choral.
WHOLE vs HOLE
 I spent the whole day cleaning.
 There was a huge hole in the road.
TIDE vs TIED
 These rocks are awash at high tide.
 He tied a scarf around his neck.
ROOT vs ROUTE
 We have to get to the root of the problem.
 What’s the best route to Cambridge?
WALL vs WAUL
 He fixed a picture to the wall.
 Waul, what a tragic world!
ALOUD vs ALLOWED
 He read his sister’s letter aloud.
 I allowed the children to dip their bread into the
soup.
PALATE vs PALLET
 The new flavor pleased his palate.
 She trips and falls down on to the pallet.
HOUR vs OUR
 He left the house over an hour ago.
 He is our coach in football.
NIECE vs NICE
 He has a pretty niece.
 The girl bought a nice handbag.
BARON vs BARREN
 The Baron lived in a castle.
 The land is barren on the east coast.
CORE vs CORPS
 He’s a politician to the core.
 The transport corps is ancillary to the infantry.
BREAD vs BRED
 I had three pieces of bread for breakfast this
morning.
 Ian was born and bred in Gloucester.
WINE vs WHINE
 The wine has a peculiar taste.
 She spoke with a whine.
IDLE vs IDOL
 She’s a great one for idle gossip.
 He has been my idol since I was a child.
WOOD vs WOULD
 Wood does not sink in water.
 Would you mind if I went with you?
WHICH vs WITCH
 Which one do you like better?
 The witch disappeared in a puff of smoke.
HI vs HIGH
 Hi, Kelly. How are you?
 The standard of her work is high.
LONE vs LOAN
 He was shot by a lone gunman.
 I had to take out a loan to buy my car.