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Here are some pairs of words that English learners get confused by.

You can post any other words that you think they may confuse learners.



fun and funny

Both of these are positive adjectives.
fun: something that is enjoyable. Something that we enjoy.
'Going to the park with friends is fun.'
funny: something that makes us laugh is funny.
'The comedy I saw last night was really funny. I laughed and laughed.'


lose and loose

These two words are often confused in written English. They have very different meanings.
lose: is a present tense verb. The simple past and past participle forms are both lost. Lose has two meanings:
To no longer possess something because you do not know where it is.
'Try not to lose this key, it's the only one we have.'
Not to win or draw (tie) in a game or sport. To be beaten.
'I always lose when I play tennis against my sister. She's too good.'
Loose: is an adjective which means the opposite of tight. Something which does not fit properly is loose.
'His shirt is too loose because he is so thin.'


advise and advice

Both of these have the same meaning. They mean recommend.
Advice is the noun form. Advise is the verb form.
'She never listens to my advice.'
'I advise you to spend more time planning projects in the future.'


embarrassed and ashamed

The difference between these two adjectives is that ashamed is a much stronger word. It is used in very serious situations.
Embarrassed: to feel uncomfortable in a social situation because of your actions or because of what someone has done to you.
'I felt embarrassed when I fell over in the street. Lots of people saw me fall. My face turned red.'
Ashamed: to feel guilt or strong embarrassment over your actions.
'I am ashamed to tell you that i was arrested by the police '


lend and borrow

Both lend and borrow are verbs. Although they are used in the same situation, they are opposites.
Lend: to give something to someone. They will give it back to you when they are finished with it.
'I will lend you my car while I am away on holiday.'
Borrow: to receive or 'get' something from someone for a short period of time.


affect and effect

Affect: to influence, to pretend (verbs); feeling (noun)
'Her affect is always sour in the morning. '
Effect: a result; being in operation (nouns); to make happen (verb)
'The new state income tax was in effect last fall.'


its and it's

Its: belonging to it (possessive pronoun)
The dog wagged its tail.
It's: it is (contraction)
The dog thinks it's fun to wag its tail.


your and you're

Your: belonging to you (possessive pronoun)
Is this your book?
You're: contraction of you are
You're a smart guy


than and then

Than: used in comparison (conjunction)
My dad is stronger than your dad.
Then: at that time; next in order of time (adverb)
We'll eat; then we'll go to the movie.


their and there

Their: belonging to them
The students got their results last week.
There: that place, in that place
Is anybody there?

thanks for the useful lesson onegame

ACCEPT-to receive
He accepts defeat well.

EXCEPT-to take or leave out
Please take all the books off the shelf except for the red one.

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A LOT(two words)-many.

ALOT (one word)-Not the correct form.
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ALLUSION-an indirect reference
The professor made an allusion to Virginia Woolf's work.

ILLUSION-a false perception of reality
They saw a mirage: that is a type of illusion one sees in the desert.
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ALL READY-prepared
Dinner was all ready when the guests arrived.

ALREADY-by this time
The turkey was already burned when the guests arrived.
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ALTOGETHER-entirely
Altogether, I thought that the student's presentation was well planned.

ALL TOGETHER-gathered, with everything in one place
We were all together at the family reunion last spring.
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APART-to be separated
The chain-link fence kept the angry dogs apart. OR My old car fell apart before we reached California.

A PART-to be joined with
The new course was a part of the new field of study at the university. OR A part of this plan involves getting started at dawn.
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ASCENT- climb
The plane's ascent made my ears pop.

ASSENT-agreement
The martian assented to undergo experiments.
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BREATH-noun, air inhaled or exhaled
You could see his breath in the cold air.

BREATHE-verb, to inhale or exhale
If you don't breathe, then you are dead.
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CAPITAL-seat of government. Also financial resources.
The capital of Virginia is Richmond.

The firm had enough capital to build the new plant.

CAPITOL-the actual building in which the legislative body meets
The governor announced his resignation in a speech given at the capitol today.
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CITE-to quote or document
I cited ten quotes from the same author in my paper.

SIGHT-vision
The sight of the American flag arouses different emotions in different parts of the world.

SITE-position or place
The new office building was built on the site of a cemetary.
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COMPLEMENT-noun, something that completes; verb, to complete
A nice dry white wine complements a seafood entree.

COMPLIMENT-noun, praise; verb, to praise
The professor complimented Betty on her proper use of a comma.
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CONSCIENCE-sense of right and wrong
The student's conscience kept him from cheating on the exam.

CONSCIOUS-awake
I was conscious when the burglar entered the house.
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COUNCIL-a group that consults or advises
The men and women on the council voted in favor of an outdoor concert in their town.

COUNSEL-to advise
The parole officer counseled the convict before he was released.
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ELICIT-to draw or bring out
The teacher elicited the correct response from the student.

ILLICIT-illegal
The Columbian drug lord was arrested for his illicit activities.
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EMINENT-famous, respected
The eminent podiatrist won the Physician of the Year award.

IMMANENT-inherent or intrinsic
The meaning of the poem was immanent, and not easily recognized.

IMMINENT-ready to take place
A fight between my sister and me is imminent from the moment I enter my house.
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LEAD-noun, a type of metal
Is that pipe made of lead?

LED-verb, past tense of the verb "to lead"
She led the campers on an over-night hike.

LIE-to lie down (a person or animal. hint: people can tell lies)
I have a headache, so I'm going to lie down for a while.

(also lying, lay, has/have lain--The dog has lain in the shade all day; yesterday, the dog lay there for twelve hours).

LAY-to lay an object down.
"Lay down that shotgun, Pappy!" The sheriff demanded of the crazed moonshiner.

The town lay at the foot of the mountain.

(also laying, laid, has/have laid--At that point, Pappy laid the shotgun on the ground).
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PASSED-verb, past tense of "to pass," to have moved
The tornado passed through the city quickly, but it caused great damage.

PAST-belonging to a former time or place
Who was the past president of Microsquish Computers?

Go past the fire station and turn right.
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PRECEDE-to come before
Pre-writing precedes the rough draft of good papers.

PROCEED-to go forward
He proceeded to pass back the failing grades on the exam.
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PRINCIPAL-adjective, most important; noun, a person who has authority
The principal ingredient in chocolate chip cookies is chocolate chips.

The principal of the school does the announcements each morning.

PRINCIPLE-a general or fundamental truth
The study was based on the principle of gravity.
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QUOTE-verb, to cite
I would like to quote Dickens in my next paper.

QUOTATION-noun, the act of citing
The book of famous quotations inspired us all.
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STATIONARY-standing still
The accident was my fault because I ran into a stationary object.

STATIONERY-writing paper
My mother bought me stationery that was on recycled paper.
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SUPPOSED TO-correct form for "to be obligated to" or "presumed to" NOT "suppose to"

SUPPOSE-to guess or make a conjecture
Do you suppose we will get to the airport on time? When is our plane supposed to arrive? We are supposed to check our bags before we board, but I suppose we could do that at the curb and save time.
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THROUGH-by means of; finished; into or out of
He plowed right through the other team's defensive line.

THREW-past tense of throw
She threw away his love love letters.

THOROUGH-careful or complete
John thoroughly cleaned his room; there was not even a speck of dust when he finished.

THOUGH-however; nevertheless
He's really a sweetheart though he looks tough on the outside.
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WHO-pronoun, referring to a person or persons
Jane wondered how Jack, who is so smart, could be having difficulties in Calculus.

WHICH-pronoun, replacing a singular or plural thing(s);not used to refer to persons
Which section of history did you get into?

THAT-used to refer to things or a group or class of people
I lost the book that I bought last week.
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WHO-used as a subject or as a subject complement
John is the man who can get the job done.

WHOM-used as an object
Whom did Sarah choose as her replacement?