When you write in Japanese kana, you might have difficulty adjusting to the Roman alphabet. Spelling can be tough. So let us help with that. Here are word pairs that look alike, and sometimes also sound alike, but have entirely different meanings.
In English, spelling is an important factor in ensuring that the person you are talking to will be able to understand what you are saying. Imagine saying affect when you mean effect, or perfect rather than prefect.
There are words that look alike, and sometimes also sound alike, but would have entirely different meanings. To help you with these words, we’ve compiled a short list of some of the commonly confused words in the English language.
- Affect – Effect
| B2 Affect: to influence something | o TV programs affect children. |
| B1 Effect: result | o TV programs have an effect on children. |
- Access – Assess
| B2 Access: to get information | o Can I access the files in your computer? |
| B2 Assess: to judge | o Can you assess the essay I wrote? |
- Altar – Alter
| Altar: a church table | o He put the wine glass on the altar. |
| B2 Alter: to judge | o He added lime to the wine to alter its taste. |
- Anemia – Amnesia
| Anemia: a blood condition | o He had anemia due to lack of sleep. |
| Amnesia: memory-loss | o He had amnesia due to a car accident. |
- Capital – Capitol
| A2 Capital: a major city | o I live in the country’s capital. |
| Capitol: a government building | o I go to work in the capitol. |
- Complement – Compliment
| Complement: to make something look better | o The blue earrings complement her eyes. |
| C2 Compliment: to say a positive comment | o He complimented her earrings. |
- Dual – Duel
| C1 Dual: two parts | o My phone is dual purpose: for communication and for games. |
| ?? Duel: a fight | o My sister and I almost had a duel because of the phone. |
- Farther – Further
| B2 Farther: more (distance) | o My sister can bike farther than I can. |
| B2 Further: more (idea or explanation) | o My sister described the park further. |
- Martial – Marital
| Martial: relating to war-like conditions | o The country is under martial rule. |
| Marital: relating to marriage | o He experienced marital problems with his old wife. |
- Natural – Neutral
| B1 Natural: from nature | o The company produces natural products. |
| C1 Neutral: no opinion | o The manager was neutral about the issue. |
- Naval – Navel
| C2 Naval: relating to the sea or the navy | o Her father is a naval officer. |
| Navel: the hole in the middle of the stomach | o His navel is quite dirty. |
- Perfect – Prefect
| A2 Perfect: without error | o My look seems perfect. |
| Prefect: an officer | o He is the campus prefect. |
- Principal – Principle
| B1 Principal: main | o His principal reason for inventing the telephone was to talk to his loved ones. |
| C1 Principle: an idea that explains something | o His invention followed engineering principles. |
- Stationary – Stationery
| Stationary: not moving | o The train remained stationary at the last station. |
| ?? Stationery: writing materials | o She brought stationery to the trip. |
- Wreak – Wreck
| Wreak: to cause damage or problems | o The fire will wreak destruction to the city. |
| C2 Wreck: to damage or destroy | o The cranes will wreck homes. |
We hope this list can help you with your spelling and word usage to avoid misunderstandings or confusion. And always remember that when in doubt, you can always consult the dictionary first.
*Levels based on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
**Most dictionaries contain “word usage” or usage examples to verify if the word in question is the right one to use.
Reference
Bell, Masha. (2017). Homophones with different spellings. English Spelling. Retrieved from http://englishspellingproblems.blogspot.com/2013/02/homophones-with-different-spellings.html
Whitten, Richard. (2017). 9 English Word Pairs That Confuse Absolutely Everyone. FluentU. Retrieved from http://www.fluentu.com/english/blog/confusing-word-pairs-in-english/
Rennie Palada
Rennie once won a sword in a writing contest. She wants to relive that exhilarating feeling of other people appreciating what she does by trying her darndest to keep writing. She has pictures of the VSauce boys and All Might and Deku (Boku no Hero Academia) on her desk to keep her motivated.
