The following is a list of commonly confused words that would be helpful in identifying grammatically erroneous sentences, choosing the appropriate word and fill in the blanks type of questions:
1. Sympathy, empathy, apathy
Sympathy: feelings of pity and sorrow
Empathy: experience of understanding another person’s condition from their perspective
Apathy: lack of concern
2. Compliment, complement
Compliment: praise
Complement: something that completes
3. Confectionery, confectionary
Confectionery: sweet items selling shop
Confectionary: sweet items
4. Strait, straight
Strait: a naturally formed, narrow, typically navigable waterway that connects two larger bodies of water
Straight: in a single direction, without a bend
5. Rode, road
Rode: past tense of ride
Road: a path
6. Accept, except, expect
Accept: tolerate or submit to
Except: other than
Expect: regard as likely to happen
7. Moral, morale, mural
Moral: concerned with principles of right and wrong behaviour
Morale: confidence, enthusiasm, and discipline
Mural: work of art involving a wall
8. Advice, advise
Advice (noun): opinion or recommendation
Advise (verb): to offer advice
9. Lead, led
Lead: initiate, be in the first place (noun); be a route/means (verb)
Led: past and past participle form of lead
10. Alter, altar
Alter: to change
Altar: sacred platform or place
11. Canvass, canvas
Canvass: garner votes, propose and idea
Canvas: a variant of cloth used as a surface to paint
12. Metal, mettle
Metal: an element which is strong, shiny, and can be moulded into sheets and wires
Mettle: spirit, resilience
13. Rain, reign, rein
Rain: condensed moisture that falls from the sky
Reign: rule
Rein: a strap used to control an animal
14. Taut, taught
Taut: tight
Taught: past tense of teach
15. Adverse, averse, everse, subverse, perverse
Adverse: unfavorable
Averse: opposed to
Everse: to overthrow
Subversive: intending to overthrow an established order
Perverse: contrary to the accepted or expected standard
16. Respectfully, respectively
Respectfully: courteous and considerate
Respectively: in an order previously mentioned
17. Their, there, they are
Their: belonging to those who have been mentioned previously
There: a location in space
They are: a contraction of ‘they’re’
18. Meat, mate, mete, meet
Meat: flesh/food of any kind
Mate: partner
Mete: give out measured justice
Meet: gathering (noun); join/touch (verb)
19. Affect, effect
Affect: to influence (verb); emotional response (noun)
Effect: result (noun); to cause (verb)
20. Aisle, isle
Aisle: space between rows
Isle: island
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