65950098 Alpha Dictionary Often Confused False Cognates Words in English All

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    Word Frequency Lists Translation Services Word Databases

    Our Sp

    Techn

    Transl

    Ionic Air

    Denver C

    Archi

    Scho

    Fundraisin

    Draws

    Backp

    Wristb

    Lanya

    Kooz

    English TCenterEsteemedFaculty & Materials AcademicExcellencUp!www.TheSch

    250 Often Confused W ordsBelow is a list of m o re than 250 w ords tha t speakers a nd w riters o f Eng lish oft en

    co nfuse. They a re ca lled false cognates beca use they sound o r are w ritt en so

    similarly tha t they are o ften c on fused. Even if you are a n excellent w riter, you shou ld

    read throug h this list; otherwise, how w ill you know if you a re confusing any w o rds?

    We w ill soo n hav e a q uiz tha t will help you chec k your know ledge of the m ost

    co m mo n false English co gna tes.

    The list broken into severa l shorter pa ges

    The Confused Word Quizzes

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    A

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    a lotallot

    A lot is tw o w o rds m eaning "much": A lot o f bolog na w as left

    ov er from the p arty.

    a whileawhile

    A while is tw o w ords m eaning "a short period o f time": I will

    m eet you in a w hile.

    aanand

    A is an indefinite article to be used before nouns beginning

    w ith a co nsona nt: a photograph, a tree, a horse.

    An is to be used befo re nouns beg inning w ith a vo w el (or

    vowel sound): anapple, a nhour, a nelephant.

    And is a co njunction used bet w een nouns in a list: A b lanket

    and picnic ba sket are needed for the afternoon.

    accedeexceed

    Accede means "to agree or allow": Hiram Cheaply finally

    accededto ac cepting the presidency of the co m pa ny.

    Exceed m ea ns "to g o beyond , to surpa ss": The a m ount o f

    alco hol in his bloo d exceeded the p revious reco rd.

    acceptexcept

    Accept m ea ns "to ta ke w illingly": Miss Deed s accepted the

    cup o f hot tea even w ithout a saucer.

    Except is a p repo sition m eaning "exclud ing": Everyone w as

    disap po inted w ith the party exceptIda Goodt ime.

    adaptadeptadopt

    Adapt means "to adjust": Minnie Miles quickly adapted to

    living aw ay from hom e.

    Adept m eans "skilled": Lucille is ad ept a t speaking lang uag es.

    Adopt m eans to "a ccep t a s your o w n": It w as difficult t o

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    .

    adverseaverse

    Adverse m ea ns "unfa vo rab le, hostile": Tho se driving in

    ad verse w inter cond itions ma y be p utting them selves a t risk.

    Averse m eans "unw illing o r rep elled": She w as imm ed iate ly

    av erse to t he idea.

    adviceadvise

    Advice is a no un mea ning "an o pinion given w ith the

    intention of helping": My mother still gives me advice even

    tho ug h I'm 40 years o ld.

    Advise is a verb m ea ning "to giv e co unsel or ad vice": The

    m eteo rolog ist a dv ised listeners to sta y indo ors bec a use of the

    extremely cold temperatures.

    affecteffect

    Affect is most often used as a verb meaning "to influence":

    The p resident 's speech a ffect ed his view s o f the up co m ing

    election.

    The ve rb effect means "to cause": Batting her eyes so

    flirta tiously effected a strong d esire in Rat hbo ne to em brac e

    Mirabelle.

    a idaide

    Aid is help o r assista nc e g iven: Eve ry Ch ristm as theco mm unity gives aid t o tho se less fortunate.

    An aide is a p erson w ho helps: Frieda Gog h w orked five years

    as a tea cher's aid e.

    airsheirs

    Airs refers to sno bb ish a nd a rtificial b ehavio r: Portia Radclyffe

    put o n airs a t the fine dinner pa rty just b eca use she ha d a few

    diamonds.

    Heirs are peo ple w ho, bec ause t hey are fam ily, will inherit an

    estate or title.

    a ll rightalright

    All right is a phrase meaning "everything is right": Is all right

    here?

    Alright is a single w ord mea ning "OK": Is everything alright

    here?

    a ll togetheraltogether

    All together is applied to people or things that are being

    treated as a who le: We a lwa ys had fun w hen we w ere all

    to get her. To do uble chec k this usag e, try sepa ra ting the tw o

    w ords: We all had fun w hen w ere tog ether.

    Altogether is an adverb that means "completely or totally":

    Using a flashlight in b ed is an a ltog ether new ap proa ch to

    reading.

    a ll wa ysalways

    All ways means "by every means or method": Dirk tried all

    w ays to navigat e the storm.

    Always m ea ns "forev er": Sue St. Marie a lw ays respo nded

    calmly during emergency situations.

    alludeelude

    Allude means "to suggest indirectly": Leticia can't speak to

    her husba nd w ithout alluding to his affair with Martha

    Sno d grass.

    Elude m ea ns "to dodg e o r esca pe": Serio us relat ionships

    alw ays seemed to elude him.

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    a usonillusion

    n a us on s a su e re e rence o r n : a oo m a e an

    allusion to the m o st recent no vel she read in our co nversat ion

    yeste rd ay.

    An illusion is a d ecep tion, m irag e, or a w ild idea: The teac her

    said she had no illusions about how much work teaching

    dem and s.

    almostmost

    Almost means "nearly all": Almost all my friends have

    gradua ted from co llege by now .

    Most is superlative of more, mea ning "the g reatest or to t he

    highest degree": Chuck is the most computer savvy guy Iknow , or Chuck coo ked a m ost d elicious supp er.

    aloudallowed

    Aloud means "speaking so that someone else can hear you":

    Read this pa rag rap h aloud.

    Allowed m ea ns "hav ing p ermission": His bo ss a llow ed him t o

    take the w eekend o ff.

    already, allready

    Already is a n ad verb that indicat es an a ction is co m pleted

    by a c ertain time: Herschel ha d already finished tha t w hole

    pie.

    All ready m ea ns "everything is co m p letely prepared ": The

    children w ere a ll read y and bundled up w armly to goca roling o n the snow y evening.

    alternately

    a lternatively

    Alternately means "taking turns": We paddled alternately so

    neither of us w o uld get t oo tired.

    Alternatively mea ns "as an o pt ion": Instea d o f g oing b y train,

    w e co uld have g one alternatively by car.

    ambiguousambivalent

    Ambiguous is describes a phrase or act w ith mo re tha n one

    m ean ing, o r one tha t is unclea r: The end ing o f the short sto ry

    is am biguo us; w e do n't know if he d ied or continue his

    journey.

    Ambivalent means "uncertainty and having conflicting

    at titudes and feelings": He w a s am biva lent as to w hich

    candidate to vote for.

    amiableamicable

    Amiable refers to a p erson w ho is friendly, goo d-na tured, a nd

    pleasa nt: Susan w a s very am iable a nd liked imm ediat ely.

    Amicable means "friendly and peaceable", and is used to

    describe agreem ent s or relatio nships be tw een group s o r

    peo ple: After years of d isag reem ent, the tw o c ount ries ca m e

    to a n am icab le agreement.

    amongbetween

    Among is used fo r three o r mo re: Shirley had to cho ose

    am ong three universities she m ight a ttend .

    Between is used fo r tw o things: I co uldn't d ecide b etw een

    blue and green.

    amoralimmoral

    Amoral means "having no principles at all, good or bad":

    Percy is totally amoral; he is either helping others or helping

    him self at the ir expense.

    Immoral means "bad, lacking good principles": Everything his

    b rothe r does ha rms ot hers w hethe r it bene fits him o r no t.

    amount Amount is used w ith uncount ab le and ab stract no uns: a large

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    num er , ,am ount of dirt.

    Number is used w ith co unta ble and c onc rete plural

    expressions: a number of people, a number of attempts, a

    numb er of nov els, a numb er of trials.

    amusedbemused

    Amused is w hen som ething is ent ertaining : The ch ildren w ere

    am used b y w at ching the kittens play.

    Bemused m eans "bew ildered" or "lost in thoug ht": Georg e

    w as bem used b y the unexpected ending to the m ovie.

    annualannul

    Annual m eans "yea rly": We m ust p ay an annua l tax.

    Annul m eans "to ma ke vo id o r invalid": They w ant to annul

    the m arriage.

    any oneanyone

    Any one means "any one person": Any one of you may go,

    but no t all of you.

    Anyone means "anybody, any person at all": Anyone can

    chew g um and w alk at the sam e t ime.

    anywayanywherenowhereanywaysanywheresnowheres

    Anyway, anywhere, and nowhere are the correct forms.

    aparta pa rt

    Apart is an adverb meaning "in pieces": My plan for my

    va cat ion fell ap art.

    A pa rt is a no un mea ning "one sectio n of": A part of m y heart

    left w hen he did.

    appra iseapprise

    Appraise is to a ssess o r estim a te the w orth o f: to a ppra ise a

    diamond.

    Apprise is to inform or notify: the officer apprised us of our

    rights.

    arcanearchaic

    Arcane refers to things kno w n and understo od by few

    peo ple: Ama nda Lynn tea ches arca ne theo ries of m od ern

    m usic at the c ollege.

    Archaic refers to thing s very, very old and outd at ed : The

    Oxfo rd Eng lish Dictionary co nta ins m any w o rds tha t a re

    archaic.

    aslike

    As ma y be used a s a c onjunction that introd uce depend ent

    clauses: George talks as his father does. Informally, it may also

    be used as a preposition in comparative constructions like:

    Jea n-Claud e is as forgetful a s me (or a s I am ).

    Like is a prepo sition is follow ed b y a noun o r p rono un:

    George looks like his mother. It may also be used as an

    ad jective m eaning "similar": George and I have like m inds.

    ascentassent

    Ascent is an upw ard m ov ement : Leo's ascent to the

    presidency of the co m pa ny ca me slow ly.

    Assent means "to agree to": Greta could not begin the

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    .

    asceticaesthetic

    An ascetic is a person w ho reno unces all m at erial co mfo rts,

    often for religious devotion: the young man lead his ascetic

    lifestyle despite his parents' plans for him. It can also be used

    as an ad ject ive: Etha n Asia led an ascet ic lifestyle.

    Aesthetic refers to the philosophy of beauty or the pleasing

    qua lities of so met hing: The sta tuette Leand er creat ed w as

    lacking in aesthetic qualities.

    ascribedescribe

    Ascribe m eans "to a tt ribute t o ": She a scribed he r feelings of

    jealo usy to insec urity.

    Describe m eans "to show w hat som ething is by draw ing a

    picture w ith wo rd s": Describe in d eta il w hat the m an loo ked

    like.

    aspersiondispersion

    Aspersion is slander, a d am ag ing rema rk: The c am pa ign wa s

    filled w ith one aspersion a fter ano ther.

    Dispersion is the act o f sca tte ring : The d ispersion of seeds w as

    irregular beca use he sow ed the seeds by hand .

    assentascent

    See ascent, a ssent .

    assistanceassistants

    Assista nce is help or aid: the nurses gave assistance to the

    patients.

    Assistants are mo re than o ne a ssista nt, a perso n w ho gives

    help: t he em ergenc y roo m assista nts w ere read y to help

    anyone who ca me throug h the doo r. (See also patience a nd

    patients.)

    assure

    ensureinsure

    Assure m eans "to g ua rantee": He assured her it wa s a q ua lity

    item.

    Ensure m eans "to m ake sure by doub le checking ": The

    custo dian ensured the do o rs to the scho o l w ere lo cked a t

    night.

    Insure m ea ns "to p rov ide insurance": It is w ise to insure your

    house against flood, fire, or theft.

    augeraugur

    An auger is a tool used for digging holes: If you want to ice

    fish, yo u need to first d rill a hole in the ic e w ith an auge r.

    Augur means "to predict, forecast": Leroy's inheritance

    augured happiness for him in the future.

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    B

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    ba dbadly

    Ba d is an a d jective used a fter ve rbs like a m , feel, is, seem ,

    and bec om e: They felt b ad . (Using ba dly here w ould mea n

    tha t t heir skill at feeling is poo r).

    Badly is an a d verb used aft er ot her verbs: They p layed b adly.

    Badly can a lso m ean "g rea tly": They need ed fo od b ad ly.

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    bated

    them is illega l in m ost sta tes.

    Ba ted is seldo m used but m eans "reduced , ab a ted ": Jessica

    ba ted her pace to let her running m ate c atc h up.

    barebear

    Ba re m eans "naked ": Walking in g ra ss w ith b a re feet is

    refreshing.

    Bear is the a nima l, and a lso m eans "to ca rry": Sherma n m ust

    bea r the burden o f flunking m ath tw ice.

    bazaarbizarre

    Bazaar is a n exhibition , m arket, or fa ir: The Sat urda y mo rning

    ba zaa r is w orth seeing even if you buy not hing.

    Bizarre m eans "w eird and unw orld ly": Barry to ld us a b iza rre

    story last night.

    beliefbelieve

    Belief is a noun: He ha d strong beliefs.

    Believe is a verb: She b elieves she c an d o anything.

    besidebesides

    Beside means "next to": Place the dishes beside the sink.

    Besides is an adverb or preposition that means "also,

    ad ditiona lly": I w ould enjoy go ing on a va ca tion b esides.

    betterhad better

    Had better is the co rrect form, used w hen giving ad vice tha t

    hints at an undesirab le consequenc e if not fo llow ed: You ha d

    better go to the do cto r. Don't leave o ut have.

    betweenamong

    See am ong, b etw een.

    biannualbiennial

    Biannual is tw ice in one year: My trip t o the d entist is a

    biannual event.

    Biennia l m ea ns "every tw o years": These flow ers a re b iennia l;

    they bloo m every tw o years.

    bimonthlysemimonthly

    Bimonthly mea ns "every tw o m ont hs": We o rder from the c o-

    op bimo nthly.

    Semimonthly mea ns "tw ice a mo nth (biw eekly)": We hav e our

    house c leaned sem imo nthly.

    blithe

    lithe

    Blithe, an adjective, means "lighthearted and carefree": A

    blithe m oo d ov erco m es us in the spring.Lithe is also an ad jective b ut it m eans "flexible, graceful, and

    supp le": The lithe m o vem ents o f the yoga instruct o r im pressed

    us all.

    blondeblond

    Blonde describes w om en: Brunettes ha ve just a s m uch fun as

    blondes (blonde w om en).

    Blond describes m en: Sean w as not a na tural b lond . This

    distinction is not necessary though: blond is now generally

    accepted for bo th men and w om en.

    boardbored

    Board m eans a few thing s. One is "a long sheet o f w ood ":

    Hiram had to cut the board to make the shelves. It also

    m eans "a co mm ittee": The b oa rd of directors m et to dec ide

    the fat e o f the scho ol. Lastly, it ca n m ean "to get o nto ": She

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    .

    Bored m ea ns "no t interested ": She is bored by the d ry lect ure.

    boreboarboor

    A bore is a boring or tiresome person or thing: Jasper is such a

    bo re w hen he ta lks ab out his ca ts!

    A boar is a male pig: Wild boars abound in this forest.

    A boor is an unrefined, vulg ar p erson: What a bo or Guy w as

    to g et drunk at t he wed ding a nd em ba rrass everyone.

    bornborne

    Born is new ly co m ing int o life: A child w as bo rn at 12:01 New

    Year's day.

    Borne m eans "ca rried": All gossip is bo rne by an ill w ind.

    borrowlendloan

    Borrow is to receive som ething from som eone tem po rarily: to

    bo rrow a b oo k and then return it.

    Lend is a verb that mean "to temporarily give something to

    som eone": Henry w ill lend (o r loa n) Francine a bo ok.

    Loa n is a no un: a ba nk loan. Loa n is often used in Am erica n

    English a s a verb m eaning "to lend": Loa n m e a bo ok, p lease.

    braisebraze

    Braise m eans "to co ok (usua lly mea t) slow ly in liquid": Braised

    m eat is usua lly tender.

    To braze is to sold er or creat e w ith m eta ls such as bronze:

    Shirley brazed a stat ue o f a fa m ous Civil War lea der.

    brakebreak

    Brake m ea ns "to sto p ": You sho uld b rake slow ly o n ice.

    Brea k mea ns "to sm ash": To break a m irro r b ring s sev en years

    of w orse luck than you are hav ing now .

    breath

    breathe

    Brea th is a noun m ea ning "the a ir pulled into the lungs": Take

    a deep b reath a nd relax.Brea the, w ith an E on t he end , is a verb: Just b reathe deeply

    and calm dow n.

    bridalbridle

    Brida l has to do a bride and her w ed ding: June May threw

    her brida l bouq uet to the scream ing c row d o f single w om en.

    A bridle is a halter or restraint, such as a horse bridle: Old

    Frosty didn't like the b rid le ov er his hea d .

    bybuybye

    By is a preposition meaning "next to": Park the car by the

    house.

    Buy means "purchase": Grandpa buys an ice cream cone

    eve ry Sund ay aft ernoo n.

    Bye m ea ns "farew ell or good-bye": Bye, no w ; I'll see you lat er.

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    C

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    ca n't hardly This expression is a no nsta nda rd d o uble neg a tive (hardly isconsidered negative), so avoid it. It is better to say ca n

    hardly: I can hardly hear you over the noise of the party!

    Hardly.

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    canvasca nvass

    Canvas is cloth or fabric: a canvas bag to bring to the

    beach.

    Ca nva ss m eans "to co nduc t a survey or exa mine tho ro ughly",

    o r "to seek v ot es": She c a nvassed a ll the sto res befo re she

    found the right d ress.

    capitalcapitol

    A capital is w here the sea t o f go vernm ent is: The ca pita l of

    the United Sta tes is Washingto n DC. C ap ital c an a lso mea n

    "w ealt h" or "a large let ter".

    The Capitol (usually capitalized) is the actual building in

    w hich the g ov ernment a nd legislature meet s: We w ill trav el

    to the Ca pitol this w eekend.

    censorsensorcensure

    Censor is to prohibit free expression: The principal c ensored all

    references to smoking in school publications.

    A sensor is so me thing tha t interprets stim ulat ion: The light s are

    turned on b y a mo vem ent sensor.

    Censure is rebuke , ha rsh critic ism : Morty Skustin w a s seve rely

    censured for putting t he frog in the w at er coo ler.

    citesitesight

    Cite m eans "to q uot e o r m ention": He c ited a fam ous theo rist

    in his speec h.

    Site is a no un m eaning "a p lace": At w hich site w ill w e sta g e

    the pa rty?

    Sight is a noun m ea ning "view ": The sight o f the New York City

    skyline is spec ta cu lar.

    climacticclimatic

    Climactic refers to the peak: Wendell sneezed right at the

    cl ima ct ic mom ent o f a mo vie.

    Climatic refers to the clima te and w eat her: New Monia is

    know n for its dram at ic clim at ic chang es.

    coa rsecourse

    Coa rse is an a djective mea ning "rough, big-grained, not

    fine": We need to use c oa rse sand pa per to remov e the pa int

    from this w oo d.

    Course is a noun referring to a direction (the course of a ship)

    or a series of lectures on one subject (a history course in

    co llege): The p oet ry co urse Stu deBa ker too k in c olldg e

    cha ng ed t he co urse of his life.

    collaboratecorroborate

    Collaborate mea ns "to w ork tog ether": Co llab orat e with the

    peo ple on your team .

    Corroborate mea ns "to supp ort w ith evidence" or "prov etrue": The testim ony w as corrob orated w ith ev idence o f his

    innocence.

    complementcompliment

    Complement mea ns "to supp lement" or "ma ke com plete":

    Their tw o persona lities co mp lement eac h o ther.

    Compliment m ea ns "to pra ise or cong ratula te": She received

    a co m pliment on her sense o f fashion.

    com posecomprise

    Compose means to "make up" and is often used in the

    passive vo ice: The cla ss is co m posed o f stud ents o f seve ral

    nationalities.

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    correspondencecorrespondents

    Correspondence is ag reement or w ritten com m unicat ion

    such a s letters or new s articles: Phil and Rac hel co ntinued

    their co rrespondence for yea rs.

    Correspondents are tho se w ho w rite this co m munica tion:

    Rhod a Lot t ha s lived a broa d as a new s co rresp ond ent for

    several years.

    could not care

    less

    This expression is oft en co nfusing for Eng lish la ng uage lea rners.

    It is alw ays used w ith a neg at ive and mea ns tha t you rea llydon 't ca re at a ll: Since she w a s sick, Mona co uld no t ca re less

    about doing her homework, or Mona could not care less

    w hich co lor sw ea ter she w ore.

    councilcounselconsul

    A council is a g roup o f peop le called tog ether to m eet on an

    issue: The scho ol b oard co unc il m eet s eve ry Thursday ev ening .

    Counsel is ad vice: I alw ays go to Clyde for co unsel on t he

    to ugh dec ision in m y life.

    A consul is a diplom at ap po inted to protect the cit izens and

    commercial interests of one country in another: If you need

    help sta rting a business in Franc e, t a lk to the US co nsul in

    Paris.

    creakcreek

    Creak ca n b e the no un or verb for a sq ueak o r groa n: The

    creak of t he floo rbo ards alerted Nell that Bernard w as

    sneaking up on her.

    A creek is a sm a ll stream : The kids lov ed to pla y in t he c reek

    on a hot summ er da y.

    crediblecreditable

    Credible m eans "believab le or reliab le": There is no credib le

    evidence that it w as I w ho b roke the lamp.

    Creditable means "worthy of praise or respect": I couldn't

    have b roken the lamp beca use I have a creditab le alibi.

    criteriacriterion

    Criterion is singu la r: There is on ly one criterion fo r this job .

    Criteria is p lural: Severa l criteria need to be m et in o rder for

    us to m ov e forw ard.

    customcostume

    A custom is a cultural tradition: It is a custom in Japan to

    remo ve your shoes w hen entering a hom e.

    A costume is the out fit w orn to represent a p articular time,

    event, or cult ure: What is your co stum e for Ha llow een go ing

    to be?

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    D

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    dairydiary

    A dairy is a fa rm w here milk and m ilk prod ucts are produc ed:

    Madeleine grew up on a da iry and know s how to churn

    butter.

    A diary is the d a ily journa l kept: Rho da Book w rites in her

    d iary for tw o ho urs eve ry night .

    deductionDeduction is d raw ing a general principle from pa rticular fac ts

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    induction

    or instances: I've seen hundreds of robins and they all have

    red b reasts. (General p rincip le-all rob ins ha ve red brea sts. )

    Induction is the explanation of particular facts or instances

    from a g eneral p rinciple: That b ird m ust b e a robin b eca use it

    has a red breast. (General principle-all robins have red

    breasts. )

    denoteconnote

    See co nnot e, deno te.

    describeascribe

    See ascribe, d escribe.

    desertdessert

    Desert mea ns "to ab and on" (and ca n also be a noun,

    m eaning "a w asteland "): Co o ley deserted his fam ily when

    they all go t ta tto os a nd lip piercings.

    Dessert is the sw eet co urse o f a m ea l: The w hole fa m ily

    w ant ed to hav e cake for dessert.

    devicedevise

    A device is an instrument used to perform a ta sk: This d evice

    w ill peel ap p les for you.

    Devise is to creat e o r invent: They w ill devise a scheme to

    continue the business.

    diarydairy

    See dairy, dia ry.

    diversdiverse

    Divers m eans "several": You ca n ta ke that sta tem ent in divers

    w ays.

    Diverse m ea ns "different o r varied ": There are many diverse

    cult ures in the w o rld.

    different fromdifferent tha n

    Different from is the sta nda rd usag e w hen com pa ring tw oth ings: Suzie's sw ea te r is different from Mary's. Do n't say,

    "Different t ha n som eth ing else."

    discreetdiscrete

    Discreet means "modest and prudent": Please be discreet

    ab out t he surp rise pa rty, w e do n't w ant her to find o ut.

    Discrete m eans "sepa rate and d istinc t": Even tho ugh they

    w ere m arried, they kept their money in tw o d iscrete

    accounts.

    disinterested

    uninterested

    Disinterested is an ad jective tha t m eans "unbiased o r

    imp a rtial": Since she ha d no thing at stake, she w as a

    disinterested party in the matter.

    Uninterested m ea ns "not interested ": Anita Job w as just

    uninterested in the o ffer.

    dispersionaspersion

    See a spersion, d ispersion.

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    E

    WORD DEFINITIONS & EXAM PLE

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    e. g.i. e.

    e. g. is a Latin abbreviation meaning "for example": Lucille

    doesn't like fruit, e.g. pears, apples, grapes, and bananas.

    i. e. is a Latin abbreviation meaning "that is (to say)": Myrtle

    had t o leave the roo m , i.e. she had to go to the ba throo m .

    ea ch otherone a nother

    Use each other w hen only tw o ob jects are involved: The tw ins

    love each o ther.

    Use one another in referring to m ore t han t w o ob jects: The

    triplets all love o ne ano ther.

    eachevery

    These are singula r distributiv e p rono uns; use t hem w ith a

    singular verb. Ea ch refers to a single individual in a group:

    Each o f us vo ted d ifferent ly.

    Every refers to a ll the m em bers o f a g roup inclusively: Every

    one o f us vo ted the sam e.

    effectaffect

    See affect, effect .

    elicitillicit

    Elicit is a verb t hat mea ns "to draw out ": The teac her had

    troub le eliciting respo nses from the stud ent s.

    Illicit is an adjective meaning "illegal or illegitimate": Illicit

    drugs or illicit behavior may help you enter jail.

    elude

    allude

    See allude, elude.

    emigrantimmigrant

    An emigrant is a p erson w ho leav es his na tive co untry to

    sett le in anot her: The em igrant s left eve rything behind in

    search of som ething m ore.

    An immigrant refers is perso n w ho m oves to a new co untry:Many im m igrant s sett le in th is co unt ry eve ry yea r.

    emigrateimmigrate

    Emigrate from m eans "to leav e o ne's co untry": Frances

    emig rated to the US.

    Immigrate to means "to settle in another country": Her family

    imm igrated to the US four generations ag o.

    eminentemanantimminent

    Eminent means "of high rank, outstanding, or prestigious": An

    eminent a utho r ca me t o read a t the university.

    Emanant mea ns "send ing o r issuing fo rth": Em ana nt t houg hts

    like those shou ld b e kep t t o yourself.

    Imminent m ea ns "close to happening o r near": Everyone

    w aited a nxiously for an imm inent sto rm p redict ed to a rrive

    shortly.

    enervateinnervate

    Innervate m ea ns "to supp ly w ith nerves or v ita lity": The

    therap ist innervat ed t he sho ulders w ith ma ssag e.

    Enervate is to w ea ken or d estroy the vita lity of: The negat ive

    at titude enervated her enthusiasm .

    entomologyetymology

    Entomology refers to the study of insects: Donald couldn't be

    afraid of b ugs if he w anted t o g et a d egree in entomo logy.

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    Etymology is the stud y of the histo ry o f wo rds a nd w here they

    co me from : The etymo logy of mortify g oes ba ck to Lat in

    m ortuus "dead ". is nice.

    etc. Etc. is Latin for et cetera and means "and so on": You need tobring plates, knives, forks, spoons, etc. to the table. It is a

    go od idea, how ever, to just finish the list, no t letting it end

    with etc. But if you must, use a phrase like "and so on", "and

    so fo rth".

    etherealephemeral

    Etherea l describes something that is light, airy, andintang ible: Ethereal c louds ho vered a b ov e; Everything in the

    ba llroo m looked ethereal.

    Ephemeral refers to anything lasting for a sho rt period : Truth

    can be an ephemeral thing; A creek can be ephemeral if it

    disap pea rs in the m idd le of summ er.

    everyoneevery one

    Everyone m eans "ea ch pe rson": Everyone in the roo m m ust

    leave immediately.Every one refers to each t hing or person individ ua lly: Felice

    put every o ne of the eg gs in the ba sket.

    exceedaccede

    See ac cede, exceed.

    exceptaccept

    See ac cept, except .

    explicitimplicit

    Explicit means "clear and direct": Please give me explicit

    directions.

    Implicit m ea ns "indirectly, w ith som e parts understo od": They

    imp licitly ag reed t o never talk on the subject a ga in.

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    F

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    fa irfare

    A fair is an exhibition of farm produce usually with a

    collection of rides and attractions: Every year our family goes

    to the sta te fair.

    A fare is the fee you p ay to rid e pub lic transpo rtatio n: The fare

    to ride the b us is afforda b le in our to w n.

    fa rtherfurther

    Fa rther has to do w ith d ista nce: How m uch farther is it toPoughkeepsie?

    Further means "additional" or "more": Please give me further

    informa tion a bo ut the best rout e to Poughkeep sie.

    fazepha se

    Fa ze is to d istress or d istu rb : The scrutiny of t he m ed ia d idn 't

    faze Sha ron.

    A phase is a p eriod o f developm ent or a period of t ime in a

    cycle o f event s: Stua rt went through a pha se w hen a ll he d id

    w as eat ho t dog s.

    fewFew is used w hen talking ab out things that ca n be c ounted:

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    less Lureen has a few idea s; a lso a few keys, few clo uds, fewva lues, few disea ses.

    Less is used w hen talking ab out t hings that can't b e counted :

    Lureen show s less perseve rance tha n w e expec ted ; also less

    d ista nc e, less po llutio n, less rain.

    figurativelyliterally

    Figuratively refers to metaphoric speech, not realistic or

    exa ct: To say, "Horac e d ied laug hing," is to speak figurat ively.

    Literally refers to realistic or exact speech: If Horace literally

    died la ughing, he must b e buried (b ut it wa s not such a b adw ay to g o).

    flammableinflammable

    These t w o w o rds bo th m ean "easily set on fire": a highly

    flammable/inflammable substance. However, flammable is

    now used as a w arning to a vo id m isinterpreting the p refix in-

    as nega tion.

    flareflair

    Fla re is to increase greatly, burn brightly, or something that

    p rovid es a bright flam e: The fire in the grill flared b rightly

    w hen Eva to ssed g asoline on it.

    Fla ir refers to a sense of style or a talent: Dutch Masters has a

    flair for entertaining a group of m en.

    flauntflout

    To fla unt m eans "to show off": Maud Lynn Dresser likes to

    flaunt her jew els a t p a rties.

    To flout m ea ns "to show sco rn or co ntem p t for": Larry flouts

    the speed lim it in ev ery sta te w hen it suits his sched ule.

    forbearforebear

    Forbea r m ea ns "to refrain from ": The children simp ly cou ld no t

    forbear laughing in the library.

    A forebear is an anc esto r or forefat her: Our forebears w ho

    found ed this co untry centuries ag o.

    forewordforward

    A foreword is a short introduction at the beginning of a book

    usually written b y som eo ne ot her tha n the a utho r: The

    forew ord of the b oo k exp lains ho w its thesis fits in w ith current

    thinking.

    Forward is an ad verb indica ting mov ement a head o r tow ard

    the fron t: Priscilla m ov es forw ard slow ly in the line at t he

    g rocery sto re.

    forthfourth

    Forth m ea ns "forw a rd, from this p oint ": Barry m ov ed fo rth

    without looking back.

    Fourth indicates an o bject that co mes betw een No. 3 and

    No. 5: Dustin Mop pe t just finished clea ning t he fourth floo r.

    foulfowl

    Foul ca n m eans "o ffensive, rot ten, or unfav orable": Foul

    language, foul meat, and foul weather are unacceptable at

    a p icnic.

    Fowl refers to birds, especia lly dom estic o nes: Chickens,

    ducks, geese, and turkeys a re considered fow l.

    foundfounded

    Found is the past tense of find: I found my glasses only after I

    had stepp ed on them!

    Founded is past tense of the verb found, meaning "to set up

    o r esta blish": My ancesto rs w ere the o nes w ho found ed t his

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    country.

    founderflounder

    Founder mea ns "to run ag round": The bo at found ered o n a

    shoa l in the sto rm.

    Flounder m ea ns "to m ove clum sily, w ith difficulty" or "to

    blunder": Gladys Friday is floundering in college.

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    G WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    gibegybejibe

    Gibe means "to taunt, jeer, make fun of": His classmates

    g ibed Billy Ea rl for w earing his und erwea r ov er his clot hes.

    Gybe m eans "to sw ing a fore-a nd-aft sail from one side o f a

    sailbo at t o the ot her to c hang e course": When the w ind

    shifted, Felix gybed w hen he sho uld ha ve ta cked .

    Jibe refers to b eing in a greem ent : Our view s on eve rything

    from b aseba ll to Soc ra tes seem to jibe.

    gorillaguerrilla

    A gorilla is a large ape: Gorillas live in the African tropicalforest.

    A guerrilla is a m em ber of irreg ula r milita ry tha t uses surprise

    a tt acks on its enem y: Guerrilla w arfare uses tac tics such as

    espionag e, sab ota ge, and am bush.

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    H

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    hail

    hale

    Hail m eans "to g reet or to c om e from ": She ha ils from

    California. Hail also means "balls of ice": Hail damaged thecrops.

    Hale m eans "sound or hea lthy": Minnie Miles is hale a nd hea rty

    enough to run five miles daily.

    hangedhung

    Hanged is past tense of hang in the sense of executing

    som eone b y using a rope a ro und the neck: Outlaw s in the

    Old West w ere hanged w hen they co uld b e caug ht.

    Hung is the past tense of hang, but is used for things: Lyda

    Cain's son never hung up his clothes. Just remember hanged

    is used for p eop le (Yuck!), and hung is used for o the r things.

    hardly This is a w o rd used in a neg at ive sense meaning "ba rely": Lylecould hardly keep his eyes open at the lecture by Rhoda

    Book.

    herdheard

    A herd is a group of a nima ls: Nonnie saw a herd of co w s in

    the p a sture.

    Heard is the past tense of hear: Zelda heard the bells ringing

    for the glorious lead er w ho had recently died .

    herehear

    Here refers to the p lac e w here yo u are: You sho uld co m e here

    m ore often.

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    Hear is to listen w ith the ea rs: Am I speaking loud eno ug h for

    you t o hear me?

    heroinheroine

    Heroin is an illicit d rug: Heroin is a very add icting substanc e.

    A heroine is a fem ale hero in real life or in a sto ry: Marge w as

    treated like a heroine w hen she delivered t he ba b y in a ca b.

    historichistorica l

    Historic refers to som ething in histo ry tha t w as imp o rtant : The

    summ it w as a histo ric m eeting b etw een the co untries.

    Historica l refers to a nything in gene ral histo ry: The w ho le class

    ha d t o d ress in histo rica l costum es for the p lay.

    hoardhorde

    Hoard m eans "to co llect a nd keep for oneself": Sq uirrels ho ard

    ac orns during the w inter.

    A horde is a large g roup: Hordes of peo ple g o C hristm as

    shop ping the d ay a fter Thanksgiv ing.

    holewhole

    A hole is a g ap or spa ce: A mo th m ad e a ho le in my sw eat er.

    Whole m ea ns "co m plet e": Stu Beef ate the w hole p izza

    him self!

    homehone

    Home in is the c orrect phrase here is w hen referring to gett ing

    clo ser to a g oal o r ta rget: The m issile hom ed in elect ronica lly

    on the target.

    Hone means "to sharpen": Denise made a resolution to hone

    her piano playing skills.

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    I

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLESi. e.e. g.

    See e. g ., i. e.

    illicitelicit

    See elicit , illicit .

    illusiona llusion

    See a llusion, illusion.

    immemorial

    immorta limmoral

    Immemorial refers to tha t w hich is beyond time, anc ient:

    These a rtifac ts ha ve b een here since t ime im m em orial.

    Immortal describes things tha t live fo rever: The w ay Rando lph

    drives, he must think that he is immortal.

    Immoral m eans "no t nice, unethic al, ba d": Stea ling is

    immoral.

    immoralamoral

    See am oral, imm oral.

    immigrantemigrant

    See em igra nt, imm igrant .

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    immigrateemigrate

    See em igra te, imm igrat e.

    imminenteminent,emanant

    See em inent .

    implicate, imply Implicate m eans "to closely link or connect ": The blo od on hishand s imp lica ted him in the murder.

    Imply m ea ns "to p oint to , o r sugg est ind irect ly": The v ictim 's

    friend imp lied he tho ught he knew w ho the m urderer w a s.

    implicitexplicit

    See explicit , im plic it.

    implyinfer

    Imply means "to suggest indirectly": Her hesitation implied

    tha t her answ er w as no.

    Infer m eans "to d raw a c onc lusion fro m know n fac ts": He

    inferred tha t t he a nsw er wa s no from her hesitatio n.

    in regard to

    as reg ards

    Both of these mean "referring to", but use one or the other: In

    regard to your proposal I have an idea, or: As regards your

    prop osa l, I hav e a n idea . NOTin rega rds to !

    inchoateincoherent

    Inchoa te describes something in an early stage of

    dev elop ment , and t hat is incom plete: Lucy's plan rema ined

    inchoa te and wa s developed no further.

    Incoherent describes so met hing tha t is lacking c onnec tion or

    o rder: Som e even t houg ht tha t Lucy's p lan w a s just a few

    inco herent tho ughts that didn't ha ng t og ether.

    incredibleincredulous

    Incredible m eans "asto nishing o r difficult to g rasp": The

    incredible p ow er of a to rnad o a ttrac ts sto rm cha sers.

    Incredulous m eans "skept ica l and d isbelieving ": She w as

    incredulous ab out Fred's interpretat ion o f the ev ent.

    inductiondeduction

    See d educ tion, inductio n.

    innervateenervate

    See ene rvat e, innerva te.

    insure

    ensureassure

    See assure, ensure, insure.

    intolerableintolerant

    Intolerable refers to som ething unbea rab le: The hea t d uring

    the sum m er of 2005 wa s into lerable.

    Intolerant refers to a p erson w ho is unab le to a cc ept

    d ifferences in op inion, hab it, or belief: Ma ybelle is into lerant o f

    anyone w ho chew s w ith their m outh op en.

    irregardlessregardless

    Regardless is the co rrect w ord to use, m eaning "without

    rega rd": The young m an left rega rdless o f the w a rnings.

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    .

    itsit's

    Its is the p ossessive form of it, like hers, his, and the irs: The dog

    licked its foot after stepping in maple syrup.

    It's is short fo r 'it is', a c ont ract ion o f tho se tw o w ords: "Well, I

    guess it's [it is] t ime to w ash the d og ag ain."

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    J

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    jibegibegybe

    See g ibe, g ybe, jibe.

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    K

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    kind ofsort of

    Avo id t hese expressions in the sense o f "som ew ha t", "rat her" o r

    "a little" (espec ially a vo id reduc ing them to kinda and sorta).

    The pa ce of the b aseba ll ga me w as rat her [no t kind of] slow .

    knewnew

    Knew is the p ast tense of know : She knew w hat she w a nted

    to say but couldn't say it.

    New m eans "never used ": I ordered a new custo m ca r from

    the facto ry toda y.

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    L WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    latentpatent

    La tent means "present but not visible or active": Just because

    I'm no t in bed do esn't mean that I do n't have a latent virus.

    Pa tent m ea ns "visible, a ct ive, or ob vious": The cla im tha t I

    p inched Marilyn's tush is a p a tent lie!

    laterlatter

    La ter m eans "afterw ard": Co m e later than seven o 'cloc k.

    La tter m eans "the last of tw o things ment ioned": If I have to

    cho ose b etw een b rains or bea uty, I'll ta ke the lat ter.

    laylie

    La y is a transitive verb, w hich m eans it t akes an o bject. It

    m eans "to set or put d ow n flat ": Gwend olyn laid child in the

    crib, or La y a b o ok o n t he ta b le, please. Its form s a re lay, la ys,

    laid , has laid, and is laying.

    Lie is an intransitive verb, so it does not take an object. It

    means "to rest supine or remain in a certain place": I have to

    lie d ow n b eca use I'm no t feeling w ell, o r I like to lie in the

    grass for hours. Its forms are lie, lies, lay, ha s la in, and is lying.

    leadled

    Lea d can be a verb meaning "to guide, be in charge of":

    Greg will lead a group this afternoon. It can also be a noun

    meanin "a t e of metal lic element": Use a lead encil to fil l

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    in your answer sheet.

    Led is the past tense of lead: Greg led the group this

    afternoon.

    lendloanborrow

    Lend is a verb that mean "to temporarily give something to

    som eone": Lucy w ill lend o r loa n C huck her bo oks any da y.

    A loan is a noun mea ning som ething bo rrow ed: Most peo ple

    get a bank loan to buy a house. Loan is also used in

    America n English a s a verb m ea ning "to lend ".

    Borrow is to receive something from someone temporarily:

    Ca n I bo rrow the bo ok if I prom ise to return it tom orrow ?

    lessfew

    See few , less.

    lessenlesson

    Lessen m eans "to d ec rease o r m ake less": She lessened the

    head ac he pain w ith aspirin.

    A lesson is so me thing you learn: A teacher m ight say, "To da y's

    lesson is ab out a ncient Egyp t."

    liablelibel

    Liable m ea ns "leg ally responsible fo r or sub ject t o": Tom is

    liable to pay for the damage if he doesn't prove his

    innocence.

    Libel is a noun that means "a slanderous statement that

    damages another person's reputation": Bertrand was sued for

    libel fo r wha t he printed a b out Phil Anders.

    lighteninglightning

    Lightening is a v erb t hat mea ns "to reduc e the w eight of": My

    course load needs lightening if I am to complete this course

    successfully.

    Lightning refers to the elec trica l d ischa rge in t he sky: Fred

    ca ptured t he ima ge of a b olt of l ightning on film.

    likeas

    See as, like .

    literallyfiguratively

    See fig urat ively, litera lly.

    litheblithe

    See b lithe, lithe .

    loatheloath

    Loa the is a verb m ean ing "to d etest o r dislike g rea tly": Janice

    loat hes anim al c ruelty.

    Loa th is an ad jective m eaning "relucta nt, unw illing": Lanc e

    w as loa th t o a sk for an extension on his term pa per that

    semester.

    looselose

    Loose is not tigh t: A loo se-fitt ing jac ket w as m ore suitab le

    than a shaw l.

    Lose is to misplace and not be able to find: I often lose my

    bea ring s w hen entering a new city. Thank g ood ness I do n't

    lose m y keys tho ug h!

    A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W X Y Z

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    M

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    mannermanor

    Manner is a w ay of d oing or beha ving: Dua ne Pipes insta lled

    the plumb ing in a w orkma n-like ma nner.

    A manor is a house on a n esta te: The cha uffeur drove slow ly

    up to the manor.

    mantelmantle

    A mantel is the shelf ab ov e a fireplac e, or fa ce of o ne:

    Matilda set several ca ndles on the m ant el.

    A mantle is a c loak or blanket: Velma g rab bed her m ant le

    before heading out the do or.

    maritalmartial

    Marital refers to marriage: Bunny and Lance are having

    marital problems.

    Martial refers to w a r or w arriors: Bunny ha s a b lac k belt in

    martial arts.

    marshalmarshall

    A marshal is an officer of highest ranking; it can mean "toa rrang e": The m arsha l ga ve o rders to the t roops.

    Marshall is a verb meaning "to together": Marshall marshaled

    enough strength to w alk past the b ar on his w ay home.

    ma y bemaybe

    May be as tw o w ords m eans "m ight b e": You r read ing g lasses

    m ay be on the night stand .

    Maybe is o ne w ord t hat m eans "perha ps": Maybe yo ur

    reading glasses are on the night stand.

    memyself

    Me is used as a simp le objec t: Susan told m y brother and m e

    ab out her trip to Africa.

    Myself is a reflexive and an emphatic pronoun: I talk to

    m yself [reflexive] o r yo u ca n d o tha t yourself [emp hat ic].

    meet

    metemeat

    Meet mea ns "to get tog ether or connect w ith som eone, to

    enco unter": Elroy plans to meet a co lleag ue for lunch.Mete mea ns "to distribut e": We had to met e out the last o f

    the w at er w hen w e w ere still 20 miles from civilizat ion on o ur

    hiking trip.

    Meat is flesh t hat m a y be eaten: Na tha n is a v eget arian w ho

    do esn't eat m eat a t all.

    milita temitigate

    Militate means "to influence toward or against a change":The banality of Rho da Bo ok's sto ries m ilita ted ag a inst t heir

    becom ing p opular.

    Mitigate means "to lessen, make easier, or bearable": A cold

    co mp ress on your leg w ill mitiga te t he sw elling.

    mordanttrenchant

    Mordant is biting ly sa rcastic: Everyo ne ha ted Ra ym ond 's

    mo rdant com ments.

    Trenchant means "forceful and keen": Raymond received

    trenchant criticism from everyone for his comments.

    See alm ost m ost .

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    almost

    mutemoot

    Mute mea ns "hav ing no sound or witho ut speec h": He w as

    struck m ute b y the ho rror of the events.

    Moot as a noun is a public meeting; as an adjective, the

    m ore com m on usag e, m eans "op en to deb at e" in the UK and

    "no t o pen to debat e" in the US. It is m ost o ften used in the

    phrase moo t po int : When Walter walked in, the question of

    w ho wa s go ing to p ick him up b ecame mo ot.

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    N

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    noknow

    No m eans "the opposite o f yes": They all sa id no in response to

    the latest referendum.

    To know is to understand are realize: I don't want to know

    how you go t up the tree.

    noisomenoisyNoisome means "disgusting, offensive, and potentiallyharmful": A noisom e sm ell arose from the g arba g e ca n.

    Noisy m eans "ma king a lot of sound or rac ket": With so m any

    children, it bec am e a noisy day ca re center.

    nonplussed Nonplussed is often misused in the sense of "calm andunbo thered ". The ac tua l m ea ning is "co nfused o r bew ildered":

    She w as no nplussed by her husba nd 's unusua l behavio r.

    nowherenowheres

    See a nywa y, anyw here, now here; anyw ays, anywheres,

    nowheres.

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    O

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    obeisanceobsequious

    Obeisance is resp ect a nd ho m ag e pa id so meo ne: Farina

    greeted t he queen w ith sincere ob eisanc e.

    Obsequiousness is subm issiveness and an ea gerness to obey:

    The o b seq uiousness o f the w ait er ma de them roll their eyes.

    obtuse

    abstruse

    Obtuse means "lacking quickness of wit or sensitivity, dull,

    dense": Brand on is so o bt use he do esn't ev en know w hen heis being insulted.

    Abstruse mea ns "to o difficult to understa nd fo r the a verag e

    m ind": The p rofessor p resent ed an abstruse m eta p hysica l

    co ncept tha t w ent over our heads.

    one a notherea ch other

    See ea ch o ther, one a not her.

    overdooverdue

    Overdo is to exaggerate something: Marcy overdoes her

    m akeup ev ery mo rning a nd she ends up lo oking like a clow n.

    Overdue indicates something that has missed its deadline:

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    You must return these overdue books to the library

    imm edia tely, or A visit to our grand pa rents is long ov erdue.

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    P

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    pamper

    pander

    To pamper is to co dd le, or treat w ith indulgenc e: The o nly

    time m y m om pa m pers me is w hen I'm sick.

    To pander is to cater to the base needs of others, to sell out:

    Senat o r Throckmo rto n go t elected b y pa ndering to spec ial

    interest groups.

    passedpast

    Pa ssed is the p ast tense o f p ass, to g o by or mov e ahea d of:

    The bo ys pa ssed throug h to w n qu ickly.

    Pa st is a place in t im e that w as before now: You w ould b e

    w ise to reflect o n the pa st a nd learn from it.

    pasture

    pastor

    A pa sture is a plac e w here farm a nima ls graze: Al Falfa p uts

    his co w s out into t he pa sture every morning.

    A pastor is a member of the clergy, a minister of a church:

    Noa h Sarque is the p asto r of the loc a l Bapt ist C hurch.

    patentlatent

    See lat ent, pa tent .

    patiencepatients

    Pa tience is the ab ility to rema in calm ev en w hen dealing

    w ith som eone or so m ething difficult: The tea cher show ed

    infinite pa tience fo r the stud ents strugg ling w ith the read ing

    material. (See a lso a ssistance and a ssistants.)

    Pa tients a re peo ple w ho are sick in a hospita l: The nurse ha d

    several new pa tients to g et to know that w eek.

    peacepiece

    Peace is a sense of ca lm and ab senc e o f w ar or hostility: We

    all hop e for peac e througho ut the w orld.

    A piece is a p art o r segm ent o f so met hing: Helen Highw at er

    lost a piec e o f her jew elry in chu rch last Sund ay.

    peekpiquepeak

    To peek is to look quickly w ithout som eone know ing: The

    child p eeked inside t he gift.

    To pique is to arouse or provoke: Muriel's comment piqued

    Abner's curiosity. Pique can also be used as a noun meaning

    "resentm ent": Sedg ew ick felt a bit of p ique a t the assoc iation

    o f his na me w ith their real esta te schem e.

    A peak is the highest point of something: Chastity decided

    not to drive to the to p o f Pike's Peak d uring t he pea k summ er

    vacation season.

    peerpier

    To peer is to squint a nd g aze strongly at: Melvin had to peer

    throug h fog to keep the ca r on the highwa y.

    a peer is an eq ua l: Fa rnsw orth did n't c onsider anyone his peer

    w hen it ca me to the ga me o f t idd ledy winks.

    A pier is a walkway that juts into a body of water for

    do cking: to he d oc ked his bo at a t the end of the pier.

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    penultimateultimate

    Penultimate means "the next to the last (the ultimate)": Little

    did Al Pacca know that the penult imate shrimp he ate was

    the one that ga ve him foo d p oisoning.

    Ultimate is the last or best: I found the ultimate gift for Gary

    this year.

    perspectiveprospective

    A perspective is a v iew from a certain plac e o r p osition or a

    m enta l outloo k: The p erspec tive from this building is

    spec ta cula r, o r Lydia Pott s has a w ond erful persp ect ive o nlife co nsidering t he fact tha t she ha s 12 kids.

    Prospective is an adjective that means "possible, likely to

    happen": We have several prospective opportunities before

    us.

    persuadeconvince

    See c onvince , persua de .

    pha sefaze

    See faze, phase.

    piquantpique

    Piquant m ea ns "plea sant ly ta rt o r sp icy": This resta uran t servesa piq uant salsa t ha t is absolutely de licious.

    To pique is to arouse or provoke: Grunella piqued Vern's

    curiosity with her question. (See a lso peek.)

    plainplane

    Pla in m ea ns "simp le no t show y" or "a large level region": It

    w as pla in to see tha t Vanessa loved Co nw a y, or Bow ser's

    farm w as on a great plain where w heat g rew w ell.

    A plane is a flat and level surface, a new level, or a n

    airplane: To und ersta nd the eq uat ion o f a p lane surface in

    m athem atics you have to reach a new p lane of

    co nscio usness. Franklin land ed the p lane suc cessfully.

    portentpotent

    A portent is a no un m ea ning "an om en or prop hetic sign o f

    the future": Iva n Oder to o k falling o ut o f bed tha t m orning as

    a po rtent of a greater disaster in the future.

    Potent is an ad jective m eaning "strong and po w erful": Arno ld

    w as a p otent ma n, even at seventy, but c ould not ha ndle

    the po tent m artinis Bella Donna m ad e.

    pourporepore

    To pour is to dispense liq uid from o ne c ont ainer into ano ther:

    She p oured som e m ilk into the gla ss.

    A pore is to study or read intensely: Hilda pored over the

    m at erials night ly.

    Pore also m eans "a sm all op ening in skin through w hich

    m oisture o r air mo ves": Pores are a ll over o ur bo dies.

    practicalpracticable

    Practical refers to being easily used and put into practice: A

    Sw iss Army knife ha s m any pract ica l uses.

    Practicable m ea ns "fea sible o r possible": It is no t a lw a ys

    prac ticab le for a b usy person to use this to ol.

    precedeproceed

    The v erb precede means "to come or go before, in front of":

    The flow er girl preceded the b ride in the procession do w n the

    aisle.

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    Proceed m eans "to mo ve fo rwa rd": Bo th the flow er girl and

    the bride p roc eeded d ow n the aisle at the sam e time.

    premiseprem ises

    A premise usua lly m ea ns "a ssum p tio n": Since the basic

    premise w as wrong , all the co nclusions ba sed o n it w ere

    w rong, too.

    Premises are a house or building and the grounds around it:

    Sm oking is no t a llow ed o n the p remises.

    presencepresents

    Presence m eans "the sta te o f b eing nea r": Ap ril's p resenc e

    w as co mfo rting in Rod 's time o f sorrow .

    Presents are gifts: The g rea test gift is to let som eone give you

    a present.

    principa lprinciple

    A principal is the head of a professional business or school:

    The principal o f the m iddle scho ol is a w om an of p rinciples.

    A principle is a belief: I avo id scho ol p rincipals as a m at ter of

    principle.

    profit

    prophet

    Profit is the m oney earned ab ov e the expense it too k to

    complete the project: Ghislaine and Pierre made a $100,000profit w hen they remo deled a nd sold their house.

    A prophet is a p erson w ho ca n foretell the future and through

    w hich a d ivine presenc e speak s: Atheism is a no n-prop het

    religion.

    profligateprolific

    Profliga te is to be w asteful and extrav aga nt: Esm eralda is so

    p rofligat e tha t she spent t he ent ire million dollars she w on in

    the lo tt ery in one yea r.

    Prolific mea ns "ab unda nt, fruitful, prod ucing m uch": John

    Grisham is a p rolific w riter.

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    Q

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    quietquite

    Quiet mea ns "w ithout sound or mention of": Yo u a re

    supp osed to be q uiet in hosp itals and lib raries.

    Quite ca n mea n either "co mp letely or som ew hat , rat her",

    dep ending on w hat you mea n: I w as quite alone tha t

    Sa turday afternoo n (co m pletely) but the ho urs p assed quite

    quickly (ra ther).

    quotequotation

    Quote is a v erb m eaning "to sta te the exact w ords som eone

    else sa id": The pa sto r quo ted scriptu re from the Bible o r

    Ca rmen q uoted a fam ous psycholog ist in co mp laining to the

    boss.

    A quotation is the ac tua l sta tem ent being q uot ed: Gretchen

    read a quo tation every da y.

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    R

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    rainreignrein

    Ra in is the w at er tha t falls from the sky: Dingw ell didn't have

    sense enoug h to co m e in out o f the ra in.

    Reign is the rule of a king of queen: King Wilhelm reigned

    w ith an iron fist to keep pea ce in the land .

    A rein (usually plural, reins) are the straps of leather used to

    co ntrol a nd g uide a horse: No ma tter how hard Reginald

    pulled o n the reins, the horse w ould no t slow do w n.

    raiseraze

    Ra ise m ea ns "to b uild o r grow ": The fa rmer raises corn. The

    Amish w ill ra ise the w alls o f a building b y no on .

    Ra ze is to d estroy: The scho ol w as razed a nd a new o ne b uilt

    in its pla ce.

    realreally

    Real is a va riant o f rea llyused in dialectal areas (like the

    So uthern US) w here adve rbs a re not d isting uished from

    ad ject ives: She sings real g oo d , in sta nd a rd Eng lish is: She

    sings really w ell.

    Really is an int ensifying a dv erb: Gw end o lyn w as really tired

    after p laying o utside a ll day.

    realityrealty

    Reality m eans "the p erceived w o rld as it is, the true situa tion ":

    She c ould not tell the d ifference b etw een reality and fanta sy.

    Realty is land o r rea l esta te: Rea lty in large c ities is m a rkedly

    expensive.

    rebaterefund

    A rebate is a d isco unt from the m anufac turer to the custo mer

    a fter a purchase ha s been m ad e: The $600 co m pu ter co st

    only $69.43 after all the rebates.

    A refund is a full repaym ent to a dissa tisfied c usto m er: Mildred

    returned her girdle and d em and ed a full refund.

    regimenregiment

    Regimen is a system a tic p lan: Sylvia is undergo ing a regim en

    for a healthier lifestyle.

    Regiment is a troo p o f sold iers: The arm y is m ade up o f

    several regiments.

    residenceresidents

    A residence is w here peop le live, the house o r b uilding: The

    m ayor's residenc e is loc a ted in the cen ter of the c ity.

    The residents a re the peop le w ho live t here: The resident s o f

    the co m m unity thinks the m ayo r's residenc e is to luxurious.

    respectablerespectfulrespective

    Respectable m eans "deserving respec t o r on g oo d b ehav ior":

    Mother alw ays to ld us to be respec ta ble in pub lic.

    Respectful refers to sho w ing respect : Be respect ful of t he

    peop le around you, esp ecia lly if they ha ve sticks.

    Respective mea ns "individual and ap prop riate": The summ er

    ca mp kids w ere show n to their resp ective c ab ins.

    respectfullyrespectively

    Respectfully m eans "p o litely and w ith respect ": Mel Pew

    alw ays dea lt respec tfully with ea ch a nd every custo m er.

    Respectively refers to the o rder in w hich thing s a re given : I

    gave Wallace and Linda blue and green socks, respectively,

    m eans tha t I ga ve Wa llac e b lue so cks and Linda green ones.

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    restiverestful

    Restive m eans "imp at ient a nd nervous, restless": Co ry beca m e

    restive onc e he knew the b oss w as go ing to ca ll him into his

    office.

    Restful means "full of rest, calm, quiet, and restorative": A

    restful va ca tion in Indo nesia w as just w hat the do ct ored

    ordered.

    retchwretch

    To retch is to try and vomit: Furman retched several times

    after sw allow ing a bite o f Lurleen's liver pud ding.

    A wretch is a m iserab le o r wic ked perso n: I did n't b elieve she

    co uld b e such a w retch.

    rifleriffle

    Rifle m eans to search w ith the intention o f stea ling or taking:

    The m ugger rifled C larissa' s p urse look ing fo r cash.

    To riffle m eans "to shuffle o r flip quickly thro ugh pape rs": Bill

    riffled the c a rd d eck before dea ling.

    rightritewrite

    Right m eans "co rrect ": She a lw ays knew the right thing to say.

    A rite is a cerem ony: Final rites for the dec ea sed w ere held in

    the church.

    To write is to express oneself in w riting : Rho d a Boo k w rites

    everyone a bo ut her publishing c areer.

    riseraise

    Rise is intransitive and do es no t have an ob ject : The sun rises

    in the ea st.

    Ra ise alw a ys has a n o bject: You c an raise a crop o n a fa rm

    or ra ise your hand in cla ss.

    roadrode

    Road is a long path or street to travel on: Lucille tries to stay

    on a m ain road w herever she travels.

    Rode is pa st tense o f ride: Matilda rod e her b icycle ov er a c liffby accident.

    roleroll

    A role is a part in a play or movie: Marjorie's favorite role of

    her entire m o vie career w as that of t he quirky neighbo r in

    Keep your Doors Locked. It can also mean "a function of":

    Marjorie's role in removing the insignia from the police car

    do or w as minor.

    Roll is a verb meaning "to turn over and over": Diane rolled

    the flat tire into the ga rage.

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    S WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    sa lesa il

    A sale is a no un m ea ning "the selling o f som ething ": Every ca r

    sale m eans a c om m ission fo r the sa lesma n.

    A sail is the m at erial used t o ca tch w ind o n a b oa t: The sail

    billow ed in the w ind as Jac ob 's bo at slid a cross the w at er.

    sa lesell

    A sale is a no un m ea ning "the selling o f som ething ": Every ca r

    sale m eans a c om m ission fo r the sa lesma n.

    To sell the verb is to of fer oo ds for consum tion at a cost:

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    Set h sells his po tt ery a t a rt fa irs.

    sa nguinesa turnine

    Sa nguine means "red, ruddy or optimistic": I am not sanguine

    ab out your g etting this job.

    Sa turnine means "being moody, sullen, or melancholy": Ima

    Aiken falls into a saturnine mood every time her husband

    Had ley goes a w ay on business.

    scene

    seen

    Scene is a pla ce o r view : The scene o f the c rim e w as just

    out side his w indow .

    Seen is past tense of see: I have seen that movie three times

    already.

    seamseem

    A seam is w here tw o p ieces are joined : The sea m o f Leticia 's

    d ress ripp ed w hen she bent o ver.

    To seem is to ap pea r or lo ok as if: Leticia seemed unhap py

    w hen that happ ened.

    semimonthlybimonthly

    See b imo nth ly, sem imo nthly.

    sensorcensorcensure

    See censo r, sensor, c ensure.

    sensua lsensuous

    Sensual refers to physical, especially sexual, pleasure: Derry

    Ya re wea rs sensua l dresses to a tt rac t m en.

    Sensuous refers to anything artistic that appeals to the senses

    or a pp etites: Marguerita had prepa red a sensual fea st for her

    guests.

    serfsurf

    A serf is a slave o r servant: Neil Dow ne ca me from a fam ily of

    serfs but rose to bec om e a landlo rd.

    To surf is to ride the w av es of w at er, or to search o n the

    Inte rnet: The surf is up do w n at t he b each; o u ca n surf the

    Internet som e o ther time.

    setsitseat

    Set is a transitive verb m eaning "to p ut o r pla ce som ething

    solid som ew here": Marvin set his new lam p on the t ab le.

    Sit mea ns "to rest up right w ith the w eight o n the b utto cks o r

    to m ov e into such a po sition"; the p ast tense is sa t: Percy sat

    do w n beside Geneva on the pa rk bench.

    Seat ca n be a verb mea ning "to show som eone their seat or

    w here to sit": The w a iter sea ted Murga troyd a t his usua l ta b leby the doo r.

    seversevere

    Sever means "to cut through completely": One blow from

    Jessie's hat chet severed the rope.

    Severe m eans "strict, ha rd, extreme": Severe w inter w eat her

    ca m e ea rly th is year. There w as a sev ere to ne in Marilyn's

    vo ice w hen she berated Tod d for put ting t he ta ck in her

    chair.

    shea rsheer

    Shea r m ea ns "to cut o ff": We shea r sheep 's w oo l in the spring

    and w e shear the hed ges in the sum mer.

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    Sheer m ea ns "pu re, unad ulterat ed ": Felicity found t he

    am usem ent park a sheer p leasure. Sheer also m eans

    "transparent": Perry Winkle hung sheer curtains in the living

    room.

    shoresure

    A shore is a bea ch: to spend a va ca tion o n the shore. It a lso

    m eans "to b race o r suppo rt": They sho red up the leaning w all

    w ith steel bea ms.

    Sure mea ns "w ithout do ubt ": Maria w a s sure ab out the

    decision to m ove to ano ther co untry.

    singlysingularly

    Singly m eans "o ne b y one": The fire drill required everyone t o

    leave the building q uietly and singly.

    Singula rly means "extraordinarily, in an outstanding manner":

    He singula rly foug ht t he rebels off o ne by one.

    sitesightcite

    See c ite , site , sigh t .

    sleight-of-handslight-of-ha nd

    Sleight of hand refers to dexterity and trickery w ith t he ha nds:

    The m ag ician's sleight of ha nd fo oled the a udience.

    This phrase is oft en co nfused w ith slight of ha nd, an ad jective

    phrase m ea ning "hav ing sm a ll slender hand s".

    solesoul

    Sole m eans "sing le": The sole rem a ining p erson in the roo m

    left, leav ing it empty. It also m eans the b ott om of a foot o r

    shoe : Gigi needed new soles on her shoes.

    A soul refers to the spirit of a living creature: Do you believe

    anima ls hav e souls?

    som e time

    som etimesometimes

    Some time refers to a considerable period of time: I need

    som e time to think abo ut it.

    Sometime refers to an indistinct or unstated time in the future:

    I'll see you a round so me tim e.

    Sometimes is an ad verb m eaning c ont inually, off a nd o n,

    occ asiona lly: Karen som etim es d rinks co ffee instea d o f tea .

    stationarystationery

    Stationary m eans "still and unm oving ": The ca t w a s sta tio nary

    until it w as time t o p ounc e on its prey.

    Stationery refers to w riting m at eria ls such as pa per: Cra ig

    to ok o ut his best sta tionery to w rite to his belov ed C ha rlotte

    Russe.

    statuestatutestature

    A sta tue is a c arved or shap ed imitat ion of a n ob ject: There is

    a sta tue o f a large b ird is in her ga rden.

    A sta tute is law : The go vernm ent pub lishes new sta tut es each

    year.Stature m eans "sta tus, sta nd ing": Chester Drors is a m an o f

    substant ial sta ture in sta te politics.

    storeystory

    Storey is the British spelling of storyw hen t his w ord refers to a

    floo r of a b uilding: The upp er sto reys of the build ing

    co m prised a pa rtm ent s. The US sp elling o f th is sense o f the

    w ord is a lso story.

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    A story is a ta le relat ed in speech o r w riting by som eo ne. In

    the US, it is a lso the spelling used to refer to the floo r o f a

    building: My hom e is three sto ries high.

    stra ightstrait

    Straight is an a djective tha t m eans hav ing "no bend s or

    cu rve"s: Pim sley's w a lking c ane is as stra ight a s an arro w .

    A strait is a narrow channel connecting tw o b od ies of wa ter:

    The Bering Stra it lies b etw een Alaska and Sibe ria.

    supposedlysupposably

    Supposedly m eans "reputed ly" or "likely to be true": Sam is

    supp osed ly the g reat est w at erbo y in the foo tb all tea m 's

    history.

    Supposably m ea ns "ca n b e supp osed": The b est so lution t o

    the p rob lem is supp osab ly to ignore it. (How ever, this w ord is

    seldo m used .)

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    T

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    tauttaught

    Ta ut is a literary w ord t ha t m ea ns "tig ht": Ho ld the string ta ut

    w hile I m ark the line.

    Ta ught is the past tense of teach: Kenneth taught etiquette

    and good manners for several years.

    tenanttenet

    A tenant is som eone w ho rents prop erty: A new t enant

    mo ved into the vaca nt ap artment last w eek.

    A tenet is a principle: The m ajo r tenets of a ll religio ns are

    similar.

    thanthen

    Tha n is used to co m pa re: Philipp a Byrd th inks she is sm arter

    tha n a ny of us.

    Then is a w ord to d escribe a time t hat is not now : I prefer

    Frida y; it w ould b e bett er to meet t hen beca use then I will be

    ready.

    theirtherethey're

    Their is possessive o f they: The t w ins left t heir bo oks a t ho m e.There refers to a p lac e tha t is no t here: We will be there in

    tw o ho urs.

    They're is a co ntrac tion for they a re: They're go ing t o a

    co ncert tonight.

    theirselftheirselvesthemselfthemselves

    Only themselves is co rrect a s a reflexive o r emp hat ic p ro noun:

    They ga ve them selves all the credit for the rescue .

    threwthrough

    Altho ugh these tw o w ords are pronounced the sam e, threw is

    the past tense of the verb throw, meaning "to ssed, hu rled in

    the a ir": Morty threw the keys to the ca r to McKinley.

    Through is a preposition meaning "entering the inside of

    som ething a nd co ming out t he other side": Chuck

    ac cidenta ly threw a rock t hroug h Miss Co ncep tion's living

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    ro om w n ow .

    throesthrows

    Throes a re severe p ains o r difficult tim es: Wad e Rivers found it

    d ifficult to listen t o his iPod in the throes o f ba tt le.

    Throws is the p lura l or present tense o f throw : Several t hrow s

    later, Bud Light m ana ged to p ut a wa d of p ap er in the trash

    ca n from his desk.

    til

    till

    Til is a contraction of the preposition until: I w on't see you til

    to m orrow . Only o ne L.

    Till is a verb meaning "to cultivate": My Uncle Emmet tills

    ab out half the land on his farm a nd herds ca ttle on t he rest.

    totootwo

    To is a preposition meaning "toward": We go to the lake

    ev ery sum m er. It also serves a s the infinitive p a rticle for v erbs:

    I w ant t o sto p c onfusing w ords.

    Too m eans "also ": I'd lov e to go w ith you, to o.

    Two is the number betw een one and three: We have tw o

    op tions: hire a divo rce law yer o r a m ortician.

    torpidturgid

    Torpid means "unresponsive, lacking alertness": Prunella tried

    to elicit answ ers from the t orp id stud ent s in fro nt o f her.

    Turgid mea ns "very ornat e a nd dec orat ive": The a utho r's

    turgid w riting style lost m y interest quic kly. It ca n a lso m ea n

    "sw o llen a nd b ulging ": Turgid veins co vered her leg s.

    tortuoustorturous

    Tortuous mea ns "w inding, croo ked, with m any tw ists and

    turns": Wiley Driver wa s very ad ep t a t d riving the t ortuo us

    m ount ain roa ds of w estern North Ca rolina.

    Torturous m eans "very pa inful, like t o rture": Mick Stup p fo und

    do ing m at h hom ewo rk torturous.

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    U

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    undoubtedlyundoubtablyindubitably

    These three w o rds m ay be used intercha ngeab ly, mea ning

    "sure, w ithout a do ubt ": Mildred w as undoubtedly|

    undoubtably| indubitab lythe best ba llet da ncer of all time.

    uninteresteddisinterested

    See d isinterested , uninte rested .

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    V

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    vanevainvein

    A vane is blad e t hat rota tes: I do n't know how hard the w ind

    blew ; it blew the w eather vane off the roo f.

    Vain m eans "fruitless, hop eless, o r w itho ut result": Bertie

    harbo rs a va in hope o f beco ming a w orld-class ice skater.

    Vein refers to the tubes that carry blood back to the heart:

    The v eins are usua lly sm a ller tha n the a rteries.

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    venalvenial

    Venal means "corruptible, money-grubbing, likely to accept

    b ribes": Chris Cross is a m an so vena l he cha rged his m ot her

    for taking her to the ho spita l.

    Venial m ea ns "easily forg iven": The judge d ism issed t he v enia l

    crim es a nd foc used o n the theft of the cho co lates.

    versesversus

    Verses is p lural o f ve rse, a line o f poetry: sev eral Em erson's

    verses w ere recited t ha t ev ening.

    Versus m eans "in co m pa rison or op position to ": The b enefits

    of having a c ell pho ne versus not hav ing one dep end on the

    individual.

    viciousviscous

    Vicious m eans "cruel and m ean": A vicious do g at ta cked t he

    young bo y.

    Viscous means "thick and sticky": Honey and tar are viscous

    substances.

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    WXYZ

    WORDS DEFINITIONS & EXAMPLES

    wa istwa ste

    Waist refers the (often) narrow a rea o f a hum an b od y

    betw een the hips and ribs: We often w ear a b elt a round our

    w aist.

    Waste is garbage, or waste can be a verb meaning "to use

    ca relessly": You shouldn't w aste fo od and you shou ld recycle

    w aste pa per.

    waryweary

    Wary m ea ns "leery and ca utious": The custo m er bec a me w ary

    w hen the sa lesperson sa id he w ould pe rsona lly gua rantee the

    TV set fo r 100 yea rs.

    Weary m ea ns "tired and w o rn": After a da y o f harvesting

    co rn, the farm er w as very w ea ry.

    wavewaive

    To wave is to m ov e ba ck a nd forth; a wave is a sw elling in a

    body of water due to movement: Helen Highwater waved

    her hand to the b oa t rocking in the w aves.

    Waive m eans "to give up , not require or ask for": Never w aive

    yo ur right t o a law yer.

    weak

    week

    Weak is not strong : Finley ga ve a w eak perform anc e; m aybe

    beca use he has a w eak m ind.

    Week refers to the nam es o f t he seven d ays, from Sund ay to

    Sa turday: I go to the ice skat ing rink once a w eek.

    wearwarewerewe're

    Wear is a verb (w ear, wo re, worn) meaning to have clothing

    on: Maud Lynn Dresser alw ays w ears g audy evening g ow ns

    on fo rmal o cc asions.

    Ware is an article of merchandise, a product (usually used in

    the p lura l): The po tt er disp layed her w a res on a b eautiful

    sta nd m ad e by her husba nd .

    Were is past tense of are: Maud and her fiance were at the

    ba ll last w eekend.

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    Home Language D ictionaries Specialty Glossaries Alpha Agora Translation Language Blog Miss Spelling's C enterDr. Goodword's Office Word Fun Laughing Stock Today's Good Word Privacy Policy About Us Contact us Sponsor Us!

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    We're is a co ntraction for w e are: We're go ing to the b all this

    w eekend so m aybe w e'll see them .

    weatherwhether

    Weather has to d o w ith climate: I hop e we have bea utiful

    w eather for m y da ughter's w edding.

    Whether m ea ns "if" and is used only inside sent enc es: I do n't

    know w hether to bring a n umb rella or not.

    wet

    whet

    Wet is full of m o isture: We had t o dry out the w et sleeping

    ba g on o ur camp ing trip a fter a sudd en storm.

    Whet is to stim ulat e o r arouse: Sm elling the stew w hett ed her

    appet i te.

    whichwitch

    Which mea ns "w hat pa rticular cho ice": Which w itch put t he

    spell o n you?

    A witch is a person w ho believes in or pract ices m ag ic: Not

    all witc hes hav e w arts o n their noses (som e hav e t hem o n

    their ch ins).

    who's

    whose

    Who's is a co ntrac tion for who is: Who's go ing to vot e tod ay?

    Whose is the possessive of who m eaning "of who m ": Whoseticket s a re these?

    wontwon't

    Wont means "used to": Maggie was wont to getting

    everything her wa y and cried w hen she didn't .

    Won't is a contraction for will not: Maggie won't be getting

    ev ery to y she w ants th is Ch ristm as.

    youryou're

    Your is p ossessive for you: Your idea is fanta stic !

    You're is a contraction for you are: You're the most treasured

    person in my life.

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    Now test your knowledge of these words here.

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