Study Card - Verbal - Commonly Confused Words (Part 1)

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advice vs advise

Advice - A recommendation or proposal for an appropriate course of action (used as a noun)

Advise - Give advice to / Inform somebody of something (used as a verb)

Usage:

Your advice saved my time.

I advise you to go to bed early tonight.

appraise vs apprise

appraise - to assess

apprise - to inform someone

Usage:

The diamond stone should be appraised by an expert.

Agricultural scientists should apprise farmers of the latest techniques for safe food storage.

assent vs ascent

assent - agreement, approval

ascent - the action of rising or climbing up

Usage:

The plane began its ascent to 15000 feet.

Babu gave his assent to his daughter's wish.

born vs borne

born - having started life

borne - carried

Usage:

Reshma was born in Cochin.

The travel cost will be borne by the company.

censure vs censor

censure - to criticize strongly

censor - to ban parts of a book or film; a person who does this

Usage:

The minister faces censure for his involvement in the scam.

This magazine is censored by the government.

story vs storey

storey - a level of a building

story - a tale or account

The plural of story is stories. The plural of storey is storeys.

Usage:

The tallest building in the world has 400 storeys.

This is a traditional good-versus-evil story.

sight vs site

sight - the ability to see

site - a location

Usage:

After the laser treatment, her sight was perfect

A skeleton was found at the construction site.

sceptic vs septic

sceptic (or skeptic) - a person inclined to doubt

septic - infected with bacteria

Usage:

He is sceptical about the plan.

The septic tank is to be cleaned.

foreword vs forward

foreword - an introduction to a book

forward - onwards, ahead

Usage:

The foreword to this book has been written by a famous doctor.

The new invention is a great leap forward.

queue vs cue

cue - a signal for action; a wooden rod

queue - a line of people or vehicles

Usage:

I took her tired face as my cue to leave.

It was a long queue in the gas station.