25 More Words Commonly Confused
Continuing our list of the 50 words most commonly confused, here are 25 more, and examples for each on proper usage.
25. whole/ hole: I ate the whole bag of chips to fill the hole in my stomach.
26. incidence/ incidents: This situation was not a singular incidence, as there have been many similar incidents.
27. instants/ instance: In an instance, the rocket took off. The rocket did not take off in an “instants,” which is an odd word that simply mean the plural of “instant”.
28. insight/ incite: The article gave some people insight into the phenomenon of religious dogmatism, but for others, it merely incited anger and offense.
29. its/ it’s: It’s hard to find a shag carpet, as its texture has not been in vogue for some time.
30. later/ latter: I’ll either see you sooner or later, though my guess is the latter.
31. lay/ lie: I try not to lie, but I lay down whenever I get the chance.
32. peace/ piece: Peace will never happen as long as everyone wants a piece of the Middle East.
33. plain/ plane: The size of the plane is plain to see.
34. pore/ pour: Pour some of this medication onto your skin to shrink your pores.
35. precedence/ precedent: Our policies set the precedent, as we always give precedence to the oldest member.
36. presence/ presents: The presence of my parents at my birthday celebration always implies more presents.
37. principal/ principle: The most principal principle is that you never plagiarize.
38. precede/ proceed: I will precede you in line, after which you may proceed.
39. rain/ reign/ rein: The rain falls from the sky. The reign is the rule of a monarch. Reins are what you use to ride a horse.
40. stationary/ stationery: Something stationary does not move; stationery is what you write letters on.
41. their/ they’re/ there: They’re the type who’d shop for their jeans there.
42. threw/ through: As they drove through the tunnel, Jenny threw the window open.
43. to/ too/ two: Two other boys went to the mall too.
44. vein/ vain: Because I am vain and don’t like track marks in my skin, I hate it when the doctor sticks needles in my veins.
45. waist/ waste: Waste no time trimming your waist.
46. weak/ week: I feel weak this week, because I’m dieting for ten days.
47. wear/ where/ were/ we’re: Were you like your sister, you would wear your new dress to where we’re going.
48. weather/ whether: Whether the weather will stay as nice as today remains to be seen.
49. whose/ who’s: Whose jacket is this? Who’s going to the store with me?
50. your/ you’re: You’re the smartest person I know, as no one else I know has your IQ.
