Confusing Words Clarified: Group A; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, etc. +(lists of "A" sections that are organized into what for some people are confusing groups of words)English can be very confusing; for example, a house burns up as it burns down, a form is being filled in as it is being filled out, and an alarm goes off by going on. How about when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible? As you examine the groups of words in this unit, you will find many examples of confusions; sometimes, just one or two letters in a word can change its meaning completely. There are also times when two different words get confused because their meanings apply to things that are very similar. Efforts have been made to help you grasp the meanings of various words that may be confusing so you can utilize them with greater accuracy in your communication. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome by writing to: E-mail Contact (just click it for an e-mail form) or by typing, words@wordinfo.info, as the address in your e-mail heading. If you have any problems understanding the pronunciation symbols, go to this Pronunciation Chart for clarifications.accept, except, expect
accept (ahk SEPT)
1. To receive with consent, agree to, consent to, acknowledge: "I accept your apology."
2. To take what is offered, receive willingly: "She did accept his invitation to dance after all." except, excepted (ik SEPT, ik SEPT'd)
To leave out, excluding, or showing exclusion: "Put everything in the box except the vase."
"No one will be excepted from taking the test." "What I said about some people applies to men in general, present company excepted." expect (ik SPEKT)
1. To look forward to, plan on, look for, anticipate: "The skiers expect deep snow overnight."
2. Assume, presume, calculate, contemplate: "I expect to see her here soon." What do you expect from us when everyone except you can accept the decision? access, assess, excess
access (AK ses")
1. Way of approach, a means of reaching, passageway, entry: "Switzerland has access to the sea by way of the Rhine River."
2. A way of getting to something or someone, admittance; entrance: "The thief gained access to the vault." "The hallway offers good access to the bedroom." assess (uh SES)
1. To set an estimated value on property, etc. for taxation; estimate, appraise: "The local tax office decided to assess the new houses."
2. To judge, evaluate, appraise, determine look: "The general will assess the situation and call for reinforcements if needed." excess (ik SES)
1. Surpassing limits, surplus, extra, overflow: "The excess furniture was stored in the cellar."
2. Superabundance, surplus, overabundance, too much, oversupply: "The boy had an excess of energy." "There is an excess of poverty, hunger, and suffering in the world." Some people always confuse access and excess. Access is a way of getting to something or someone; excess is a surplus, a state of overabundance: "How could the thief have gained access to the vault?" "Dieting will take off your excess weight." Excess is what some people always enjoy drinking to. Let's assess the situation and decide what we are going to do next because since there was no access to the compartment, we can't pump out the excess water. accessing, assessing
accessing (ak SES ing)
Entering, making an entrée: "The thief was accessing the vault while the political rallies were taking place."
assessing (uh SES ing)
Evaluating property or a situation: "The military officers were assessing the battle reports so they could decide what to do next."
accidental, incidental, accidentally, accidently
accidental (ak" suh DEN t'l)
Happening by chance; belonging but not essential; unplanned, unintentional, unpremeditated: "Our meeting on the street was purely accidental."
incidental (in" si DEN t'l)
Happening as a result or in connection with something more important; unexpected: "The incidental costs of repairs for the car added up to much more than expected."
accidentally (ak" suh DEN tuh lee)
Happening in a way that is not planned, intended, nor expected: "It was decided that she died accidentally, not by any intended cause."
accidently (ak" suh DENT li)
This pronunciation and spelling of accidentally is not correct.
Accidentally is often mispronounced and misspelled. The correct word has five syllables ac-ci-den-tal-ly: "The use of accidently is considered a gross error and displays a lack of knowledge of what is supposed to be the correct spelling and pronunciation." acclamation, acclimation
acclamation (ak" luh MAY shuhn)
1. Loud applause, shout of approval: "The queen received an acclamation from the crowd."
2. A voice vote, shout of approval: "He was elected president of the union by acclamation." acclimation (ak" li MAY shuhn, ak" luh MAY shuhn)
1. To be accustomed to a different climate, environment, situation, or circumstance: "More time will be needed for the acclimation of the new workers and their equipment."
2. Adaptation of an organism to its natural climatic environment: "Now that winter is over, the spring acclimation of earthworms will proceed naturally." acentric, eccentric
acentric (ay SEN trik)
1. Not near the center, not central: "He used an acentric wheel to grind off the rough places on the edges of his metal sculpture."
eccentric (ik SEN trik, ek SEN trik)
1. Departing from a recognized, conventional, or established norm or pattern: "She was a kind but eccentric woman." 2. Strange or unusual: "He had eccentric behavior and ideas that were weird as indicated by his eccentric clothes." 3. Not following a perfectly circular path: "The asteroid was moving in an eccentric orbit around the star." -aceous, -acious, -atious
This confusing ending is pronounced the same in all three spellings. -aceous (AY shuhs)
Characterized by, relating to a group; such as, a plant family. Of the common words, only curvaceous ends in -aceous; however, a great many technical terms from botany, zoology, chemistry, medicine, etc. have this spelling: herbaceous, sebaceous, setaceous, etc.
-acious (AY shuhs)
Full of, characterized by, or tending toward. The most frequent form in use is -acious: audacious, gracious, pugnacious, etc.
-atious (AY shuhs)
Inclined to -ation or, some say, "The suffix is actually -ous and means "full of". The following end in -atious: disputatious, flirtatious, ostentatious, vexatious. Note that for each of these there is a corresponding noun in -ation: disputation, flirtation, ostentation, and vexation.
Keep in mind that -acious is more than likely to be the correct ending whenever there is any serious doubt as to which suffix to use. acetic, ascetic; aesthetic, esthetic
acetic (uh SEE tik)
1. Sour, acerbic: "These pickles are too ascetic; that is, too sour!"
2. A reference to vinegar or other acid characteristics: "The acetic flavor of vinegar is used in salad dressings to give them a little punch." ascetic (uh SET ik)
A life of rigorous self-discipline and self-denial; an abstainer: "Some believe that most of the early saints would strive to be an ascetic."
aesthetic, esthetic (es THET ik)
Characterized by a heightened sensitivity to beauty: "There are practical as well as aesthetic reasons for planting trees."
acronym, anagram
acronym (AK ruh nim)
A word formed from the first (or first few) letters of a series of words; such as, radar (radio detecting and ranging): "Some people are confused by what appears to be one acronym after another, especially on the internet and by government organizations."
anagram (AN uh gram")
A word or phrase made from another by rearranging its letters (Ex.: now can become won; dread can be transformed into adder): "The anagram is just one of many kinds of word games that are around."
acts; ax, axe
acts (AKS)
1. Somethings done; deeds: "He did a series of acts of kindness for the poor woman."
2. A process of doing certain things: "He was caught in three acts of stealing." 3. The main divisions of a play or opera: "The play had five acts." 4. Displays of affected or pretended behavior: "She is not really angry; she has been putting on these acts to get attention." ax or axe (AKS)
1. A tool with a flat, sharp blade fastened on a handle, used for chopping, splitting, and shaping wood: "He used his ax to chop wood for the fireplace."
2. To be dismissed from a job; to be fired (informal): "She got the ax because she would not work overtime when asked to do so by her supervisor." "Will companies axe ad spending next year?" acuity, acumen, acute
acuity (uh KYOO uh tee)
1. Perceptual keenness; such as, with hearing, sight, or the intellect: "There is no doubt that tiredness affects visual acuity."
2. Related to acute, with its sense of sharpness, acuity is used with reference to any human faculty and applied to any of the five senses as well as of the mind: "He was a man of great political acuity." acumen (uh KYOO muhn)
1. Mental sharpness, intelligence, sagacity: "She has considerable business and financial acumen."
2. Quickness in understanding and dealing with a situation; keen insight: "The student contestant had the acumen to figure out which version of the homograph to spell correctly." acute (uh KYOOT)
1. Having a sharp point: "Angles of less than 90 degrees are called acute angles."
2. Extremely severe and sharp; as an acute pain: "He is suffering from acute appendicitis." 3. Keenly perceptive or discerning, ingenious: "Einstein is said to have been a man of uncommonly acute intelligence." ad, add
ad (AD)
Short for advertisement: "He placed an ad in the paper."
add (AD)
1. To find the sum of numbers or quantities: "They tried to add the total number of people."
2. To go on to say or to write more: "She said good-by and wanted to add that she had a pleasant visit." 3. To join one thing to another so as to increase the number, quantity, or the importance of something: "They decided to add a new wing to the house." adapt, adept, adopt
adapt (uh DAPT)
1. To make suitable by changing or adjusting; conform to: "The chameleon can adapt to its surroundings by changing color."
"He could not adapt himself to such a primitive society." 2. To fit for a new use; rework, convert, make suitable, modify, alter: "They will adapt the drama from a short story." adept (uh DEPT)
Skillful, adroit, proficient: "She is adept at organizational work while he is adept in needlecraft."
adopt (uh DAHPT)
1. To choose as one’s own child: "Many childless couples adopt children."
2. To take up and use (an idea, a practice, etc.) as one’s own: "We wanted to adopt a Latin motto for our business." 3. To accept and to put into effect; formally approve: "Schools must adopt new methods of teaching English vocabulary." addenda, addendum, agenda
addenda (uh DEN duh) (plural)
Things to be added, as in a supplement or an appendix: "The author included an addenda of new materials in his book."
addendum (uh DEN dum) (singular)
Something that has been added in a written document: "The report has an addendum clarifying certain points."
agenda (uh JEN duh)
A list of things to be done at a meeting; schedule, program: "What is on your agenda today?"
Agenda was originally the plural of Latin agendum (thing to be done) and is still considered by some to be a plural form. In modern English; however, agenda is usually considered as the singular form with agendas the plural: "What is on the agenda for the meeting?" addible, edible
addible (AD uh b'l)
That which can be increased in size, quantity, quality, or scope: "She found that her yard still had addible areas for the new flowers."
"The new part-time job made it possible to have addible cash for our expenses." edible (ED uh buhl)
1. Anything which can be safely eaten: "We were looking for edible fruit on the trees in the back."
2. Fit to be eaten; especially, by humans: "Not all of the decorations on the gingerbread house were edible; so, they had to be careful about what they ate."
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