Some confusing words in English
1. Allusion and Illusion
An allusion is a subtle reference or hint: Ajay made an allusion to the most recent novel he read in our conversation yesterday.
An illusion is a deception, mirage, or a wild idea: The teacher said she had no illusions about how much work teaching demands.
- Already and All ready
]
Already is an adverb that indicates an action is completed by a certain time: Herschel had already finished that whole pie.
All ready means "everything is completely prepared": The children were all ready and bundled up warmly to go caroling on the snowy evening.
- Amount and Number
Amount is used with uncountable and abstract nouns: a large amount of money, amount of work, amount of happiness or amount of dirt.
Number is used with countable and concrete plural expressions: a number of people, a number of attempts, a number of novels, a number of trials.
- Annual and annul
Annual means "yearly": We must pay an annual tax.
Annul means "to make void or invalid": They want to annul the marriage.
- Appraise and Apprise
Appraise is to assess or estimate the worth of: to appraise a diamond.
Apprise is to inform or notify: the officer apprised us of our rights.
- Coarse and Course
Coarse is an adjective meaning "rough, big-grained, not fine": We need to use coarse sandpaper to remove the paint from this wood.
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 college): The poetry course Ajay took in his college changed the course of his life.
- Conform and Confirm
Conform means "to be similar to": Some schools conform their students by using uniforms.
Confirm is to make sure or double check: to confirm a flight reservation.