Revisions part 5: Near-Homophones or Cursed Words #amwriting

One thing that I notice when reading is the improper use of near-homophones, or words that sound closely alike, are spelled differently, and have different meanings. When we read widely, we’re more likely to notice the difference between words like accept and except when they are written.

The different meanings of seldom-used sound-alike words become blurred among people who have little time to read, and little encouragement. Wrong usages become part of everyday speech.

For this reason, new and beginning writers are often unaware they habitually misuse common words until they begin to see the differences in written words.

Let’s look at two of the most commonly confused words, accept and except. People, even those with some higher education, frequently mix these two words up in their casual conversation.

Accept (definition) to take or receive (something offered); receive with approval or favor.

• to accept a present.
• to accept a proposal.

Except (definition) not including, other than, leave out, exclude.

• present company excepted.
• with the exclusion of.

We accept that our employees work every day except Sunday.

English, being a mash-up language, has a long list of what I think of as cursed words to watch for in our writing.

Farther vs. Further: (Grammar Tips from a Thirty-Eight-Year-Old with an English Degree | The New Yorker by Reuven Perlman, posted February 25, 2021:

Farther describes literal distance; further describes abstract distance. Let’s look at some examples:

• I’ve tried the whole “new city” thing, each time moving farther away from my hometown, but I can’t move away from . . . myself (if that makes sense?).

• How is it possible that I’m further from accomplishing my goals now than I was five years ago? Maybe it’s time to change goals? [1]

When we use these words, we want to ensure we are using them correctly.

Ensure: make certain something happens

Insure:  arrange for compensation in the event of damage to (or loss of) property, or injury to (or the death of) someone, in exchange for regular advance payments to a company or government agency.

Assure: tell someone something positively or confidently to dispel any doubts they may have.

What follows is a looooooooong list of cursed words to double-check the meanings of.

If you need to use one of these words in your work, I suggest you look them up in the online dictionary to be sure your words say what you think they do.

For the moment, ignore the grandiose words and learn how to use all your words correctly. The majority are good words and using them correctly when they’re the only word that works is not pretentious.

However, if you pepper your narrative with obscure words, your readers might put the book down out of frustration, so go lightly. Still, it never hurts to know the meaning and uses of words.

178 Homophone and near-homophone comparisons and other often misused words:

• abhorrent vs. aberrant
• accept vs. except
• ado vs. adieu
• adopt vs. adapt
• adverse vs. averse
• affect vs. effect
• afflict vs. inflict
• aggravate vs. irritate
• allude vs. elude
• allusion vs. illusion vs. delusion
• alternate vs. alternative
• ambiguous vs. ambivalent
• amicable vs. amiable
• amoral vs. immoral
• amuse vs. bemuse
• anecdote vs. antidote
• appraise vs. apprise
• ascent vs. assent
• assume vs. presume
• assure vs. ensure vs. insure
• aural vs. oral vs. verbal
• aver vs. avow
• bare vs. bear
• bazaar vs. bizarre
• breach vs. breech
• bridal vs. bridle
• broach vs. brooch
• callus vs. callous
• capital vs. capitol
• censor vs. censure
• chord vs. cord
• cite vs. site vs. sight
• climactic vs. climatic
• complement vs. compliment
• compose vs. comprise
• concurrent vs. consecutive
• confident vs. confidant(e)
• connotation vs. denotation
• connote vs. denote
• conscious vs. conscience
• contemptible vs. contemptuous
• continual vs. continuous
• correlation vs. corollary
• council vs. counsel
• decent vs. descent vs. dissent
• definitely vs. definitively
• demur vs. demure
• desert vs. dessert
• didactic vs. pedantic
• disassemble vs. dissemble
• discomfit vs. discomfort
• discreet vs. discrete
• disillusion vs. dissolution
• disinterested vs. uninterested
• disperse vs. disburse
• dual vs. duel
• economic vs. economical
• elusive vs. illusive
• emigrate vs. immigrate vs. migrate
• eminent vs. imminent
• eminent vs. imminent vs. immanent
• empathy vs. sympathy
• endemic vs. epidemic
• entitle vs. title
• entomology vs. etymology
• envelop vs. envelope
• envy vs. jealousy
• epidemic vs. pandemic
• epigram vs. epigraph
• epitaph vs. epithet
• especially vs. specially
• exalt vs. exult
• exercise vs. exorcise
• expedient vs. expeditious
• extant vs. extent
• facetious vs. factious vs. fatuous
• faint vs. feint
• farther vs. further
• faze vs. phase
• ferment vs. foment
• fictional vs. fictitious vs. fictive
• figuratively vs. literally
• flair vs. flare
• flaunt vs. flout
• flounder vs. founder
• formerly vs. formally
• formidable vs. formative
• fortunate vs. fortuitous
• gambit vs. gamut
• gibe vs. jibe
• gig vs. jig
• gorilla vs. guerrilla
• grisly vs. gristly vs. grizzly
• hale vs. hail
• healthful vs. healthy
• hero vs. protagonist
• historic vs. historical
• hoard vs. horde
• homonym vs. homophone vs. homograph
• hone vs. home
• imply vs. infer
• incredible vs. incredulous
• indeterminate vs. indeterminable
• indict vs. indite
• inflammable vs. inflammatory
• ingenious vs. ingenuous
• insidious vs. invidious
• instant vs. instance
• intense vs. intensive vs. intent
• introvert vs. extrovert
• irony vs. satire vs. sarcasm
• it’s vs. its
• laudable vs. laudatory
• lay vs. lie
• loath vs. loathe
• lose vs. loose
• luxuriant vs. luxurious
• marital vs. martial
• mean vs. median vs. average
• medal vs. meddle vs. mettle
• metaphor vs. simile
• moral vs. morale
• morbid vs. moribund
• nauseated vs. nauseous
• naval vs. navel
• objective vs. subjective
• optimistic vs. pessimistic
• overdue vs. overdo
• palate vs. palette vs. pallet
• paradox vs. oxymoron
• parameter vs. perimeter
• parody vs. parity
• peak vs. peek vs. pique
• peddle vs. pedal vs. petal
• persecute vs. prosecute
• personal vs. personnel
• pitiable vs. pitiful vs. piteous vs. pitiless
• pore vs. pour
• practical vs. practicable
• pragmatic vs. dogmatic
• precede vs. proceed
• precedent vs. president
• predominate vs. predominant
• premier vs. premiere
• prescribe vs. proscribe
• pretentious vs. portentous
• principal vs. principle
• prophecy vs. prophesy
• prostate vs. prostrate
• quote vs. quotation
• rebut vs. refute
• regrettably vs. regretfully
• reluctant vs. reticent
• respectfully vs. respectively
• sac vs. sack
• scrimp vs. skimp
• sensual vs. sensuous
• simple vs. simplistic
• slight vs. sleight
• stationary vs. stationery
• statue vs. statute
• than vs. then
• that vs. which
• their vs. there vs. they’re
• tortuous vs. torturous
• troop vs. troupe
• turbid vs. turgid
• unconscionable vs. unconscious
• undo vs. undue
• unexceptional vs. unexceptionable
• venal vs. venial
• veracious vs. voracious
• wave vs. waive
• weather vs. whether
• who vs. whom
• who’s vs. whose
• wreck vs. wreak vs. reek
• your vs. you’re

Credits and Attributions:

[1] Farther vs. Further: (Grammar Tips from a Thirty-Eight-Year-Old with an English Degree | The New Yorker by Reuven Perlman, posted February 25, 2021 (accessed 28 Feb 2021).

Wikimedia Commons contributors, “File:Collegiate Dictionary.jpg,” Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Collegiate_Dictionary.jpg&oldid=497770186 (accessed February 28, 2021).