Homonyms
Homonyms are words that sound the same when pronounced, but are spelled differently and have different meanings.
Example: Loose and lose
Many people make this mistake. They inevitably interchange the words loose and lose while writing.
Lose means to suffer a loss or defeat.
Thus, you would write:
Correct: I don't want to lose you.
Wrong: I don't want to loose you.
Loose means NOT FIRM or NOT FITTING.
In this context, you would write,
Correct: My shirt is loose.
Wrong: My shirt is lose.
Here are many more homonyms which you have to know to write distinctively.
Cache :
Hidden storage, as in: Lost in the woods, we were happy to find a cache of food belonging to some hunters.
Cash :
Money paid at the time of purchase, as in: Will this be cash or charge?
Calendar :
Device for showing divisions of time, as in: Mark this date on your calendar.
Colander :
Strainer, as in: Use the colander to drain the noodles.
Callous :
Unfeeling, as in: Drinking and driving shows a callous disregard for life.
Callus :
Hard, thickened skin, as in: I have a callus on my finger from holding the pencil.
Canvas :
Durable cloth made from cotton, linen, or hemp, as in: This fine painting is oil on canvas.
Canvass :
Go around asking, as in: Canvass the neighborhood to see if anyone saw the suspect.
Capital :
(1) City where the seat of government of a state or country is located, as in: Washington, D. C. is the capital of the United States of America.
(2) Upper case letter, as in: Writing in all capitals on the Internet is considered shouting, and is rude.
Capitol :
Building in which the US Congress meets, as in: When I visited Washington, DC, I toured the Capitol.
Carton :
Lightweight container or box, as in: Please send me one carton of printer cartridges.
Cartoon :
Drawing, often humorous, as in: Dilbert is a popular cartoon character.
Casual :
Informal, as in: For a picnic in the park, it's best to wear casual clothes.
Causal :
Relating to a cause, as in: The causal forces behind many diseases have not been discovered yet.
Cease :
Stop, as in: If someone violates your copyright, send them a Cease and Desist letter immediately.
Seize :
Grab, as in: The guerillas tried to seize control of the town.
Siege :
Prolonged period of trouble or annoyance, as in: Our family has had a siege of bad colds this year.
Cede :
Yield, as in: At the war's end, the loser had to cede the disputed territory to the winner.
Seed :
Beginning of a new plant, as in: The seed of an avocado can be planted in soil or water.
Ceiling :
Upper limit of a room, as in: A light-colored ceiling makes a room seem brighter.
Sealing :
Closing airtight, as in: Sealing the containers is important to keep the contents fresh.
Cell :
Small room, as in: She will spend two months in a prison cell for her mistake.
Sell :
Offer for sale, as in: I will sell you my car.
Cellar :
Underground room, as in : In our house, the cellar was always damp.
Seller :
One who offers for sale, as in: Amazon.com is a seller of books.
Census :
Population count, as in: The last census showed an increase in single-parent families.
Senses :
Sound mental faculties, as in: Don't call me until you have come to your senses.
Cent :
One-hundredth of a monetary unit, as in: In the US, a penny is worth one cent.
Scent :
Odor, as in: The detective smelled the scent of almonds-could it be cyanide poisoning?
Sent :
Past tense of send, as in: I sent you Email yesterday.
Cents :
Plural of cent, as in: His opinion is only worth two cents.
Sense :
Method of perception, as in: Ears provide us with the sense of hearing.
Cereal :
Breakfast food prepared from grain, as in: My favorite cereal is Grape-Nuts; what's yours?
Serial :
Arranged in a series, as in: I hope they catch that serial killer soon.
Cession :
Act of ceding (surrendering) to another, as in: The treaty included cession of all captured territories.
Session :
Meeting or term, as in: I will take two classes during the summer session.
Chews :
Grinds with teeth, as in: She chews her food carefully.
Choose :
Select, as in: There are many good programs to choose from.
Chose :
Past tense of choose, as in: My son chose a university near home.
Chic :
Stylishness and elegance: "Paris is the city for timeless bargain chic, in almost any category."
Chick :
Small chicken or bird: A chick pecks its way out of the egg.
Chord :
A combination of musical tones played simultaneously, as in: His symphony is entitled The Lost Chord.
Cord :
Small rope, as in: Please pull the silver cord to summon the maid.
Chute :
Slanted shaft from a higher level to a lower one, as in: The gravel came rumbling down the chute.
Shoot :
To discharge a weapon, as in: Don't shoot! I'm unarmed.
Cite :
Quote, as in: Your proposal will be more persuasive if you cite results of a recent survey.
Sight :
Vision, as in: Our eyes provide us with one sense of sight; our imagination, another.
Site :
Exact location, as in: Thank you for visiting my web site. Please come back often.
Cliche :
Overused expression, as in: A good business writer tries to avoid using a cliche.
Click :
Make a light, sharp sound, as in: The instructions said to click on the left mouse button.
Clique :
Small, exclusive group of people, as in: I wasn't invited to join their clique.
Climactic :
Having to do with the climax of something, as in: The villain falling off the cliff was the climactic scene of the movie.
Climatic :
Having to do with climate, as in: The climatic conditions in the South Pole can be described in one word: cold!
Close :
Shut, as in: Please close the door when you leave.
Clothes :
Wearing apparel, as in: Wear your nicest business clothes for your interview for that job.
Cloths :
Pieces of fabric, as in: Use the cloths under the sink for dusting.
Course :
Rough, as in: Their garments were made of a coarse cloth.
Course :
(1) Natural development, as in: The doctor said the disease must run its course.
(2) A unit of study, as in: She got an A in that course.
Collision :
Crash, as in: Was anyone hurt in the collision?
Collusion :
Conspiracy, as in: The price rise was due to collusion among the manufacturers.
Coma :
Unconscious state, as in: The accident victim was in a coma for six months.
Comma :
Punctuation mark, as in: Use a comma to show where you would normally pause if you were reading the sentence out loud.
Command :
Give an order, as in: That sounded more like a command than a request.
Commend :
Praise, as in: I commend you for the effort in reading this list.
Commence :
Begin, as in: We commence work Monday at 9 A.M.
Comments :
Remarks, as in: I appreciate your comments about this list.
Complement :
That which completes, as in: As an author, I need input from readers to complement my point of view.
Compliment :
Expression of praise, as in: Sometimes a critical remark is more useful than a compliment.
Comprehensible :
Understandable, as in: I was surprised that the instructions were so comprehensible.
Comprehensive :
Covering a wide area, as in: In order to graduate, one must take a comprehensive examination of the subject.
Confidant :
Someone you tell secrets to, as in: He was always my best friend and confidant.
Confident :
Self-assured, as in: Are you confident you can finish the project on schedule?
Confidentially :
Spoken in a private manner, as in: Confidentially, I am looking for another job.
Confidently :
Firmly assured, as in: You can confidently raise your arms in public if you use a CERTAIN brand of deodorant, according to their television commercial.
Conscience :
Inner sense of right and wrong, as in: Wouldn't it bother your conscience to lie to your friends?
Conscious :
Aware or awake, as in: The patient was conscious for an hour, then relapsed into a coma.
Conservation :
Protection from loss or waste, as in: We show concern about conservation of bandwidth by making efficient Web pages .
Conversation :
Talk between people, as in: I very much enjoyed our conversation yesterday.
Consul :
Representative of a foreign government, as in: For our next seminar about exporting, let's see if we can get a consul from an Eastern European country to be a featured speaker.
Council :
Elected or appointed group of people assembled for governing or advising, as in: We're going to have to take that idea up with the town council.
Counsel :
(1) Give advice or opinion, as in: Volunteers counsel the young people.
(2) Attorney, as in: I had this contract drawn up on advice of counsel.
Consular :
Having to do with the representative of a foreign government, as in: Phone Wieslaw Czyzowicz, the man in charge of consular affairs at the Polish Consulate.
Councilor :
Appointed or elected member of a council, as in: As councilor for this township, I welcome your ideas.
Counselor :
Advisor, as in: You need a letter from your guidance counselor for your scholarship application.
Continual :
Occurring frequently and regularly, as in: Every night we are disturbed by the continual barking of your dog.
Continuous :
Unbroken, as in: He writes his name in one long, continuous line.
Contiguous :
Adjacent or touching, as in: The contiguous states of the United States do not include Alaska and Hawaii.
Cooperation :
Work together for a common purpose, as in: Many people believe cooperation will help you succeed more than competition will.
Corporation :
A business structure, as in: A corporation is established by the authority of a state government and exists independent of the people who own it.
Core :
Central or essential part, as in: A good communicator emphasizes the core of the message.
Corps :
A group of people who act as a body rather than as individuals, as in: She was satisfied to dance with the corps de ballet rather to become a soloist.
Corespondents :
Joint defendants in a court case, as in: The bank official and his secretary were corespondents in the divorce trial.
Correspondence :
Exchange of letters, as in: I'm so busy with work it's hard to keep up with my correspondence.
Costume :
Specialised style of dress, as in: I wore a peasant costume to the Renaissance Fair.
Custom :
Habitual practice, as in: In the United States, business people have the custom of shaking hands when they meet.
Courtesy :
Politeness, as in: Your staff extended me every courtesy during my stay at your hotel.
Curtsy :
Bow with bended knees, as in: When a woman is presented to the Queen, she is expected to curtsy.
Credible :
Believable, as in: Unfortunately, we don't have a credible witness to the crime.
Creditable :
Praiseworthy, as in: He did a creditable job in winning us that contract.
Credulous :
Gullible, as in: What kind of credulous fool do you think I am, to believe in such an impossible scheme?
Critic :
One who evaluates, as in: The critic gave the new movie a favorable review.
Critique :
A formal analysis of a work, as in: Please send your request for a site review to the HWG critique mailing list.
Cue :
Signal to begin, as in: At the meeting, I won't say anything until I get the cue from you.
Queue :
People in line, as in: We had to wait in the queue to get tickets for the movie.
Currant :
A berry, as in: I made some fresh currant jam to go with the biscuits.
Current :
Up to date, as in: The current issue of Internet World has some good information on graphics design.
Dairy :
Having to do with milk and milk products, as in: Our best customer sells dairy products.
Diary :
Daily record of events, as in: I kept a diary when the twins were tiny, to help me remember which baby I fed last.
Data :
Facts and figures, as in: He designed a survey to collect data about visitors to his Web site.
Datum :
A single fact, as in: We based our measurements on the datum of the boiling point of water. (Note: rarely used outside scientific literature)
Deceased :
Dead, as in: I am sorry to report that our hospital records show that your uncle is deceased.
Diseased :
Seriously ill: The fact that he was poor and diseased never seemed to affect his wonderful sense of humor.
Decent :
In good taste, as in: Gestures considered decent in one culture may be obscene in another.
Descent :
Going downward, as in: His descent from the airplane was much slower after he pulled the cord on his parachute.
Dissent :
Disagreement, as in: Of the twelve judges ruling on the case, hers was the only voice of dissent.
Dissidence :
Strong disagreement and outright opposition, as in: The government's oppressive policies led to such dissidence that they were ousted in the next election.
Decree :
Official decision or order, as in: The decree made all the striking workers return to their jobs.
Degree :
Step, grade, or rank, as in: She suffered third-degree burns on her arms rescuing the child.
Decry :
To openly condemn or ridicule, as in: Those who believe in a democratic society decry tyranny in any form.
Descry :
To see or catch sight of, often from a distance, as in: When I descry the island, I'll shout, "Land Ho!"
Deduce :
Form an opinion from a solid basis of fact, as in: From the size of these shoeprints, I deduce the intruder was wearing large shoes. (You thought I was going to say had large feet, didn't you?)
Deduct :
Subtract, as in: Please deduct this amount from my bill.
Defer :
(1) Delay or postpone, as in: We can defer the charges one month.
(2) Yield out of respect, as in: I defer to my colleague's greater experience in this field.
Differ :
Disagree, as in: I must differ with you about the meaning of that word.
Deference :
Courteous regard, as in: The young people in that family showed great deference for their elders.
Difference :
Distinguishing characteristic, as in: The difference is that my web site loads quickly while your's does not.
Delusion :
Mistaken belief of a confused state of mind, as in: He was under the delusion that he could fly.
Allusion :
Indirect or casual mention, as in: No one made any allusion to the scandal while she was in the room.
Elusion :
Evasion or clever escape, as in: The embezzlers celebrated their elusion of the police a little too soon.
Illusion :
Presentation of a false or misleading idea, as in: The magician gave the illusion of sawing the woman in half.
Deposition :
Sworn, written statement, as in: Before the start of the trial, each of the witnesses gave a deposition of their testimony.
Disposition :
(1) Tendency to react in a certain way, as in: Pollyanna had an especially cheerful disposition.
(2) Final settlement, as in: The disposition of my father's estate took longer than I thought it would.
Depraved :
Extreme departure from what is normal and good, as in: He was a depraved murderer.
Deprived :
Take away from, as in: He claimed that, during his childhood, he was deprived of any warmth and affection.
Deprecate :
Belittle, as in: Have you noticed that he seems to deprecate himself just so we have to compliment him?
Depreciate :
Fall in value or price, as in: A new car will start to depreciate as soon as you drive it off the lot.
Desert :
(1) Hot, dry, sandy place, as in: Not all kinds of plants can grow in a desert.
(2) Abandon or forsake, as in: The loyal little dog refused to desert his master.
Dessert :
End of a meal, usually something sweet, as in: I don't think I'll order any dessert today, thank you.
Desolate :
(1) Deserted or uninhabited, as in: They washed up on the shore of a desolate island.
(2) Miserable, as in: I am desolate that you believed I could do a thing like that.
Dissolute :
Characterised by loose moral standards, as in: The younger son led a dissolute lifestyle before he returned home to his family.
Detract :
Take something away from the value or reputation of, as in: Words that are not properly used can detract from a writer's credibility.
Distract :
Divert attention from, as in: A blinking graphic on a Web page will distract a reader trying to read text.
Device :
Invention, as in: If your device works, I think you should get a patent for it.
Devise :
Think up a way to do something new, as in: HTML was devised to tell a Web browser how to show the relative importance of lines of text in a Web document.
Dew :
Moisture, as in: It was a beautiful spring morning, and the grass sparkled with dew.
Do :
Make, cause, perform, carry out, and act, as in: What shall I do to convince them?
Due :
Payable, as in: The rent is due the first of every month.
Die :
(1) Stop living or existing, as in: The doctor said without an operation the patient would surely die.
(2) Device for shaping, as in: He used to be a tool-and-die maker before the terrible accident.
Dye :
Color, as in: I think I will dye my hair a lighter shade.
Disapprove :
View with disfavor, as in: His parents disapprove of his truancy.
Disprove :
Prove to be false, as in: The accused was determined to disprove the charges against him.
Disassemble :
Take apart, as in: It was easy to disassemble the clock, but it wasn't so easy to put it back together again.
Dissemble :
Disguise or conceal the real nature of, as in: I'd rather be honest about my shortcomings than dissemble or pretend to be something I'm not.
Disburse :
Pay out funds, as in: Do you think the foundation will disburse the funds soon?
Disperse :
Scatter, as in: The security guards told the crowd to disperse or face arrest.
Discreet :
Prudent, trustworthy, as in: A discreet accountant is a valuable business asset.
Discrete :
Separate and distinct, as in: The company is composed of three discrete units.
Disinterested :
Not influenced by personal motives, as in: To mediate this argument, we need a disinterested person.
Uninterested :
Unconcerned, as in: I knew she was sick because she was uninterested in food.
Divers :
Various, several, as in: We have provided divers acts for your entertainment.
Diverse :
Markedly different or conspicuously contrasting, as in: His hobbies are as diverse as whitewater-rafting and needlepoint.
Done :
Completed, as in: Call me when the Web site is done.
Dun :
Demand repeatedly, as in: The collection agency went to great lengths to dun him for payment of his.
Edition :
Published version, as in: Read the latest edition of the Tax Tips and Tactics newsletter.
Addition :
Something added, as in: We toured the addition to the hospital yesterday.
Effect :
(1, a noun) immediate or direct result, as in: What effect does that medicine have on you?
(2, a verb) accomplish, as in: He braided the bedsheets to effect an escape.
Affect :
To act upon or influence, as in: Strong emotions can affect your health.
Effective :
Producing the desired result, as in: He has an effective introduction in his presentation.
Efficient :
Producing the desired result with the least waste, as in: I design graphics for Web pages that are an efficient use of bandwidth.
Eight :
The number after seven, as in: Breakfast will be at eight in the morning.
Ate :
Past tense of eat, as in: We ate in that new restaurant last week.
Elapse :
(Of time) pass by, as in: Three minutes elapsed before her page had completely loaded--too many graphics!
Lapse :
(1) To slip or fall, as in: When the announcement came, we all lapsed into silence.
(2) To lose effect, as in: Your insurance policy will lapse if you don't pay the premiums.
Relapse :
A slip backwards, as in: Just when we thought he was going to get well, he suffered a relapse.
Elicit :
Draw out, as in: The band's performances always elicit praise from the critics.
Illicit :
Not allowed, as in: Illicit copying of another person's work is punishable by law.
Eligible :
Qualified for, as in: Every person who submits a new word this month is eligible to win the prize.
Illegible :
Hard to read, as in: I have seen Web sites where the text was illegible because the background was too strong a design.
Ineligible :
Legally disqualified, as in: In the US, a president who has been elected twice is ineligible to run again.
Allusion :
Indirect or casual mention, as in: No one made any allusion to the scandal while she was in the room.
Illusion :
Presentation of a false or misleading idea, as in: The magician gave the illusion of sawing the woman in half.
Delusion :
Mistaken belief of a confused state of mind, as in: He was under the delusion that he could fly.
Elusion :
Evasion or clever escape, as in: The embezzlers celebrated their elusion of the police a little too soon.
Elusive :
Hard to catch or grasp, as in: The solution to the problem proved more elusive than they first thought.
Illusive :
Deceptive or unreal, as in: Lost in the desert, he saw an illusive oasis called a mirage.
Emerge :
Come out of something enclosed, as in: Out of four candidates, you emerge as the favorite.
Immerge :
Plunge into (same as immerse), as in: Immerge the burn in cold water to minimize the skin damage.
Immerse :
Plunge into, as in: Sometimes we get so immersed in our work, we forget how much time has elapsed.
Emigrate :
Move out of a country, as in: My neighbors decided to emigrate to New Zealand [Images] while the children were still young.
Immigrate :
Move into a country, as in: My mother immigrated to this country from Lithuania.
Emanate :
Flow out from, as in : She was so creative that ideas just seemed to emanate from her.
Eminent :
Outstanding, as in: Steven Hawking is one of the most eminent thinkers of our time.
Imminent :
Impending, as in: When she heard a storm was imminent, she backed up her work and unplugged the computer.
En route :
On the way, as in: En route to town to sell the cow, Jack traded the cow for some magic beans.
Root :
(1) Underground part of a plant, as in: A carrot is a root vegetable.
(2) Origin or source, as in: We can't solve this problem until we get to its root.
(3) cheer for or wish success for, as in: Who did you root for in the Olympics ?
Rout :
Terrible defeat, as in: The Super Bowl turned out to be a complete rout.
Route :
A path which is planned and followed regularly, as in: I'm thinking of supplementing my salary with a newspaper route.
Assure :
Declare positively, as in: I assure you that I will be finished by next Tuesday.
Ensure :
Make sure, as in: Order today to ensure delivery by Monday.
Insure :
Cover by insurance, as in: This Company will insure the data on my hard disk as well as the computer itself.
Envelop :
Enfold or surround completely, as in: The python slithered forward to envelop its prey and crush it.
Envelope :
Container for a letter, as in: Please send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope with your request.
Equable :
Even or equal and uniform, as in: Their goal is to create a more equable taxation system.
Equitable :
Fair and just, as in: The injured party sought an equitable settlement.
Erasable :
Capable of being rubbed out or removed, as in: Don't use an eraseable pen when doing your bookkeeping records, because these records are supposed to be permanent.
Irascible :
Easily provoked to anger, as in: After years of enduring chronic pain, he became so irascible it took courage to go visit him.
Especially :
Standing apart uniquely from the rest, as in: The air quality where I live is especially bad.
Specially :
Given unusual treatment, as in: Look in the specially-marked boxes for your entry blank.
Assay :
Chemical analysis, as in: The assay office will test your ore to see how much gold it contains.
Essay :
A short composition expressing the author's opinions, as in: Students applying for a scholarship often have to write an essay.
Every day :
Each day without exception, as in: Every day, he comes home and says, "Hi, Honey. What's for dinner?"
Everyday :
Ordinary, as in: Wear your everyday clothes to school, and save your finest for special occasions.
Every one :
Each, without exception, as in: I bought a dozen eggs yesterday and every one was cracked when I got home.
Everyone :
Everybody, as in: Everyone at work says to tell you, "Get well soon."
Ewe :
Female sheep, as in: The ewe was bleating and looking for her lamb.
Yew :
Evergreen tree of the taxus genus, as in: The finest violin bows are made of yew wood.
You :
The one or ones being spoken to, as in: I guarantee that you will be satisfied or your money will be cheerfully refunded.
Exalt :
Glorify or put much higher, as in: In ancient Egypt, the pharoah was exalted over his subjects.
Exult :
Rejoice, as in: The winning team went to the restaurant to exult in their victory.
Accede :
(1) Give in to, as in: We accede to your demands.
(2) take a position of authority, as in: When did the King accede to the throne?
Exceed :
To go past a stated amount, as in: It is illegal to exceed the speed limit.
Accept :
To agree to take, as in: I accept the terms of your offer.
Except :
Excluding, as in: I knew all the answers on the test, except the last one.
Access :
Permission to go in or to approach, as in: No one has access to my private files but me.
Excess :
More than enough, as in: We gave our excess fruit to our neighbors.
Expand :
Enlarge, as in: One reason for a business to have a Web site is to expand its market.
Expend :
Pay out money, as in: Because they neglected to expend any money or time on marketing their business, they soon went bankrupt.
Expansive :
Broad, as in: Their expansive front lawn was the envy of the neighborhood.
Expensive :
Costing a lot of money, as in: A large front lawn can be expensive when you add up the water bills, fertilizer bills, and energy consumed in mowing it regularly.
Expatiate :
Write or speak in great detail, as in: Please forgive me if I expatiate, but this is my favorite topic.
Expiate :
Atone for or make amends for, as in: She devoted her life to charity to try to expiate the wrongs of her youth.
Extant :
Still existing, as in: The museum has the last extant copy of the manuscript.
Extent :
The limit to which something extends, as in: The extent of the Universe seems to grow as our ability to make better telescopes grows.
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