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Writing Lessons & Advice: Confusing Words




Lately, I’ve been practicing cooking pancakes. I’ve learned that cooking them on my mini-griddle makes them really thick but not done in the middle. I get the slender size and circular shape that I like when I pour right into the middle of a hot, open skillet, but the batter has to be the right amount and consistency as well--not too little and not too runny. There’s a delicate balance to it.


Writing with English vocabulary has a similar delicate balance. One wrong word can change the end result. But one trick to limit or avoid the unwanted is to understand your homonyms, homophones, and homographs.


  • Homonyms are the words that have similar spellings or pronunciations but different meanings or origins.

  • Homophones are words that sound the same but are different in meaning or spelling.

  • Homographs are spelled the same but sometimes differ in meaning or pronunciation.


(Synonyms, different words that have the same or similar meanings, have their own lesson!)



In simpler terms, they may be known as just confusing words for those reasons. The English language has both versatility and subtlety to the point that clarity is determined in how a word is spelled, used, and/or said. Sometimes a correctly-spelled word can still be the wrong one, which is why studying and practicing vocabulary along with proofreading are important to do; auto-correct or computer proofreaders not attuned to grammar may miss these errors. In turn, the missed errors can tip the delicate balance out of your favor (The proofreading lesson goes further into this).


The English language has many confusing words. So I’m just going to touch on a handful. Also, I’m mainly going to focus on American spellings or meanings. All that said, I encourage further reading, research, or study if there are any I didn’t cover or address in more detail.



  • Air- typically a noun or a verb; as a noun it is a mixture mainly of oxygen and nitrogen--what we need to breathe. It can also relate to an impression or manner one gives. As an action it can mean to publicly express or to ventilate something.

  • Ere- typically a conjunction or preposition, this is an old form of before.

  • Err-verb, means to be mistaken or to fail. Think err on the side of caution.

  • Heir- typically a noun; means one who inherits property or title upon the death of another. Think heir to the throne. (Also, a male is an heir while a female is an heiress)


  • Accept- verb; means to take or receive something

  • Except- typically a conjunction or preposition; means to exclude or leave out


  • Advice- noun, means an opinion, recommendation, or guidance.

  • Advise- verb, means to give an opinion, recommendation, or guidance.


  • Affect- typically a verb or noun, as an action; it means to act on or cause a change. As a noun, it relates to a feeling, emotion, or response.

  • Effect- also typically a verb or a noun, but this form relates to the end result. One can affect the effect, so to speak.


  • Desert- either a noun, verb, or occasionally an adjective; as a thing and a descriptor, it means a region with little vegetation and rainfall. As a verb or a descriptor, it also means to leave or abandon a person, place, thing, etc.

  • Dessert- noun; means the final course of a meal; it usually consists of a sweet dish like cake, pie, fruit, pudding, ice cream, and the like.


  • Elicit- verb; means do draw out or bring out

  • Illicit- adjective; means illegal, something not permitted or authorized.


  • Lay- as a verb, it means to put an object in a horizontal position or position of rest. Think you lay something down. Occasionally, it can be a noun, meaning a general sense or appearance of an area. Think lay of the land.

  • Lie- as a verb, it means to put oneself in a horizontal position or position of rest. Think you lie down. It can also mean to be kept in a certain state--think ruins lie in disrepair--or tell a false statement.


  • Right- either an adjective, a noun, or adverb; as a descriptor, it can mean fair, good, just, etc. Or the opposite of left. As a thing, it means values or principles of moral, good, just nature. Think the Bill of Rights, women’s rights, civil rights, workers rights, and so on. As an adverb, it means completely or directly.

  • Write- verb; means to to trace or form (characters, letters, words, etc.) on the surface of some material with an appropriate instrument.

  • Rite- noun; means a formal or ceremonial act as part of one’s culture. Think rites of passages, ceremonial rites, burial rites, etc.


  • Then- adverb; relates to a specified time.

  • Than- conjunction or preposition; used in phrases of comparison. Think more than, less than, bigger than, smaller than, etc.



  • There- either an adverb, noun, or pronoun; used in reference to a location, point, or condition.

  • Their- a plural possessive pronoun; refers to something belonging or relating to a collective, like their ball, their home, their vacation.

  • They’re- contraction form of they are


Other tips

  • Use mnemonics or memory tricks. Some of the source material may offer some tricks or you might try coming up with your own. To give a few examples I thought of: notice that illicit and illegal both start with the same letters or think of error to remember the correct homophone related to making mistakes. Or to remember the one that comes after dinner, think desserts are so sweet.

  • Watch out for them in reading. Always a fun way to learn writing. Sometimes "seeing" language in action can help things click.

  • Don't be afraid to consult a dictionary or grammar reference. Even the best writers can get tripped up.

  • Choose different wording or phrasing if you're absolutely stumped.



Word choice is a key ingredient to good writing. While strong, interesting word choices can flavor a message, vocabulary in general make the base ingredients to any message, like what flour, baking powder, milk, and eggs are to my pancakes. Used correctly, your information is better expressed and understood--and you make decent pancakes.


Hopefully you understand confusing words a little better and are encouraged to keep learning about them! Again, make sure you keep your eyes open for them in proofreading!



If there's a topic you want me to cover in the future, you're welcome to reach out to me on the web chat feature or socials!



Sources/further reading



Various commonly confused words explained by Merriam-Webster- https://www.merriam-webster.com/commonly-confused/see-all



Ways to identify affect and effect- https://www.enago.com/academy/affect-vs-effect/


Various posts related to "confusing words" from Grammar Girl- https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/?s=confusing+words


Various homophones explained by grammartist.com- https://grammarist.com/category/homophones/


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