Essential Vocabulary: 15 Pairs of Confusing English Words

Vocabulary Distinctions

1. Build vs. Construe

   • Build: To make something by putting bricks or other materials together.
   • Construe: To understand the meaning, especially of other people's actions and statements, in a particular way.

2. Freeze vs. Congeal

   • Freeze: To make food last a long time by storing it at a very low temperature so that it becomes hard.
   • Congeal: To change from a liquid or soft state to a thick or solid state.

3. Human vs. Humane

   • Human: Of or typical of people; a man, woman, or child.
   • Humane: Showing kindness, care, and sympathy towards others, especially those who are suffering.

4. Answer, Reply, and Response

   • Answer: A reaction to a question, letter, phone call, etc.
   • Reply: To answer; to react to an action by someone else.
   • Response: An answer or reaction.

5. Error vs. Mistake

   • Error: A mistake made without knowledge of it.
   • Mistake: An action, decision, or judgment that produces an unwanted or unintentional result.

6. Understand vs. Comprehend

   • Understand: To know the meaning of something that someone says.
   • Comprehend: To understand something completely.

7. Light vs. Illumination

   • Light: The brightness that comes from the sun, fire, etc., and from electrical devices, and that allows things to be seen.
   • Illumination: Colored decorative lights outside which make a town look bright and exciting at night.

8. Artist vs. Artiste

   • Artist: Someone who paints, draws, or makes sculptures.
   • Artiste: A skilled performer, especially a dancer, singer, or actor.

9. To Resume vs. To Summarize

   • To Resume: If an activity resumes, or if you resume it, it starts again after a pause.
   • To Summarize: To express the most important facts or ideas about something or someone in a short and clear form.

10. To House vs. To Inhabit

    • To House: A building that people, usually one family, live in.
    • To Inhabit: To live in a place.

11. To Talk, Converse, and Chat

    • To Talk: To say words aloud; to speak to someone.
    • To Converse: To have a conversation with someone.
    • To Chat: To talk to someone in a friendly, informal way.

12. Hollow vs. Void

    • Hollow: Having a hole or empty space inside.
    • Void: A large hole or empty space.

13. Balance vs. Poise

    • Balance: A state where things are of equal weight or force.
    • Poise: Calm confidence in a person's way of behaving, or a quality of grace (= moving in an attractive way) and balance in the way a person holds or moves their body.

14. Heritage vs. Inheritance

    • Heritage: Features belonging to the culture of a particular society, such as traditions, languages, or buildings, that were created in the past and still have historical importance.
    • Inheritance: Money or objects that someone gives you when they die.

15. Safety vs. Security

    • Safety: A state in which or a place where you are safe and not in danger or at risk.
    • Security: Protection of a person, building, organization, or country against threats such as crime or attacks by foreign countries.