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Take a look at these two sentences – one of them contains a mistake:

I poured over book after book.

We pored over the catalogues.

Are you uncertain which one is right? There are a lot of words in English that look or sound alike but have very different meanings, such as pore and pour or flaunt and flout. It’s easy to get them confused and most electronic spellcheckers won’t be much help in this type of situation: they can tell you if a word has been spelled wrongly but they can’t generally flag up the misuse of a correctly spelled word.

Here’s a quick-reference list of pairs of words that regularly cause people problems. The words follow the accepted British English spelling. Some of them do have alternative American spellings and you will find these in the dictionary.



accept: to agree to receive or do

except: not including



adverse: unfavourable, harmful

averse: strongly disliking; opposed



advice: recommendations about what to do

advise: to recommend something



affect: to change or make a difference to

effect: a result; to bring about a result



aisle: a passage between rows of seats

isle: an island



all together: all in one place, all at once

altogether: completely; on the whole



along: moving or extending horizontally on

a long: referring to something of great length



aloud: out loud

allowed: permitted



altar: a sacred table in a church

alter: to change



amoral: not concerned with right or wrong

immoral: not following accepted moral standards



appraise: to assess

apprise: to inform someone



assent: agreement, approval

ascent: the action of rising or climbing up



aural: relating to the ears or hearing

oral: relating to the mouth; spoken



balmy: pleasantly warm

barmy: foolish, crazy



bare: naked; to uncover

bear: to carry; to put up with



bated: in phrase ‘with bated breath’, i.e. in great suspense

baited: with bait attached or inserted



bazaar: a Middle Eastern market

bizarre: strange



berth: a bunk in a ship, train, etc.

birth: the emergence of a baby from the womb



born: having started life

borne: carried



bough: a branch of a tree

bow: to bend the head; the front of a ship



brake: a device for stopping a vehicle; to stop a vehicle

break: to separate into pieces; a pause



breach: to break through, or break a rule; a gap

breech: the back part of a gun barrel



broach: to raise a subject for discussion

brooch: a piece of jewellery



canvas: a type of strong cloth

canvass: to seek people’s votes



censure: to criticize strongly

censor: to ban parts of a book or film; a person who does this



cereal: a grass producing an edible grain; a breakfast food made from grains

serial: happening in a series



chord: a group of musical notes

cord: a length of string; a cord-like body part



climactic: forming a climax

climatic: relating to climate



coarse: rough

course: a direction; a school subject; part of a meal



complacent: smug and self-satisfied

complaisant: willing to please



complement: to add to so as to improve; an addition that improves something

compliment: to praise or express approval; an admiring remark



council: a group of people who manage or advise

counsel: advice; to advise



cue: a signal for action; a wooden rod

queue: a line of people or vehicles



curb: to keep something in check; a control or limit

kerb: (in British English) the stone edge of a pavement



currant: a dried grape

current: happening now; a flow of water, air, or electricity



defuse: to make a situation less tense

diffuse: to spread over a wide area



desert: a waterless, empty area; to abandon someone

dessert: the sweet course of a meal



discreet: careful not to attract attention

discrete: separate and distinct



disinterested: impartial

uninterested: not interested



draught: a current of air

draft: a first version of a piece of writing



draw: an even score at the end of a game

drawer: a sliding storage compartment



dual: having two parts

duel: a fight or contest between two people



elicit: to draw out a reply or reaction

illicit: not allowed by law or rules



ensure: to make certain that something will happen

insure: to provide compensation if a person dies or property is damaged



envelop: to cover or surround

envelope: a paper container for a letter



exercise: physical activity; to do physical activity

exorcise: to drive out an evil spirit



fawn: a young deer; light brown

faun: a mythical being, part man, part goat



flaunt: to display ostentatiously

flout: to disregard a rule



flounder: to move clumsily; to have difficulty doing something

founder: to fail



forbear: to refrain

forebear” an ancestor



foreword: an introduction to a book

forward: onwards, ahead

Source: oxforddictionaries.com