There are a lot of words in English that look or sound the same but have very different meanings, such as accept and except or affect and effect. Here’s a quick-reference list of pairs of words that sometimes cause people problems.
| Word 1 | Meaning | Word 2 | Meaning |
| accept | agree to receive or do; believe | except | not including |
| adverse | unfavorable; harmful | averse | strongly disliking; opposed |
| advice (n) | recommendations about what to do | advise (v) | to recommend something |
| affect (v) | to change or make a difference to | effect (n) | 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 or time |
| 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 |
| bare | naked; to uncover | bear | to carry; to put up with; large mammal |
| 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 and 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 part 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 |
| foreword | an introduction to a book | forward | onwards, ahead |
| grisly | gruesome, revolting | grizzly | a type of bear |
| hoard | to amass or stockpile | horde | a large crowd of people |
| imply | to suggest indirectly | infer | to draw a conclusion |
| loose | to unfasten; to set free; not tight | lose | to be unable to find |
| pedal | a foot-operated lever | peddle | to sell goods |
| pole | a long, slender piece of wood | poll | voting in an election |
| pour | to flow or cause to flow | pore | a tiny opening; to study something closely |
| principal | most important; the head of a school | principle | a fundamental rule or belief |
| sceptic | a person inclined to doubt | septic | infected with bacteria |
| sight | the ability to see | site | a location |
| stationary | not moving | stationery | writing materials |
| storey | a level of a building | story | a tale or account |