Commonly Confused Words — Which One Fits?, Set 1 flashcards
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One sentence for each of the 75 pairs and trios in Set 1: choose the word the clues call for, then read why it fits and the other doesn't.
Learn deck · part of Commonly Confused Words · written against: 150 pairs and trios that usage guides list as commonly confused; mainstream American usage, with disputed points attributed. Updated 2026-10-10.
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Choose: The new bell schedule had no noticeable (affect / effect) on how many students arrived late.effectSound-Alikes
After no noticeable and before on, the slot needs a noun meaning a result. Affect is the verb (to influence). -
Choose: The dark wooden benches make a handsome (complement / compliment) to the old stone fountain in the square.complementSound-Alikes
The benches go with the fountain and complete the look; nobody is praising anyone, so it's complement. -
Choose: My desk chair wobbles now because a screw under the seat came (loose / lose).looseLook-Alikes
A screw that is no longer tight has come loose. Lose is the verb for misplacing something or failing to win. -
Choose: Underwater, a snorkel lets you (breath / breathe) while keeping your face in the water.breatheLook-Alikes
After lets you, the sentence needs a verb, and the verb is breathe. Breath is the noun, the air you take in. -
Choose: From the coach's frown, the players could (imply / infer) that practice would run late.inferNear Meanings
The players are drawing a conclusion from what they see, so they infer. The coach, who sends the hint, would be the one to imply. -
Choose: To settle the tie fairly, the club asked a (disinterested / uninterested) judge who knew none of the bakers.disinterestedNear Meanings
The club wants an impartial judge who gains nothing whoever wins: disinterested. An uninterested judge would simply not care, which wouldn't make the result fair. -
Choose: On hot afternoons, our dog likes to (lay / lie) in the shade under the porch.lieGrammar Pairs
The dog is resting and isn't placing anything, so there's no object: lie. Lay needs an object (lay the leash down). -
Choose: Since the drought began, the creek carries far (fewer / less) water than it did last spring.lessGrammar Pairs
Water is measured, not counted one by one, so less. Fewer goes with plural things you count, like fewer fish. -
Choose: The city will (a lot / allot) each community garden member one small plot near the fence.allotOne Word or Two
After will, the sentence needs a verb, to give out shares: allot. A lot means many or much and isn't a verb. -
Choose: By the time Nia finished the math worksheet, the snow had (already / all ready) covered the whole driveway.alreadyOne Word or Two
The snow covered the driveway before Nia finished, so already. Drop all from all ready and you get “the snow had ready covered,” which makes no sense.
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About these cards
Review status: Second-reader reviewed, with corrections applied.
Checked against:
- Usage checked against Merriam-Webster.com usage notes, The American Heritage Dictionary (5th edition, ahdictionary.com), the Oxford and Cambridge learner's dictionaries and standard American style guides; all explanations and examples are original.
- Pair selection is our own; no publisher's list is reproduced.
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