Content Writers: 100 Confusing Words That Can Ruin Your Content

Sentences such as “Don’t loose your mind”, “He complemented the students on their good behavior”, “It’s better then flying”, “Don’t advice me” + more (which I’ll cover here) make my inner editor scream. Let’s start the list.

1) It’s & its

It’s = It is or it has
Its = possessive form of it.

2) Loose & lose

Loose = As an adjective it means not tightly fixed. As a verb it means set free.
Lose = Unable to find, unable to keep control of, fail to win, to wander, to be deprived of something that one had before.

3) Advice & advise

Advice = A suggestion that someone offers you.
Advise = Verb form. It means to give someone advice.

4) Complement & compliment

Complement – Something that completes or matches well with another thing.
Compliment – Praise

5) Into & in to

Into = Showing movement, stating the result of a change, involved in something, find out about something.
In to = in order to.

6) Your & you’re

Your = Belonging or related to a person.
You’re = Contraction for you are.

7) Who vs whom

Who = Always used as a subject to a verb
Whom – Used as an object in a sentence.

8) Among vs between

Among = Refer to things not clearly separated because they’re part of a group/crowd.
Between = Refer to 2 things that’re clearly separated.

9) Regard vs regards

Regard = Consider, think of, view, respect.
Regards = Best wishes.

10) Peace vs piece

Peace = Quiet, harmony.
Piece= A portion of something.

11) Lightening vs lightning

Lightening = Lessen the load, whitening, to become cheerful. Also in gynecology it means the sensation, experienced by many women late in pregnancy when the head of the fetus enters the pelvis, of a reduction in pressure on the diaphragm, making it easier to breathe
Lightning = Natural electric discharge accompanied with thunder

12) From vs form

From = Preposition
Form = Shape, create, a place to fill in details.

13) Less vs few

Less= Is used with uncountable nouns
Few = Is used with countable nouns.

14) Lay vs lie

Lay = Put down something gently
Lie = Rest, untruthfulness.

15) Ensure vs insure

Ensure = Make sure
Insure = To buy/provide insurance.

16) Everyone vs every one

Everyone = Pronoun. Refers to all in a group.
Every one = 2 words; used for referring to each person who’s in a group.

17) Rise vs raise

Rise = An increase in amount, moving up, standing up.
Raise = Lifting up, escalate, an increase in salary.

18) Breath vs breathe

Breath = The air taken into the lungs or expelled from it.
Breathe= Verb = The process of taking air in and then expelling.

19) Criteria vs criterion

Criterion = Standard
Criteria = Plural form of criterion.

20) Coarse vs course

Coarse = Rough, crude
Course = Path. a dish or a set of dishes served together, flowing.

21) Canvas vs canvass

Canvas = Closely knit cloth used for paintings, tents.
Canvass = Campaign, thorough discussion.

22) Used to vs use to

Use to = There’s no phrase as such.
Used to = Accustomed to, refer to actions that happened in past but have stopped in the present.

23) Advance vs advanced

Advance = Move forward, loan, preliminary
Advanced = New, state-of-the-art.

24) Irregardless vs regardless

Irregardless = No such word
Regardless = In spite of everything.

25) Peek vs peak

Peak = Reach a climax, pointed top of a mountain, maximum
Peek = Look quickly

26) Supposed to vs suppose to

Supposed to =Expected, required
Suppose to= There’s no such phrase.

27) Weird vs wired

Weird = Uncanny
Wired = In a nervous state, online.

28) Farther vs further

Farther = Physical distance
Further = Additional, going ahead.

29) Flaunt vs flout

Flaunt = Show off
Flout = Breaking rules.

30) Aid vs aide

Aid = Assistance
Aide = Helper, assistant.

31) Plain vs plane

Plain = Simple
Plane = Airplane, a level surface.

32) Beach vs beech

Beach = Seaside
Beech = A Kind of tree.

33) Peace vs peas

Peace = Quiet
Peas = Vegetable.

34) Bring vs take

Bring = Movement toward the speaker
Take = Movement away from the speaker.

35) Callous vs callus

Callous – Hard, cruel.
Callus – Toughened area of skin.

36) All ready vs already

All ready = Completely prepared
Already = Adverb referring to something that’s happened before a certain time.

37) Ascent vs accent

Ascent = Climb
Accent = A particular way of speaking a language.

38) Cavalry vs Calvary

Cavalry = Mobile soldier units
Calvary = The hill on which Jesus was crucified.

39) Choose vs chose

Choose = Select
Chose = Past form of choose.

40) Career vs carrier

Career = Occupation
Carrier = Bearer.

41) Definitely vs definately

Definitely = Surely
Definately = There’s no such word.

42) Spilled vs Spilt vs Split

Spilled = Knock over, flow
Spilt = Past and past participle of spill
Split = Break, divide.

43) Demur vs demure

Demur = To object
Demure = Modest.

44) Discover vs invent

Discover = To know something previously not known
Invent = To make something new.

45) Hoard vs horde

Horde = Crowd
Hoard = A collection or a supply of things to be used in future.

46) Indiscreet vs indiscrete

Indiscreet = Imprudent
Indiscrete = Not separated into distinct parts.

47) Lets vs let’s

Lets = Allow
Let’s = Let + us

48) Naval vs navel

Naval = Related to navy
Navel = Belly button

49) Moral vs morale

Moral = Ethical, lesson of a story
Morale = Spirit.

50) Suit vs suite

Suit = Costume
Suite = Rooms, apartment.

The next 50 confusing words are covered here.

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