IELTS WritingSAT writingSpoken English

Top-Most Commonly Confused Or Misused Words

Some words have similar or almost similar pronunciation which causes people to often commit mistakes while using them. Let’s review some of these most commonly used misused words:
#1. Affect-Effect
‘Affect’ means to make a difference to or move emotionally whereas ‘Effect’ means to make something happen. Effect is usually used as a noun and affect as verb. People often confuse these two because effect can also be used used as a verb depending on the situations. Therefore, they top this list of most confusing words.
#2. Beside-Besides
‘Beside’ means to stand next to someone while ‘Besides” is an adverb, also used to add information. For example “Besides, he appointed me as head of the department.”. ‘Besides’ mean to say something apart from basic information that has already been said.

Tips To Improve Grammar 
#3. Your-You’re
‘Your’ means to belong to someone and ‘You’re’ is a contraction of ‘you are’ which is used to define someone. Majority of people use these words incorrectly thinking they indicate the same thing. Also, this are the most commonly misused words in the whole wide world.
#4. Whose-Who’s
‘Whose’ is the preposition form of ‘who’ contrary to “Who’s” which is a contraction form of “who is”. ‘Whose’ is used to infer to associate person. If you ask people, you’d find that many believe them to be the same thing.

Linking Words used in English
#5. It’s-Its
‘Its’ is the possessive form of “it” whereas “it’s” is the contraction of “it is”. ‘Its” means belonging to “It’s” either means “it has” or “it is”. These are also confusing words misused by some people. To attain perfection in learning English, one must emphasize on correctly using them.
#6. Farther-Further
‘Farther’ is an adjective and adverb that means to or at a more distant point. However, “Further” is an adjective and adverb that means to or at a greater extent or degree.

Easy Vocabulary Words
#7. Cite-Site
‘Cite’ is a verb that means to quote as an authority which also means to recognize formally. On the contrary, ‘Site’ is a noun meaning location. These two words have similar pronunciation but different meanings. This makes them to be of of the most commonly misused words.