Confusing Words: Vocabulary- 2 | General Aptitude for GATE - Mechanical Engineering PDF Download

Confusing words are an important part of vocabulary, and today we are going to learn some of the confusing words with the help of given examples.

Examples:

1. Insidious vs. Invidious

• Insidious: The disease progressed in an insidious manner, showing no symptoms until it was too late.
• Invidious: His invidious remarks about his colleague created tension in the office.

2. Instance vs. Instant

• Instance: This is an instance of a company ignoring environmental laws.
• Instant: The fire spread in an instant, destroying the house completely.

3. Intense vs. Intensive

• Intense: The intense summer heat made it difficult to work outside.
• Intensive: The doctors provided intensive care to the critical patients.

4. Laudatory vs. Laudable

• Laudatory: The critics wrote a laudatory review of the novel.
• Laudable: His commitment to charity work is laudable.

5. Lead vs. Led

• Lead (noun): The pipes in older homes often contain lead, which is harmful.
• Led (verb): The guide led the tourists through the museum.

6. Lightning vs. Lightening

• Lightning: The tree was struck by lightning during the storm.
• Lightening: She is lightening her workload by delegating tasks.

7. Loath vs. Loathe

• Loath: He was loath to admit his mistake in front of his colleagues.
• Loathe: I loathe dishonesty in any form.

8. Loose vs. Lose

• Loose: The screw is loose, so the chair wobbles.
• Lose: If you don’t study, you might lose the competition.

9. Loan vs. Lend

• Loan: She took out a loan to buy a house.
• Lend: Can you lend me your book for a week?

10. Luxuriant vs. Luxurious

• Luxuriant: The rainforest is home to luxuriant vegetation.
• Luxurious: The hotel offered luxurious rooms with ocean views.

11. Martial vs. Marital

• Martial: He has trained in martial arts for over ten years.
• Marital: They attended counseling to improve their marital relationship.

12. Meddle vs. Medal vs. Mettle

• Meddle: Please don’t meddle in other people’s affairs.
• Medal: She won a gold medal in swimming.
• Mettle: The firefighters showed their mettle during the rescue mission.

13. Moral vs. Morale

• Moral: The moral of the story is to always tell the truth.
• Morale: Employee morale improved after the salary hike.

14. Naval vs. Navel

• Naval: He joined the naval academy at the age of 18.
• Navel: She has a small scar near her navel.

15. Oral vs. Aural

• Oral: He gave an oral presentation at the seminar.
• Aural: The new theater has excellent aural acoustics.

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16. Palette vs. Palate

• Palette: The artist’s palette was full of bright colors.
• Palate: This dish is a delight for the palate.

17. Perimeter vs. Parameters

• Perimeter: The security guards patrolled the perimeter of the building.
• Parameters: The scientist set strict parameters for the experiment.

18. Patience vs. Patients

• Patience: Teaching requires a lot of patience.
• Patients: The hospital has many patients in the emergency ward.

19. Peak vs. Peek vs. Pique

• Peak: He reached the peak of the mountain.
• Peek: She took a quick peek at the test answers.
• Pique: His curiosity was piqued by the mysterious letter.

20. Peasant vs. Pheasant

• Peasant: The peasant worked hard on his farm.
• Pheasant: The hunter spotted a pheasant in the woods.

21. Personnel vs. Personal

• Personnel: The company hired new personnel for the project.
• Personal: This is a personal matter that I’d rather not discuss.

22. Practical vs. Practicable

• Practical: The new plan seems practical and cost-effective.
• Practicable: The bridge design is not practicable due to high costs.

23. Pray vs. Prey

• Pray: She went to the temple to pray for good health.
• Prey: The lion hunted its prey in the jungle.

24. Proceed vs. Precede

• Proceed: You may proceed with your speech.
• Precede: The introduction will precede the main event.

25. Prophesy vs. Prophecy

• Prophesy (verb): The old man prophesied the king’s downfall.
• Prophecy (noun): The ancient prophecy spoke of a great warrior.

26. Quiet vs. Quite

• Quiet: Please be quiet during the lecture.
• Quite: That’s quite an impressive performance!

27. Reign vs. Rein vs. Rain

• Reign: The queen’s reign lasted for 50 years.
• Rein: He held the reins tightly while riding the horse.
• Rain: Heavy rain flooded the streets.

28. Stationary vs. Stationery

• Stationary: The car remained stationary at the red light.
• Stationery: She bought new stationery for school.

29. Waste vs. Waist

• Waste: Don’t waste food.
• Waist: The dress fits perfectly around her waist.

30. Wander vs. Wonder

• Wander: He likes to wander through the city.
• Wonder: I wonder what the future holds.

Practice Test: Simple Present Tense- 1

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31. Whether vs. Weather

• Whether: I don’t know whether to attend the party.
• Weather: The weather is nice today.

32. Whole vs. Hole

• Whole: She ate the whole cake.
• Hole: There is a hole in my shoe.

33. Cite vs. Sight vs. Site

• Cite: He cited a famous author in his paper.
• Sight: The Grand Canyon is a breathtaking sight.
• Site: This is the construction site for the new mall.

34. To vs. Too vs. Two

• To: She went to the store.
• Too: This dress is too expensive.
• Two: I have two dogs.

35. Trooper vs. Trouper

• Trooper: The trooper bravely fought in battle.
• Trouper: Despite the rain, she was a real trouper and finished the race.

36. Affect vs. Effect

• Affect (verb): The new policy will affect many students.
• Effect (noun): The medicine had a positive effect on her recovery.

37. Allow vs. Let vs. Permit

• Allow: The school does not allow students to use phones.
• Let: I’ll let you borrow my book for a week.
• Permit: Smoking is not permitted in public buildings.

38. Amoral vs. Immoral

• Amoral: The scientist took an amoral approach, ignoring ethical concerns.
• Immoral: Stealing is considered immoral by society.

39. Assure vs. Ensure vs. Insure

• Assure: I assure you that everything is fine.
• Ensure: Please ensure the door is locked before leaving.
• Insure: I need to insure my car against damage.

40. Begin vs. Start

• Begin: He began his career as a teacher.
• Start: The race will start at 10 a.m.

41. Chance vs. Possibility vs. Opportunity

• Chance: There is a chance of rain tomorrow.
• Possibility: There is a possibility that I may transfer to another city.
• Opportunity: She got an opportunity to work abroad.

42. Continuously vs. Continually

• Continuously: The waterfall flows continuously throughout the year.
• Continually: He continually interrupts during meetings.

43. Decent vs. Descent vs. Dissent

• Decent: She wore a decent dress to the party.
• Descent: His descent from the mountain was slow.
• Dissent: There was dissent among the committee members.

44. Distinct vs. Distinctive

• Distinct: Mandarin and Cantonese are distinct languages.
• Distinctive: The artist has a distinctive style.

45. Enough vs. Too

• Enough: We don’t have enough chairs for everyone.
• Too: This coffee is too hot to drink.

46. Economic vs. Economical

• Economic: The country is facing an economic crisis.
• Economical: A small car is more economical on fuel.

47. Chauffeur vs. Driver

• Chauffeur: The celebrity arrived in a car driven by his chauffeur.
• Driver: He works as a driver for a taxi company.

48. Cure vs. Treat vs. Heal vs. Recover

• Cure: The scientist hopes to find a cure for cancer.
• Treat: The doctor treated the patient for a cold.
• Heal: His wound healed after a few weeks.
• Recover: She is slowly recovering from surgery.

49. Regard vs. Regards vs. Regardless

• Regard: I regard him as my best friend.
• Regards: Send my regards to your family.
• Regardless: He continued to work, regardless of the difficulties.

50. Resolve vs. Solve

• Resolve: They tried to resolve their differences peacefully.
• Solve: She solved the math problem easily.

51. Review vs. Revise

• Review: I need to review my notes before the test.
• Revise: The editor asked the author to revise the manuscript.

52. Wary vs. Weary

• Wary: I am wary of strangers offering me gifts.
• Weary: She felt weary after a long day of work.

53. Already vs. Yet

• Already: I have already finished my homework.
• Yet: Have you completed your assignment yet?

54. Also vs. As Well vs. Too

• Also: He is also coming to the party.
• As well: She speaks French as well.
• Too: I like pizza, too.

55. Amount vs. Number vs. Quantity

• Amount: He spent a large amount of money.
• Number: A number of students were absent today.
• Quantity: We need a large quantity of rice.

56. Belong to vs. Belong with vs. Belong in

• Belong to: This book belongs to me.
• Belong with: Those documents belong with the rest of the files.
• Belong in: This vase belongs in the living room.

57. Ceiling vs. Roof

• Ceiling: The paint on the ceiling is peeling.
• Roof: The roof started leaking after the storm.

58. Close to vs. Near vs. Next to

• Close to: The school is close to my house.
• Near: There is a supermarket near the park.
• Next to: The bank is next to the grocery store.

59. Good vs. Well

• Good: That was a good movie.
• Well: She sings well.

60. Insight vs. Incite

• Insight: His speech gave great insight into the problem.
• Incite: The leader’s words incited violence.

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61. Made of vs. Made from

• Made of: This chair is made of wood.
• Made from: Paper is made from trees.

62. Defect vs. Fault vs. Flaw

• Defect: The machine has a defect in its wiring.
• Fault: It was his fault that we missed the flight.
• Flaw: There is a small flaw in the design.

63. Review vs. Revise

• Review: The teacher asked us to review the lesson.
• Revise: I need to revise my essay before submitting it.

64. Quit vs. Quite vs. Quiet

• Quit: He decided to quit his job.
• Quite: She is quite talented.
• Quiet: Please be quiet in the library.

65. Historic vs. Historical

• Historic: The signing of the treaty was a historic event.
• Historical: The museum has many historical artifacts.

66. Ingenious vs. Ingenuous

• Ingenious: She came up with an ingenious solution.
• Ingenuous: His ingenuous nature made him easy to trust.

67. Disinterested vs. Uninterested

• Disinterested: A judge should be disinterested in the case.
• Uninterested: She was uninterested in watching the movie.

68. Eminent vs. Imminent

• Eminent: He is an eminent scientist.
• Imminent: A storm is imminent.

69. Stationary vs. Stationery

• Stationary: The bike remained stationary.
• Stationery: She bought new stationery for her office.

70. Later vs. Latter

• Later: I’ll call you later.
• Latter: Between coffee and tea, I prefer the latter.

71. Eminent vs. Imminent

• Eminent: The professor is an eminent expert in physics.
• Imminent: The deadline is imminent.

72. Alternate vs. Alternative

• Alternate: We meet on alternate Sundays.
• Alternative: We need an alternative plan.

73. Device vs. Devise

• Device: The smartphone is a useful device.
• Devise: We need to devise a new strategy.

74. Verbal vs. Oral

• Verbal: He gave a verbal agreement.
• Oral: She passed her oral exam.