Here are some of the most commonly misspelled or confused word pairs; words that sound like each other but are spelled differently and have different meaning. These are known as homophones.
| Words | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Accept Except | receive other than |
| Affect Effect | to influence; an emotional response result |
| All ready Already | prepared by this time |
| Allusion Illusion | indirect reference faulty belief or perception |
| Assure Ensure Insure | state positively make certain indemnify |
| Bare Bear | naked carry; an animal |
| Board Bored | get on; flat piece of wood not interested |
| Brake Break | stop shatter, destroy; a gap; a pause |
| Capital Capitol | seat of government; monetary resources building that houses government |
| Cite Sight Site | credit an authority ability to see; a view a place |
| Complement Compliment | to complete or supplement to praise |
| Desert Dessert | abandon; sandy wasteland sweet course at conclusion of meal |
| Discreet Discrete | tactful, reserved separate or distinct |
| Elicit Illicit | draw out, evoke illegal |
| Eminent Immanent Imminent | well known, respected inherent about to happen |
| Fair Fare | lovely; light-colored; just fee for transportation |
| Forth Fourth | forward after third |
| Gorilla Guerrilla | an ape kind of soldier or warfare |
| Hear Here | perceive sound in this place |
| Heard Herd | past tense of hear a group of animals |
| Hole Whole | opening complete |
| Its It’s | possessive form of it contraction for it is |
| Know No | understand or be aware of negative |
| Later Latter | following in time last in a series |
| Lessen Lesson | make less something learned |
| Loose Lose | not tight misplace |
| Passed Past | past tense of pass after; events occurring at a prior time |
| Patience Patients | calm endurance people getting medial treatment |
| Peace Piece | calm or absence of war part of something |
| Plain Plane | clear, unadorned woodworking tool; airplane |
| Persecute Prosecute | harass take legal action against |
| Personal Personnel | relating to oneself employees |
| Precede Proceed | come before go ahead, continue |
| Principal Principle | most important; head of a school basic truth, rule of behavior |
| Raise Raze | lift up or build up tear down |
| Right Rite Write | correct ritual compose; put words into a text |
| Scene Seen | section of a play; setting of an action visible |
| Stationary Stationery | fixed in place or still paper for writing |
| Straight Strait | unbending water passageway |
| Than Then | compared with at that time; next |
| Their There They’re | possessive form of they in that place contraction for they are |
| To Too Two | toward in addition, also number after one |
| Waist Waste | middle of body leftover or discarded material |
| Which Witch | one of a group person with magical powers |
| Who’s Whose | contraction for who is possessive of who |
| Your You’re | possessive of you contraction for you are |
It’s amazing how often these simple misspellings occur.