# Words one can get confused **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 18, 2022, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772 "2022-09-18T20:10:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/304 "2023-03-19T03:11:46Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > draught: British spelling of draft (and pronounced like “draft”), as in “draft animal” or “draft beer” That’s ridiculous. I would laugh at anyone who pronounced “augh” as “af.” ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/305 "2023-03-19T08:25:02Z")
Elusive: tending to evade grasp or pursuit; hard to comprehend or define; hard to isolate or identify Illusive: based on or producing illusion; illusory; deceptive ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/306 "2023-03-19T08:35:11Z")
never mind ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2023, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/307 "2023-03-19T08:40:57Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Elusive: tending to evade grasp or pursuit; hard to comprehend or define; hard to isolate or identify > > Illusive: based on or producing illusion; illusory; deceptive Allusive: making reference to some literary work. ---
**Author:** ![Askance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askance/32/8281_2.png) [@Askance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askance)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/308 "2023-03-23T06:04:07Z")
**Adverse** - troublesome, difficult - “in an adverse situation“ **Averse** - disinclined, have a negative attitude toward - “I’m averse to sweet mayonnaise” ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2023, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/309 "2023-03-23T08:24:07Z")
Yep, got that one: > [@Words one can get confused](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/172): > > Averse and adverse or often confused with each other. They are not interchangeable. A person can be averse, meaning they have an aversion - that is, something they try to avoid. If you have an aversion to risk, you are risk-averse. Interestingly, I don’t think I’ve ever heard that phrase used for other situations, e.g. a person who has an aversion to dogs is never described as dog-averse. Conditions or effects can be adverse. Adverse weather, adverse economic conditions, and so on. Advers… ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/310 "2023-03-24T04:26:33Z")
**arrant** **errant** ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/311 "2023-03-24T07:51:41Z")
[ETA: yes, already covered in September. Sigh.] damp (verb): (excerpted from OED) to dull, deaden; to impose or to act as a resisting influence on (an oscillation or vibration of any kind) so that it is either progressively reduced in amplitude or, if the resistance is sufficiently great, converted into non-oscillatory return to an equilibrium position. dampen (verb): to make slightly wet. The OED says the use of this word as a synonym for “damp” (verb) is “now chiefly U.S.” ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/312 "2023-03-24T10:42:42Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > The ibis is a group of several species of long-legged wading bird. > The ibex is a wild goat native to all three continents of the Old World. > The oryx is a genus of African (and formerly Arabian peninsula) antelopes. > An onyx is a gemstone, a banded form of chalcedony. Another confusion I have encountered is between ‘oryx’ and ‘aurochs’, a kind of primitive cow that is now extinct. The two words look very different, but sound almost the same in some accents. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/313 "2023-03-24T11:36:35Z")
**ally** / **alley** ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/314 "2023-03-24T12:34:49Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > Lo and behold.” Correct. > “Low and behold.” Incorrect. Not necessarily. Sometimes you have to bend really low to behold the earring you accidentally dropped on your rug. 😈 ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/315 "2023-03-24T12:43:26Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Poisonous: You bite it and you die. > Venomous: It bites you and you die. Yes, but if you bit it first so hard that your teeth penetrated a poison gland, you could actually be poisoned by a venomous snake!! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/316 "2023-03-24T12:52:52Z")
Perhaps if you were really flabbergasted by whatever you are beholding you might low. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/317 "2023-03-24T18:39:40Z")
**pedal** / **peddle** ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2023, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/318 "2023-03-24T19:39:54Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > never mind _NEVER – adverb - nev·​er ˈne-vər_ _1 : not ever : at no time_ _I never met her_ _2: not in any degree : not under any condition_ _never the wiser for his experience_ _MIND - noun_ _1: Recollection, Memory_ _keep that in mind_ _time out of mind_ _2:_ _a: the element or complex (see COMPLEX entry 1 sense 1) of elements in an individual that feels, perceives, thinks, wills, and especially reasons_ _Keep your mind active as you grow older._ _b: the conscious mental events and capabilities in an organism_ _c: the organized conscious and unconscious adaptive mental activity of an organism_ Hmm, I’ve never personally confused “never” with “mind”. Mind you, I never considered all their applications, like if I mined gold at Never Never Land. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2023, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/319 "2023-03-25T16:09:59Z")
Not to mention **petal**. Also **medal** (a decoration, as in Medal of Honor)/ **metal** (a substance like iron or copper)/ **mettle** (good character)/ **meddle** (to interfere). ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/320 "2023-03-26T05:26:31Z")
How about “pus,” a discharge from an infection, vs. “puss,” a nickname for a cat (or sometimes female genitals). ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/321 "2023-03-26T17:02:03Z")
Very nice! (Though, I have to say e.g. I pronounce “metal” with a “t” and “medal” with a “d”.) ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2023, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/322 "2023-03-26T19:47:45Z")
d and t or th are notorious for consonant shifts. Almost as bad as p and f. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2023, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/323 "2023-03-29T15:08:51Z")
**meat:** food, flesh **meet:** to make contact with **mete:** to measure [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772.md?page=17)