# 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:** 28
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2023, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/544 "2023-08-11T17:20:40Z")
**cannon** : a gun, barrel of a gun **canyon** (older spelling **cañón** ): valley [not the same word as cannon in English] **canon** : a generally accepted principle; a musical round **slight** : small, slender **sleight** : cunning, dexterity **sloyd** : handicraft ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2023, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/545 "2023-08-11T18:25:42Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > **sloyd** : handicraft [Sloyd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloyd) A Scandinavian system of education focused on handicraft on the development of handicraft skills. Interesting in general as an educational system, and more specifically for the particular skill development instructions used in woodworking, sewing, and paper folding. ---
**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:** [August 13, 2023, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/546 "2023-08-13T15:47:45Z")
**rigorous** : extremely accurate, strict, or thorough **vigorous** : extremely strong, energetic, or healthy We normally talk about “rigorous diets” (= strict) and “vigorous exercise” (= physically intense), though you can make a case that “vigorous diet” (= healthy) and “rigorous exercise” (= painstaking) also making sense. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2023, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/547 "2023-08-13T15:56:56Z")
**vigorish** : what you better pay your loan shark every week ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/548 "2023-08-15T03:57:19Z")
**Nigerian** : from Nigeria **Nigerien** : from Niger ---
**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:** [August 15, 2023, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/549 "2023-08-15T17:06:55Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > **Nigerian** : from Nigeria > **Nigerien** : from Niger > . I’ve wondered if there is a formal set of rules for which suffixes are used to name a people after a place: -ite -ian -on -an etc. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/550 "2023-08-15T17:31:46Z")
I can’t find a clip. If you can watch Taxi Season 3 Episode 13 - Zen and the Art of Cab Driving, near the end you’ll hear a debate about the naming of people from Delaware. So no rules, it’s up to the democratic process to decide. Transcript: > [@](#): > > …instead of sitting here watching a couple of images on television, trying to decide between Delawarians and Delawarites. > > OFFICIAL ( on TV ): Attention. Here are the results of the roll call vote. > From this day forward, all citizens of the fair State of Delaware shall be officially known as Delawarians. > > What are they, nuts? Delawarians? > > OFFICIAL: Attention, attention-- attention, Delawarians. > May I have your attention again, please? > > Now that that’s settled, we’ll move on to the next piece of business– ---
**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:** [August 15, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/551 "2023-08-15T18:44:37Z")
> [@Lumpy](#): > > I’ve wondered if there is a formal set of rules for which suffixes are used to name a people after a place: -ite -ian -on -an etc. You might find this thread to be of interest: > [@the variation of forms for national names used as adjectives](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-variation-of-forms-for-national-names-used-as-adjectives/807304): > > Apologies if the subject doesn’t make any sense, but here’s what I’m talking about. If you want to describe someone or something as being from or related to a certain country, you use an adjective form of that country’s name. Example, Terrence and Phillip are from Canada; they are Canadian. My puzzlement has to do with the many different forms that get used when making adjectives out of various countries’ or regions’ names. England --\> English. OK, got it. Finland --\> Finnish. What, whe… ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/552 "2023-08-15T19:07:16Z")
Wikipedia has “Delawareans”!! ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/553 "2023-08-15T19:18:02Z")
But what, if any, rules tell you how to choose among the possible Greek, Latin, Celtic, Germanic, Semitic, etc. suffixes? [Or no suffix: “a Swahili”, or something irregular] Also the name of the people may not be the same as the adjective at all: Briton versus British, Swahili vs Swahilian/Swahilese, Jew vs Jewish, Scot vs Scottish [cf.: Scots language, Scotch whisky; do not get confused!] ---
**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:** [August 15, 2023, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/554 "2023-08-15T20:15:12Z")
From [another thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-trump-is-indicted-in-georgia-indicted-on-august-14-2023/979928/490) active today: **odorous** : having an odor, whether good, bad, or indifferent **malodorous** : having a bad odor **odoriferous** : synonym of _odorous_ **onerous** : burdensome **odious** : detestable ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2023, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/555 "2023-08-16T03:43:28Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > Jew vs Jewish (not to be confused with **Judaic** or **Judaical** ) **Diesel** : an engine named after a German engineer **deasil** : towards the right; clockwise ---
**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:** [August 17, 2023, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/556 "2023-08-17T16:49:44Z")
Israelite: a member of the ancient twelve tribes of Israel Israeli: a citizen of the modern nation of Israel ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2023, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/557 "2023-08-18T14:26:38Z")
**Colombia** : tropical country **Columbia** : America ---
**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:** [August 18, 2023, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/558 "2023-08-18T18:54:17Z")
**Have:** A verb used together with would/could/should when describing alternative choices one might have made in the past under different circumstances. “I would have gone to the store with him if he could have driven. He should have just stayed home.” **Of:** A preposition that is not the correct word to use with would/should/could. “I would of gone to the store with him if he could of driven. He should of just stayed home.” If you’re ever confused about whether to use have or of, just try deleting the would/could/should and see if the sentence still makes grammatical sense: “I would of left the party.” OK, now drop the “would”: “I of left the party.” Doesn’t make gramatical sense, so “of” is the wrong word here. Try it with “have” instead. “I would have left the party.” Now drop the “would”: “I have left the party.” Still makes grammatical sense. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2023, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/559 "2023-08-19T21:16:45Z")
I was listening to song lyrics where “we” (nominative) was confused with “us” (accusative): “You are not you, you are now us” …then “us” was rhymed with “trust” so it was probably deliberate… ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/560 "2023-08-20T05:22:59Z")
It’s what people use (going by the sound) when they should use " -'ve “. I wouldn’t’ve used “of”, but for some reason I wasn’t sure what it should be (until I was in my early 20s!) so I always wrote out the " have”. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/561 "2023-08-20T11:07:06Z")
I don’t know how common the confusion is, but I used to get the following confused: **sallow** : of an unhealthy pale complexion **callow** : young and inexperienced ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2023, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/562 "2023-08-20T13:04:49Z")
And **mallow** , a type of gummy plant growing in swampy land from which a certain type of candy was once made. And “fallow” meaning unused. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2023, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/563 "2023-08-20T22:40:41Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > **sallow** : of an unhealthy pale complexion > **callow** : young and inexperienced > [@LSLGuy](#): > > And **mallow** , a type of gummy plant growing in swampy land from which a certain type of candy was once made. > > And “fallow” meaning unused. I don’t get “callow” confused with mallow or fallow, and only rarely with sallow, but I _do_ get it confused with **callous**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772.md?page=27) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772.md?page=29)