# 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:** 40
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/784 "2024-02-02T19:05:09Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > **Ascribe** - to refer to a supposed cause, source, or author **:** to say or think that (something) is caused by, comes from, or is associated with a particular person or thing Subscribe - literally, to “underwrite” or “sign on to” something; to endorse or support, sometimes by monetary contributions. One can subscribe to a content creator’s YouTube channel, for example, or subscribe to a particular theory or belief. (In the latter sense, “ascribe” is often mistakenly used for “subscribe”.) Also: Epigram - a brief witty remark or “zinger”. > [@](#): > > “The qualities rare in a bee that we meet, > In an epigram never should fail. > The body should always be little and sweet, > And a sting should be left in the tail.” Epigraph - an inscription on a material object such as a building or a statue. Or, a short thematic passage or quotation at the start of a book chapter. Epitaph - an identification and/or description commemorating a deceased person. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2024, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/785 "2024-02-02T19:23:46Z")
**story** (also **storey** ): floor of a building **story** (not also **storey** ): a narrative ---
**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:** [February 2, 2024, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/786 "2024-02-02T20:45:15Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Epigram - a brief witty remark or “zinger”. > > Epigraph - an inscription on a material object such as a building or a statue. Or, a short thematic passage or quotation at the start of a book chapter. > > Epitaph - an identification and/or description commemorating a deceased person. Epidermis - yours is showing ---
**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:** [February 3, 2024, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/787 "2024-02-03T03:52:52Z")
_epithet_: (1) a nickname, especially a descriptive one (e.g., [Pepin] the Short, [Ivan] the Terrible) or (2) a term of abuse ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/788 "2024-02-06T12:56:56Z")
**mead** : honey drink **mead** : a meadow **meed** : payment ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/789 "2024-02-06T13:41:03Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > **mead** : a meadow Huh. Never heard of this usage. > [@DPRK](#): > > **meed** : payment Never heard of this word, either. Ignorance fought, I guess. ---
**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:** [February 6, 2024, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/790 "2024-02-06T18:38:26Z")
**offing** : the part of the sea that is visible from but not close to shore; hence, figuratively, the foreseeable future **offering** : something offered for sale or as a gift or sacrifice The company’s CEO suggested that an initial public offering is in the offing, provided the offering to Beelzebub is met with propitious signs. All hail Beelzebub. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2024, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/791 "2024-02-06T21:31:02Z")
**sailor** : Member of a ship’s crew; member of a Navy **sailer** : Sailboat ---
**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:** [February 6, 2024, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/792 "2024-02-06T23:37:12Z")
Are words that haven’t been in common usage since Shakespeare was a toddler fair play? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/793 "2024-02-07T00:55:25Z")
You tell us; you’re the OP, remember? 😉 There was nothing in your original post about restricting the examples to words currently “in common usage”, nor does the wording of the thread title suggest it. If you’re taking votes on the issue, I’d vote for continuing to allow archaic words in the examples. Some people do still use, or encounter, archaic words no longer in common usage, and would nonetheless like not to get them confused with other words. ---
**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:** [February 7, 2024, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/794 "2024-02-07T00:56:30Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > nor does the wording of the thread title suggest it How would one get confused about words that nobody ever uses? To me the thread title very much implies things that happen with some regularilty, but YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/795 "2024-02-07T00:59:55Z")
“Words no longer in common usage” != “words that nobody ever uses”, IMHO. I think the hassle of figuring out where to draw the boundaries on “common usage” would not be justified by whatever benefit would hypothetically accrue from disallowing obsolete words. But then, I’m not the OP so I don’t make the rules. ---
**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:** [February 7, 2024, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/796 "2024-02-07T01:02:01Z")
And on further reflection the thread’s long enough that we’ve probably done all the common ones, so yeah. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/797 "2024-02-07T01:03:41Z")
Not sure, though; for example, I was surprised to see that nobody had picked the “subscribe/ascribe” nit prior to my recent post about it. I bet there are still quite a few currently common confusable words out there that we haven’t yet pinned in this semantic butterfly box. ---
**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:** [February 7, 2024, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/798 "2024-02-07T01:05:25Z")
I think a reasonable loose standard might be words that we’ve actually encountered in the wild, which will be different for different people, not some absolute rule “that’s not allowed”. But I do get the sense that somebody is having fun searching through the OED 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/799 "2024-02-07T01:35:07Z")
Yeah, or maybe they just read a lot of historical romance novels. To be fair, though, gardeners and landscapers still routinely use “flowery mead” as a technical term for a certain type of not-lawn planting. And I still see the phrase “meed of praise” in the wild every now and then. ---
**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:** [February 7, 2024, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/800 "2024-02-07T02:12:24Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > To be fair, though, gardeners and landscapers still routinely use “flowery mead” as a technical term for a certain type of not-lawn planting. And I still see the phrase “meed of praise” in the wild every now and then. I certainly love this kind of background about where you’ve actually seen semi-archaic words still used. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2024, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/801 "2024-02-07T03:24:08Z")
Well, most of my recent examples come from actual observed confusion or misuse, including on these boards, but also a lot of personal headscratchers from reading old poetry and other literature. “Meed” I recently encountered reading some Gothic fiction I am too embarrassed to name, but let’s just say we are not talking 19th or even 20th century, it was written really recently, and I had to look it up to double-check that I correctly understood what the character was talking about. In short, there are a variety of sources, but randomly flipping through the dictionary is not one of them 🙂 As for old-school or archaic words or senses of words, obscurity can lead to confusion, but not always of the **lie** vs **lay** sort. E.g., **galder** : a charm or incantation [some type of magic] **glamour** : [some other type of magic?] **gramarye** : [more magic?] **grammar** : study of inflectional forms of, relations between, and rules for employing words in the sentence the last three are confusingly related. The first one I definitely had to look up— that was genuine pre-Shakespeare material. ---
**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:** [February 7, 2024, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/802 "2024-02-07T04:47:40Z")
**grimoire** : a book of spells - possibly derived from Old French _grammaire_: grammar ---
**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:** [February 7, 2024, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/803 "2024-02-07T12:59:02Z")
**Bale** : a bundle of something bound with cord/string, e.g. a bale of hay. **Bail** : the temporary release of a prisoner awaiting trial, or the collateral offered to secure that release. Also, the act of scooping water out of a boat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772.md?page=39) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772.md?page=41)