# 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:** 48
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2024, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/944 "2024-06-01T14:19:15Z")
This is one that may already be lost: **Crescendo** (lit. “growing”) - an increase, in volume (music) or, metaphorically, in excitement or intensity **Climax** - what a crescendo is building up to ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2024, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/945 "2024-06-02T22:12:33Z")
**vulpic** : pertaining to (an acid obtained from) the lichen _Cetraria vulpina_ **vulpine** : characteristic of a fox ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2024, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/946 "2024-06-06T21:05:25Z")
**teem** : to be full, as if ready to give birth; to be prolific; to abound, swarm **team** : a set of draught animals; a group of people or animals involved in the same activity **trauma** : serious injury to the body or psyche **trama** : inner, fleshy substance of a mushroom’s body ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2024, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/947 "2024-06-09T08:55:37Z")
**grisly** - gruesome, horrifying, disgusting **grizzly** - (n.) a species of bear; (adj) mixed grey- and dark- haired; (adj. colloquial in the UK) tending to whine/whimper over an extended period (from v. ‘grizzle’) ---
**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:** [June 9, 2024, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/948 "2024-06-09T18:38:56Z")
Gristly - full of gristle. A bloody murder might be both gristly and grisly, but they are probably unconnected. ---
**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:** [June 9, 2024, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/949 "2024-06-09T21:20:41Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > A bloody murder might be both gristly and grisly, but they are probably unconnected. Particularly if committed by a grizzly. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2024, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/950 "2024-06-10T06:27:22Z")
It’d certainly give you something to grizzle about. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2024, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/951 "2024-06-10T06:55:32Z")
**interred** : buried **interned** : confined or imprisoned without trial ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2024, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/952 "2024-06-10T23:46:56Z")
If homophones count, shoot the chute. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/953 "2024-06-11T04:59:14Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Loath - reluctant > Loathe - hate I’m going to repost this as I saw it misused here on the board a day or so ago. “I loathe limburger cheese!” “I am loath to say I loathe limburger cheese before I’ve even given it a try!” ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2024, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/954 "2024-06-11T20:04:00Z")
**redound** : to reverberate; to arise from or out of something; to surge and overflow; (as a wave or flood) to be sent or driven back; to reflect (something good or bad, etc.) to or onto someone; etc. **rebound** : to bounce back ---
**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:** [June 13, 2024, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/955 "2024-06-13T03:43:13Z")
Since it’s been brought up, to recap: [loath](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loath) - adjective **:** unwilling to do something contrary to one’s ways of thinking **:** [reluctant](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reluctant) [loathe](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loathe) - transitive verb **:** to dislike greatly and often with [disgust](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disgust#h1) or intolerance **:** [detest](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detest) ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/956 "2024-06-13T04:16:53Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > Since it’s been brought up, to recap: > > [loath](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loath) - adjective > **:** unwilling to do something contrary to one’s ways of thinking **:** [reluctant](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reluctant) > > [loathe](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loathe) - transitive verb > **:** to dislike greatly and often with [disgust](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disgust#h1) or intolerance **:** [detest](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detest)  And _loath_ is pronounced with a hard _th_, while _loathe_ is spelled with a soft _th_. ---
**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:** [June 13, 2024, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/957 "2024-06-13T04:25:05Z")
As given at the links. The “hard” _th_ is the unvoiced sound, and “soft” is the voiced sound. But for “loath”, a second pronunciation uses the voiced _th_. ---
**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:** [June 13, 2024, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/958 "2024-06-13T14:05:06Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > And _loath_ is pronounced with a hard _th_, while _loathe_ is spelled with a soft _th_. Note that this follows the same pattern as other English verbs that end in _the_, like _breathe_, _seethe_, _writhe_, and _teethe_ (all pronounced with that soft _th_ at the end). ---
**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:** [June 13, 2024, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/959 "2024-06-13T14:38:25Z")
English speakers often don’t recognize the difference in the sounds, or realize they exist at all, though they pronounce them properly based on experience. Once pointed out to them they’ll understand because they do make the sounds. People with English as a second language often don’t know about this difference either and will not easily pronounce them differently even after learning about it. The different sounds require a slight change in the mouth that seems to be difficult to adapt to later in life. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/960 "2024-06-13T16:25:40Z")
One I’ve seen misused even in books (where presumably an editor was involved): STANCH (to reduce the flow of something, especially blood) versus STAUNCH (adjective, meaning upright / faithful), [Stanch vs. Staunch: What’s The Difference? | Merriam-Webster](https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/stanch-vs-staunch-usage) I guess it takes a staunch person to stanch major bleeding. But you’ll frequently see a book saying “staunch the bleeding”. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2024, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/961 "2024-06-13T16:28:56Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > As given at the links. The “hard” _th_ is the unvoiced sound, and “soft” is the voiced sound. But for “loath”, a second pronunciation uses the voiced _th_. The terminology “soft” versus “hard” is counterintuitive. I would have thought that “hard th” is the one that is voiced - e.g. “The”, while “soft th” is the one that is not, e.g. “think”. But clearly I’m not up on such terminology. I do agree that “loath” the adjective is more like “think” while “loathe” the verb is more like “the”. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2024, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/962 "2024-06-14T00:16:03Z")
(never mind, duplicate post) ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2024, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772/963 "2024-06-14T00:55:59Z")
> [@rowrrbazzle](#): > > [loath](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loath) - adjective > **:** unwilling to do something contrary to one’s ways of thinking **:** [reluctant](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reluctant) > > [loathe](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/loathe) - transitive verb > **:** to dislike greatly and often with [disgust](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disgust#h1) or intolerance **:** [detest](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/detest) Lolth - Queen of the Spiders in Dungeons and Dragons lore, worshipped by the Dark Elves (drow). “Drow are loath to loathe Lolth, for her taste for vengeance on those who turn on her is unsurpassed, and they may find themselves turned into a giant spider.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772.md?page=47) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-one-can-get-confused/971772.md?page=49)