# Words that are not the same but get interchanged **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 2, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944 "2017-06-02T17:05:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/61 "2017-06-03T17:23:43Z")
> [@barath\_s](#): > > I think his shooting is automatic, does not require a conscious decision, it is like breathing…It is unconscious I tried already. * * * Rather than - Rather then supposed to have - supposed to of ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/62 "2017-06-03T17:27:30Z")
> [@campp](#): > > Insure / Ensure Insure/Ensure/Assure ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2017, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/63 "2017-06-03T20:27:30Z")
Or then there are the words which are separate, but shouldn’t be. Like, what do you call the place where the government meets? That depends on whether by “place” I mean “city”, in which case it’s “capital”, or if I mean “building”, in which case it’s “capitol”. Or what’s the word for “more far”? There’s “farther” and “further”, depending on whether “far” is geographical or metaphorical. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/64 "2017-06-04T05:50:03Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > fortuitous / fortunate The second definition of “fortuitous” on Google is: happening by a lucky chance; fortunate. That’s the only way I’ve ever heard it used ---
**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:** [June 4, 2017, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/65 "2017-06-04T12:39:02Z")
Yes, but … “That was a lucky break”, “That was a fortuitous break”, and “That was a fortunate break” are all pretty much interchangeable. “You were fortunate to draw the winning ticket” and “You were fortuitous to draw the winning ticket”? Not so much. IOW “fortuitous” is not simply the fancy corporate/pretentious-speak ‘conjugation’ of “fortunate.” ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/66 "2017-06-04T12:54:18Z")
I remember my Bank once had a desk labelled “inquiries” and across the room another labelled “enquiries”. It was odd. Capitol/Capital. Not too surprising, as the Capitol Building is usually found in the Capital City. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/67 "2017-06-04T13:02:41Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I remember my Bank once had a desk labelled “inquiries” and across the room another labelled “enquiries”. It was odd. > > Capitol/Capital. Not too surprising, as the Capitol Building is usually found in the Capital City. Capitol has been misused numerous times here on the SDMB. Sent from my XT1635-02 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/68 "2017-06-04T13:43:00Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > There are lots of these. Sometimes the correct word is uncommon, so people tend to use the more common but incorrect word. Like “mute” instead of “moot”. Others that peeve me: > … > affect / effect > … To make matters worse (for me), and this is not a matter of a cross-language pun, the word “affect,” thankfully seen even in English writing with the German orthography “Affekt,” is a common word in German musical esthetics, and is carried over in English language. “Doctrine of affections” works to refer to the general idea, but “affection” as the noun never caught on, at least in modern English. I used to use it in academic writing so often till this day I make the usual mistake of spelling everything that sounds like it with an “a.” In plain old English the noun-with-an-“a” also is a normal term in psychological/psychiatric contexts for the general demonstration of emotion, usually accompanied by an adjective. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/69 "2017-06-04T13:49:42Z")
> [@DummyGladHands](#): > > On tenderhooks. WTF > > Flout and flaunt-someone on radio said so and so was flaunting the immigration rules. It bugged me enough to look it up on line and I HATE when it says something along the lines of "Flout is correct, but flaunt is now common usage and accepted. Why does that outrage me so much? Mine: “lie” is present tense intransitive, “lay” is present tense transitive or past tense intransitive. Easy way to remember: “now I lay me down to sleep” is correct. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/70 "2017-06-04T16:08:12Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Yes, but … > > “That was a lucky break”, “That was a fortuitous break”, and “That was a fortunate break” are all pretty much interchangeable. > > “You were fortunate to draw the winning ticket” and “You were fortuitous to draw the winning ticket”? Not so much. > > IOW “fortuitous” is not simply the fancy corporate/pretentious-speak ‘conjugation’ of “fortunate.” True. Although I’ve never heard it used as what google claims is the primary definition: happening by accident or chance rather than design. You wouldn’t say to a grieving mother “it was purely fortuitous that your son was killed by that drunk driver”. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/71 "2017-06-04T16:12:03Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > To make matters worse (for me), and this is not a matter of a cross-language pun, the word “affect,” thankfully seen even in English writing with the German orthography “Affekt,” is a common word in German musical esthetics, and is carried over in English language. “Doctrine of affections” works to refer to the general idea, but “affection” as the noun never caught on, at least in modern English. > > I used to use it in academic writing so often till this day I make the usual mistake of spelling everything that sounds like it with an “a.” > > In plain old English the noun-with-an-“a” also is a normal term in psychological/psychiatric contexts for the general demonstration of emotion, usually accompanied by an adjective. Affect/Effect is a particularly pernicious pair, because they have their more common meanings, which are similar to each other except that one is a verb and one is a noun, and then each one also has a different meaning, with the verb and noun swapped, and one of those meanings is kinda similar to the two main meanings. I think if I were learning English, I would view affect/effect as a horrible prank. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/72 "2017-06-04T17:58:52Z")
In response to this and the preceding ones which prompted it: > [@LSLGuy](#): > > Yes, but … > > “That was a lucky break”, “That was a fortuitous break”, and “That was a fortunate break” are all pretty much interchangeable. > > “You were fortunate to draw the winning ticket” and “You were fortuitous to draw the winning ticket”? Not so much. > > IOW “fortuitous” is not simply the fancy corporate/pretentious-speak ‘conjugation’ of “fortunate.” There are a few SD threads on “fortuitous” and “serendipity” (NB: not “SerenDipity[sup]TM[/sup]”) and the best of them is [Is there a precise antonym for ‘serendipity’](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=379637) ---
**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:** [June 4, 2017, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/73 "2017-06-04T21:44:28Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > True. Although I’ve never heard it used as what google claims is the primary definition: > happening by accident or chance rather than design. > > You wouldn’t say to a grieving mother “it was purely fortuitous that your son was killed by that drunk driver”. Sorta like the confusion / double meaning in this classic sentence: “If it wasn’t for bad luck I’d have no luck at all.” Does “luck” mean “any happenstance”, or only “favorable happenstance”? Depends; it’s used both ways. English is … special that way. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/74 "2017-06-04T21:58:48Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **GuanoLad** : > > Capitol/Capital. Not too surprising, as the Capitol Building is usually found in the Capital City. The fact that the words are similar isn’t the surprising part. The surprise is that they’re different at all. Why isn’t it the Capital Building found in the Capital City? Or maybe the Capitol Building found in the Capitol City, if you prefer. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/75 "2017-06-04T22:01:57Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Site and Cite > > Usually they get web site correct. > > I groan when someone sites a source. site and sight too (two / to) ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/76 "2017-06-04T22:43:45Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Site and Cite > > Usually they get web site correct. > > I groan when someone sites a source. The problem with these two happenstance homonyms, or the problem with the English language currently, is that there is no word “scite” to mean both, because there ought to be. How many posts here–we GQers, sticklers for proper verification–will cite a site (or the information contained therein), and would like to indicate that the indexical statement is to a particular medium. Why, because our eager fingers can immediately reference it, as opposed to taking it on faith/respect/probation until further research for any other medium. I often write the heads up “site/cite” (both words) if a whole bunch of refs are coming down the pike, and it annoys me every time. So, thumbs up/down on “scite?” (It also kinda looks like [scilicet](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/scilicet), which adds a legal/serious tone.) ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/77 "2017-06-04T22:59:52Z")
A phrase I’ve been seeing a lot lately: “bald-faced lie” (or “bald-face lie”). This seems rather new, as I don’t recall seeing it until recently. The phrase as I’ve always known it is “bare-faced lie”. Is “bald-faced lie” something that can only be told by unbearded people? Is “bare-faced lie” something that can only be told by people who aren’t wearing ski masks? And as for stanch/staunch (mentioned by OP in Post #1): This galls me too, as I see it most in news articles written by supposedly professional journalists who should know better. It’s a one-way mistake too: I often see “staunch” written where “stanch” is meant: “Staunch the bleeding”, “Staunch the flow of dollars”. I never see “stanch” written where “staunch” is meant: Trump disses our \*stanch allies. Much to my dizzgust, some “descriptivist” fictionaries have caved to popular mal-usage and now list “staunch” as an alternate spelling for “stanch”, meaning to stop the flow of something. This must be staunchly stanched! ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/78 "2017-06-04T23:01:25Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The fact that the words are similar isn’t the surprising part. The surprise is that they’re different at all. Why isn’t it the Capital Building found in the Capital City? Or maybe the Capitol Building found in the Capitol City, if you prefer. Speaking of which, has anybody mentioned principal / principle yet? Did I miss it? Is the principal’s office building called the Principol? ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/79 "2017-06-04T23:03:34Z")
[del]Scene[/del] Seen in a nearby thread (“Terraforming…”) in this forum just today: > [@Terraforming Another Planet - Possible? When?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terraforming-another-planet-possible-when/788117/1): > > 1. All the Earth’s resources are brought to bare (money, technology, natural resources, knowledge) I think that means all the Earth’s resources (“brought to bare”) have been strip-mined? ---
**Author:** ![jerez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c68b51/32.png) [@jerez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerez)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2017, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944/80 "2017-06-04T23:28:01Z")
Yeah, wreckless driving doesn’t sound so bad, now does it? Took me a minute to sort out peddle/pedal… > [@](#): > > I remember my Bank once had a desk labelled “inquiries” and across the room another labelled “enquiries”. It was odd. I offer guess and suppose, as in “I guess the branch manager had a wicked sense of humor” and “I suppose there are worse things.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/words-that-are-not-the-same-but-get-interchanged/787944.md?page=5)