14 Commonly confused words with Meanings and Sentences

Do you often get confused with the words like Stair and Stare or Vacant and Empty?
One of the prime reasons behind this is the similarity in their pronunciation or meanings.

We get you 14 pairs of such commonly confused words. Each of them is accompanied by meanings and example sentences to help you understand them well.

1. Pour and Pore

The way you make flow of any liquid, semi-liquid or granular solid from one container to another is called pouring.
    
For e.g. You must keep certain distance while pouring chemicals from one glass tube to the other.

Pore is a minute epidermal opening on the skin of any living organisms which helps to pass the fluid, like, sweat.
    
For e.g. Pores help to discharge all the impurities along with sweat.

2. Scene and Seen

Here again, both the words sounds same, but, there’s a difference between them.

A scene is a place or memory of some remarkable incident.

For e.g. The followers of both the opponents were responsible for creating envious scene before election.

Seen - In grammar context, it is the past participle of see. It means to perceive or to view with the eyes.

For e.g. We have seen all the series of “The Jungle Book.”

3. Root, Rout and Route

Root - It refers to the basic cause or origin of something negative.
    
For e.g. Illiteracy and poverty are the roots of unemployment in our country.

Rout - When an army soldiers defeat the enemies and force them to leave the ground, it is called rout.
    
For e.g. Facing a defeat in the first half, they were routed in the second half of the game.

Route is the way which connects one place to another.
    
For e.g. Our Railway Minister has introduced new railway routes in metro cities.

4. Accept and Except

Accept - When you are in a situation to agree or approve to take something, you accept it.
    
For e.g. Now-a-days, every Shopping Centre accepts credit or debit cards for payment purpose.

Except - It is used when we exclude something or someone from a group.

For e.g. Except Sania, all employees were present in the meeting.

5. Stairs and Stare

Stairs - They refer to the set of steps leading from one level of a building to the next level (either upstairs or downstairs).
    
For e.g. We went to the library upstairs.

Staring means to look at something or someone continuously for a long time.
    
For e.g. My mother gave me an angry stare, when I returned home late night.

6. Allusion and Illusion

Allusion is an indirect reference to a person, place, idea or thing of historical, literary or political significance.
    
For e.g. Public made an allusion to the Maoists to shoot the leader of political party.

Illusion is a false sense of real life.
    
For e.g. The belief that money can buy happiness is an illusion.

7. Vacant and Empty

These two words are quite tricky.

Vacant - It is referred to the place, which is not occupied and ready to use further.

For e.g. Is this room vacant or someone is staying here?

Empty - It is used for the things which contain nothing.
     
For e.g. An empty mind is a devil’s workshop.

8. Conscious and Conscientious

Both the words are derived from Latin word 'conscius', which means ‘to know’.

You are conscious when you are having awareness or sensation of surroundings.
     
For e.g. He was conscious and was aware of the things going around.

Conscientious is an act when you do your work carefully and in a proper way.
     
For e.g. He is a responsible employee in the company. He does all his duties conscientiously.

9. Veil and Vale

Veil is a cloth, mainly for women, used to cover head, face and shoulders, especially, in some religion.
     
For e.g. In Christian wedding, brides cover their face with netted cloth called veil.

Vale - i. Vale is a low point between mountains or hills.

For e.g. Last month, we went to see the snow vales of Kashmir.

ii. Vale is a short speech given at the time of farewell.
     
For e.g. The professor gave an inspiring vale on his departure from the college.

10. Fetch and Bring

Fetch and bring are two different things.

Fetch - It is used to go and get something or someone from one place to another.

For e.g. Can you please fetch me those boys who broke my window glass?

Bring - To take or carry something or someone.
       
For e.g. Do remember to bring my formals. I need them tomorrow for my interview.

11. Bore and Boar

Bore - This word has different meanings:

i. To make a hole from machine on any solid surface.

For e.g. The electrician needs drill machine to bore through the wall and make the wires pass for cable connection.

ii. To get bored is a situation when you act or talk in a way that loses someone’s interest.
       
For e.g. It is such a bore having to stay late this evening.

Boar is a wild pig or a male pig which is uncastrated.
       
For e.g. A wild boar is used to descend the domestic pigs during 17th century in Britain.

12. Altar and Alter

Altar is a table or flat surface where religious rituals take place, especially, in Christian communities.

For e.g. The idol of Jesus and Mary was kept on the altar.

Alter means to modify something from its actual appearance.
       
For e.g. The policies of the company need some alteration before recruiting freshers.

13. Main, Mane and Mein

We use the word main to point to any subject/topic which is more important or lay emphasis on something.
       
For e.g. The main quality of a leader is an ability to get cooperation from the employees.

Mane is the long hair on the neck of animals or other mammals.
       
For e.g. The mane of horse must be washed and cut regularly.

Mein - A person’s appearance or manner, mostly to indicate his/her characteristics or mood.
       
For e.g. The priest has a dignified mein.

14. Emerge and Immerse

Emerge - If something gets evolved or is brought to light, it is said to be emerged.

For e.g. Due to heavy fog in the morning, I was unable to drive. Nothing was emerging to me clearly.

Immerse - i. When you put something fully into water, you immerse it.

For e.g. On the last day of Durga Puja, people go to various sources of water to immerse idol of Goddess.

ii. When you indulge yourself completely in any activity with too much concentration and conscientiously, you are said to immerse in that activity.
       
For e.g. Owing to her habit of hardwork, she immerses herself in the work she does.