Generally, when two or more words are pronounced alike or closely related in spellings and meaning, there is a likelihood of taking one for another. Where this occur, an error has been committed. The effort here is to identify those words that make one confused.
Site/cite/sight:
Site is a location
Cite is to mention something as example
Sight is the power to see
Cease/size
Cease is to stop or bring to an end
Seize is to grab or take possession of something by force or right
Guide/guard
Guide is to advise or show the way to others.
Guard is to watch or protect somebody or something.
Stationary/Stationery
Stationary is not moving or changing.
Stationery is paper or other writing materials.
Price/ prize
Price is the amount of money for which something is bought or sold.
Prize is a reward given to a winner.
Envelop/Envelope
Envelop (verb) to wrap something completely.
Envelope ( noun) a flat paper container for letter.
Haunt/ Hunt
Haunt: to disturb frequently
Hunt: to look for or seek
Clear/ clean
Clear means transparent or unclouded as in a clear sky
Clean is the opposite of dirty. You should keep your hands clean.
House/ Home
House is any building used for dwelling in
Home is the particular house one is living
Lie/ lay
Lie (to rest) is an intransitive verb and never has an object. Lay ( to put) is a transitive verb that often requires an object. Their principal parts are lie, lay, lain, and lay, laid, laid. I'm going to lie down for an hour. Please lay this letter on the desk.
Note: lie, lied means to tell an untruth. He has lied to me.
Rise/Raise.
Rise is an intransitive verb and it means to go up, stand up, or get out of bed. It doesn't require an object.
Raise is a transitive verb and it means to lift something. Their principal parts are rise, rose, risen and raise, raised, raised. He rises very early in the morning. People raise their hands too often.
Borrow and lend
To borrow is to get or receive something from someone and to lend is to give something to someone. I want to borrow a book from you. Will you please lend me your book?
Drown/Sink
To be drowned is only used for living things and means to die in water, to sink is used if person or things and means to go down to the bottom of water.
Remember/ remind
To remember is to have in mind, to remind is to make another person remember something. Please remind me to give it back.
© Olarewaju Aishat Olamide
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