1. Confusing Words First Quarter 2010

2. What Are Confusing Words? Confusing words are words that sound alike but have different meanings and different spellings.

3. Meat/Meet Meet (verb) to come into presence Meat (noun) animal tissue considered as food

4. Cent/ Scent/Sent Cent (noun) a bronze colored coin of the U.S. worth 1/100 of a dollar Scent (noun) a distinctive odor Sent (verb) past tense of the verb “to send”

5. Course/Coarse Course (n) a route taken by something that moves Coarse (adj.) rough or crude

6. Hey/Hay Hey (interj.) expression used to call attention to or to express doubt or surprise Hay (n.) mowed cured grass used as fodder to feed animals

7. Grown/Groan Groan (vb.) to utter a deep moan indicative of pain grief or annoyance Grown (adj.) fully mature, not childish

8. Emigrate/Immigrate Emigrate (v) to leave one’s place of residence or country to live elsewhere Immigrate (v) to come to a country of which one is not a native for permanent residence

9. Their/There/They’re Their- (pronoun) the possessive case of the pronoun they indicating ownership; usually used as an adjective There- (adverb) of or at a place; to, into, or towards a place They’re- contraction of “They are”

10. Knot/not Knot (noun) an interlacement of the parts of one or more flexible bodies forming a lump or knob Not-(adv.) used as a functional word to make negative a group of words or word

11. Know/No No, Know No-(interj.) used to express a negative; an act or instance of denying Know (v)- to have an understanding of

12. Led/Lead Led (vb.) past tense of lead Lead (vb.) to go before a first; to conduct or escort ; to guide a decision Lead (n.) a person who leads ; a heavy metal; graphite in a pencil

13. Already/All ready Already (adj.) prepared; completed ready All ready (adv.) before some specified time

14. Passed/Past Passed (vb.) past tense of the verb pass; to go by without stopping Past (n.) a time before now

15. Piece/Peace Peace (n.) a state of tranquility and quiet Piece (n.) a part of a whole

16. Plane/Plain Plane (vb.) to make smooth Plain (adj.) lacking ornamentation or pattern Plain (n) a level treeless area

17. Hole /Whole Hole,(n.) an opening through something ; a hollow place in a solid body or mass Hole(vb.) to make a hole; to hollow out Whole (adj.) comprising the full quantity, amount, extent or number; entire; full

18. Principal/Principle Principal (n) a head or chief; the director of a school Principle (adj.) first rank, importance, or value

19. Stationary/ Stationery Stationary (adj.) not moving; standing still; having a fixed position Stationery (n.) writing paper

20. Threw/Through Threw (vb.) past tense of throw (an act of hurling or flinging) Through (Prep) in at one side and out the other

21. Week/ Weak Weak (adj.) not strong, frail, lacking vigor, delicate Week (n.) a period of seven successive days

22. Your/You’re Your (adj.) possessive form of the word, you, that indicates ownership You’re – contraction of the words you are

23. Who’s/Whose Whose (adj. / pron.) the possessive form of, who, that indicates ownership Who’s – contraction of the words who is

24. To/Too/Two To (prep.) movement toward; in a direction toward; toward or reaching the state of Too (adv.) in addition; also; more sufficient; excessively Two (n. / adj. / pron.) the number 2; equal to one plus one; having two equal parts

25. Whether/Weather Whether (conj.) used to introduce the first of two alternatives ; and sometimes Repeated before a second alternative usually with “or”; used to introduce a single Alternative, the other being implied or understood. Weather (n./ adj.) the state of the atmosphere with respect to wind, temperature, clouding, Pressures and so forth; a weather forecast

26. Pier/Peer Pier (n.) an intermediate support for the adjacent ends of two bridge spans Peer (n) one that is of equal standing with another based upon age, rank grade or status

27. Scene/Seen Scene (n) a place where some action event occurs Seen (v) to perceive with the eyes

28. Alter/Altar Alter (v) to change or modify Altar (n) an elevated structure upon which sacrifices may be offered or before religious ceremonies may be enacted

29. Miner/Minor Minor (adj.) smaller or inferior Miner (n) one who mines or digs a mine