25 frequently jumbled homonyms
If you’re ‘chomping’ at the bit to avoid collateral damage from explosive editorial ‘ordinance’ fired by misaligned content ‘canons,’ read on.
English is rife with nearly identical verbal twins.
Dozens of homonyms—words that sound like other words but are spelled differently—are sometimes confused for their near doppelgängers. This post lists and defines 25 frequently confused word pairs, in which the first word is usually used mistakenly in place of the second one. (Definitions for words are simplified and not comprehensive.)
1.
add: increase
ad: abbreviation for advertisement
2.
aid: help
aide: one who helps
3.
block: area bounded by streets, or an obstacle or a solid object
bloc: group with ideas or ideology in common
4.
cannon: piece of artillery
canon: collection of works, or regulation, or standards or rules or a collection of them
5.
canvas: durable, heavy protective material
canvass ]: debate, examine, or go out in search of responses
6.
chomp: bite down
champ: bite down (same meaning, but idiom is “champ at the bit”)
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