Commonly confused words

earn vs win

You <strong>earn</strong> something by working for it or deserving it, usually over time — "She earns £38,000...

earthquake vs aftershock

An aftershock is itself an earthquake — the term describes its relationship to an earlier, larger quake nearby...

economic vs economical

Economic relates to the economy or to economics — economic growth, economic policy. Economical means thrifty o...

effective vs efficient

Effective means something achieves the result it was meant to achieve: "the new treatment is effective against...

egalitarian vs feminism

Egalitarianism is the general principle that people are equal and should be treated so — across class, race, s...

egomaniac vs narcissist

Egomaniac is everyday language for someone obsessively self-important. Narcissist has both a casual sense and...

either vs neither

Either means one of two options: "Either Tuesday or Thursday works for me." Neither means not one and not the...

elder vs older

Older is the general comparative and works for anything. Elder is restricted to people — usually family member...

elegy vs eulogy

An elegy is a poem of mourning or serious reflection, usually about someone who has died. A eulogy is a speech...

elicit vs illicit

Elicit is a verb: to draw out a response or reaction — the question elicited a laugh. Illicit is an adjective:...

em vs en

In typography an <strong>em</strong> equals the current type size and an <strong>en</strong> is half that widt...

emigrate vs immigrate

To emigrate is to leave a country; to immigrate is to arrive in one. The same person does both in one move — t...

eminent vs imminent

Eminent means distinguished — an eminent historian is a highly respected one. Imminent means about to happen:...

empathy vs sympathy

Empathy is feeling <em>with</em> someone — understanding their experience as if from inside it. Sympathy is fe...

empirical vs theoretical

Empirical means grounded in observation, experiment or measurement — what was actually found. Theoretical mean...

employee vs employer

The employer is the one doing the hiring and paying — a company, an organisation or a person: "Her employer co...

enchilada vs burrito

The tortilla is the difference. A burrito uses a large flour tortilla, wrapped and eaten by hand. An enchilada...

endemic vs epidemic

Endemic means constantly present in a particular population or area — malaria is endemic to parts of Africa. E...

ensure vs insure

Ensure means to make certain something happens. Insure means to arrange financial cover against loss. Assure m...

envy vs jealousy

Envy is wanting something someone else has — their job, their house, their ease. Jealousy is fearing the loss...

epinephrine vs adrenaline

They are the same substance. Epinephrine is the international non-proprietary name used in medicine and in the...

equality vs equity

Equality means treating everyone the same — identical rules, identical shares. <em>The policy guarantees equal...

equinox vs solstice

An equinox is when day and night are roughly equal, happening twice a year in March and September. A solstice...

Eskimo vs Inuit

Inuit is the term used by and for the Indigenous peoples of northern Canada and Greenland, and it is what you...