Commonly confused words

inebriated vs intoxicated

Inebriated refers specifically to alcohol. Intoxicated is broader, covering impairment by any substance — whic...

inequity vs iniquity

Inequity means unfairness — an inequity in funding. Iniquity means gross wickedness or immorality — a den of i...

infamous vs famous

Famous means widely known, with no judgement attached. Infamous means well known for something bad — notorious...

infarction vs necrosis

Necrosis is tissue dying, from any cause. Infarction is tissue dying specifically because its blood supply was...

infection vs injection

An infection is an illness caused by germs getting into the body. An injection is medicine put into the body w...

infrared vs ultraviolet

Both are invisible light on either side of the visible spectrum. Infrared lies just beyond red — longer wavele...

ingenious vs ingenuous

Ingenious means cleverly inventive — an ingenious solution. Ingenuous means innocent, open and unguarded, some...

inherent vs intrinsic

Both describe a quality belonging to something by its nature rather than added from outside. Inherent stresses...

inhuman vs inhumane

Inhuman means lacking human qualities altogether — cold, alien, not recognisably human. Inhumane means cruel:...

inmate vs prisoner

Prisoner means someone held in custody against their will — in a prison, or captured in war. Inmate is the wid...

inner vs inter

Inner is an ordinary adjective meaning inside or closer to the centre: <em>the inner courtyard</em>, <em>her i...

inoculation vs vaccination

Inoculation is the broader and older term — introducing material into the body to produce immunity, historical...

instructor vs lecturer

An instructor teaches, usually something practical and often hands-on — a driving instructor, a flight instruc...

intent vs intend

Intend is the verb: to have something in mind to do. Intent is the noun — the purpose behind an act — and an a...

interested vs interesting

Interested describes the person having the feeling: "I'm interested in nineteenth-century photography." Intere...

interior vs inferior

Interior means inside — the inner part. Inferior means lower in rank or quality. <em>Interior design</em>; <em...

interment vs internment

Interment is burial — placing a body in the ground. Internment is confining people without trial, typically du...

internal vs interval

Internal means inside — the opposite of external. An interval is a gap between two points, in time, space or m...

interstate vs highway

Highway is the general word for any major road. An interstate is a route in the US Interstate Highway System —...

into vs in to

Into is a single preposition showing movement or transformation — walked into the room, turned into a frog. In...

invention vs intention

An invention is something newly created. An intention is a plan or aim — what someone means to do. <em>The inv...

Iran vs Iraq

Two neighbouring but distinct countries in western Asia. Iran is the larger, its main language is Persian, and...

it's vs its

"It's" (with an apostrophe) is always a contraction of "it is" or "it has" — never possession. "Its" (no apost...

jackal vs hyena

Jackals are canids — members of the dog family, related to wolves and foxes. Hyenas are not dogs at all: they...