Commonly confused words

oral vs verbal

Oral means spoken aloud. Verbal means expressed in words, which technically includes written words. So "a verb...

orangutan vs chimpanzee

Chimpanzees are African, highly social, and our closest living relatives along with bonobos. Orangutans are As...

organisation vs organization

These are two spellings of one word with identical meaning and pronunciation: "a charitable organisation" and...

our vs ours

Use <em>our</em> when a noun follows it: <em>Our flight leaves at six.</em> Use <em>ours</em> when the noun is...

oxycodone vs percocet

Oxycodone is a single opioid drug. Percocet is a brand-name combination product containing oxycodone plus para...

pacific vs specific

Specific means precise, particular, clearly defined — "give me a specific date, not just next month". Pacific...

palate vs palette

Palate is the roof of the mouth, and by extension your sense of taste — a refined palate. Palette is the board...

parkway vs highway

A parkway is a highway designed as a scenic route — landscaped, often through parkland, and traditionally clos...

passed vs past

Passed is a verb — the past tense of pass: "She passed the test" or "A car passed us on the bend." Past is nev...

patent vs patient

A patent is an official grant giving an inventor the sole right to an invention; as an adjective it means obvi...

pathos vs ethos

Pathos persuades through emotion — moving the audience to feel something. Ethos persuades through the speaker'...

patriot vs loyalist

In the American Revolution these were the two sides. Patriots supported independence from Britain; Loyalists r...

patronizing vs condescending

Both describe treating someone as your inferior. Condescending emphasises the looking-down — explaining the ob...

peace vs piece

Peace means calm, or the absence of conflict: "After the children left, the house was blissfully at peace." Pi...

peak vs pique

To pique is to arouse or stimulate — that piqued my interest. A peak is a summit or a maximum. "Peak my intere...

peasant vs pleasant

A peasant is a small farmer or farm labourer, historically of low social standing. Pleasant means agreeable —...

pedal vs peddle

A pedal is a foot-operated lever, and as a verb means to work one — pedal a bicycle. To peddle is to sell good...

perhaps vs maybe

Both mean possibly, and in most sentences you can swap them freely. Perhaps is more formal and is the usual ch...

persecute vs prosecute

Persecute means to subject someone to hostility and ill-treatment, often because of their beliefs or identity....

personal vs personnel

Personal is an adjective meaning private or belonging to one individual — "please don't read my personal email...

perspective vs prospective

Perspective is a point of view, or the technique of representing depth. Prospective means likely or expected i...

phonograph vs gramophone

Both play recorded sound, and the difference is the format each was built for. Edison's phonograph used cylind...

physiological vs psychological

Physiological relates to the functioning of the body — heart rate, hormones, breathing. Psychological relates...

physiology vs biology

Biology is the study of living things as a whole — their classification, evolution, genetics, ecology and stru...