Commonly confused words

unable vs enable

Unable is an adjective meaning not able — <em>unable to attend</em>. Enable is a verb meaning to make able, or...

undocumented vs illegal

Two terms for the same situation — a person living in a country without valid immigration status — that differ...

unethical vs immoral

Unethical usually means breaching the agreed standards of a profession or activity — a code that can be writte...

unlawful vs illegal

Illegal means forbidden by a specific law, usually with a criminal penalty attached. Unlawful is broader — it...

until vs unto

<em>Until</em> marks the moment something stops: <em>The library is open until nine.</em> <em>Unto</em> is an...

unto vs onto

They are unrelated. Onto is a live preposition meaning movement to a position on top of something: "the cat ju...

Urdu vs Hindi

Spoken casually, Urdu and Hindi are close enough that speakers understand each other easily — they share a gra...

utopia vs dystopia

A utopia is an imagined ideal society; a dystopia an imagined terrible one. The pun buried in the first word i...

vain vs vein

Vain means conceited, or futile — a vain attempt, in vain. A vein is a blood vessel, or a seam of mineral, or...

varmint vs vermin

They are the same word. Varmint is a dialect pronunciation of vermin that became a separate word in American E...

velociraptor vs raptor

Raptor properly means a bird of prey — eagles, hawks, owls. It is also used informally for the dromaeosaurid d...

venal vs venial

Venal means open to bribery or corrupt — a venal official. Venial means minor and easily forgiven — a venial f...

ventilator vs respirator

A ventilator is a machine that moves air into and out of a patient's lungs when they cannot breathe adequately...

veranda vs balcony

A veranda is a roofed, open-sided platform at ground level, running along the outside of a building. A balcony...

verb vs adverb

A verb expresses the action or state: "she sang." An adverb modifies that verb, telling you how, when, where o...

vicious vs viscous

Vicious means cruel, violent or savage. Viscous means thick and slow-flowing — honey is viscous. The words dif...

vulva vs vagina

The vulva is the external genitalia — the labia, clitoris and the openings between them. The vagina is the int...

vulva vs labia

The labia are part of the vulva. Vulva is the correct term for the whole external female genital area; the lab...

waist vs waste

Waist is the part of the body between the ribs and the hips; waste means to use something badly, or the rubbis...

want vs wont

Want means to desire or lack something: "I want a coffee." Wont, rhyming with don't, means a person's customar...

warlock vs sorcerer

In folklore, a warlock is a male witch, and the word carries a strong implication of treachery or a pact. A so...

wave vs waive

To wave is to move your hand, or for something to move back and forth. To waive is to give up a right, claim o...

way vs weigh

Way is a noun meaning a route, a method or a distance: "That's the quickest way home." Weigh is a verb meaning...

weak vs week

<em>Weak</em> is an adjective meaning lacking strength, power or conviction: "the coffee was weak", "a weak ar...