Commonly confused words

weary vs wary

Weary means tired or worn out. Wary means cautious, on guard. "Be wary of scams" warns you to watch out; "be w...

weather vs whether

Weather means the state of the atmosphere — rain, sun, wind: "The weather turned cold overnight." Whether intr...

wellness vs well-being

Well-being is a state — how someone actually is, across health, comfort and satisfaction. Wellness is the acti...

which vs witch

<em>Which</em> is a grammatical word: it asks you to choose from a set ("Which platform does the train leave f...

while vs whilst

They mean the same thing. While is standard everywhere and is the only form in general American use. Whilst is...

who vs whom

Use "who" when it's the subject doing the action ("Who called you?" — he called). Use "whom" when it's the obj...

wide vs width

<em>Wide</em> is an adjective describing something — "The door is 90 cm wide", "a wide river". <em>Width</em>...

wigwam vs teepee

Different structures built by different peoples. A teepee is a portable cone of poles covered in hide, used by...

wisdom vs wise

Wisdom is a noun: the thing itself, the good judgement someone possesses. <em>She showed real wisdom in waitin...

wonder vs wander

To wonder is to feel curiosity or awe — I wonder whether it will rain. To wander is to move about without a fi...

worse vs worst

Worse compares one thing with another: "Today was worse than yesterday." Worst marks the bottom of an entire g...

written vs wrote

Wrote is the simple past and stands alone: "she wrote the report." Written is the past participle and needs a...

yacht vs sailboat

A sailboat is defined by how it moves — by sails. A yacht is defined by what it is for: pleasure or racing, ra...

yay vs yea

Yay is a cheer: "Yay, the parcel finally arrived!" Yea is a formal vote of agreement, the opposite of nay: "Th...

yep vs yup

There is no difference in meaning: both are informal spellings of yes. "Yep, that's the one." "Yup, still wait...

yoke vs yolk

A yoke is the wooden crosspiece joining two draught animals, and figuratively a burden or form of oppression —...

your vs you're

Your shows possession — your coat, your idea. You're is a contraction of "you are" — you're late. The test nev...

zenith vs nadir

Zenith is the highest point — literally the point of the sky directly overhead. Nadir is the lowest, the point...

zit vs pimple

They mean the same thing — a small inflamed spot on the skin. Pimple is the neutral standard word; zit is slan...

zoloft vs prozac

Two brand names for two different drugs in the same class. Zoloft is sertraline and Prozac is fluoxetine, both...