Commonly Confused Words
Word pairs that trip up English learners — with clear explanations of how to choose the right one.
- affect vs effect — affect is usually the verb (to influence); effect is usually the noun (a result).
- borrow vs lend — You borrow FROM someone; you lend TO someone.
- fun vs funny — fun = enjoyable; funny = makes you laugh (or strange).
- its vs it's — its = belonging to it; it's = it is / it has.
- lie vs lay — lie = recline, no object (I lie down); lay = put something down, needs an object (I lay the book down). Watch out: the past tense of lie is also lay — "I lay down yesterday."
- make vs do — make = create or produce a result; do = perform an action or task.
- say vs tell — tell takes a person object (tell me); say does not (say something).
- since vs for — since + a point in time; for + a length of time.