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Confusing words & expressions

Find answers to questions about words with different and similar meanings.

'accident' and 'incident'
Richard in China would like to know the differences between these similar-looking words
'acting' and 'acting as'
If she is acting as the Senior Manager, is she the Acting Senior Manager?
Adjective-noun collocations: 'heavy traffic' or 'severe traffic'?
Amin in New Zealand gets confused about this
'afraid'
Faroush from Iran asks about the different uses of 'afraid'
Archaic English
Hast or canst thou seest such words in ye olde dictionary? Learn about early English
'afraid', 'scared', 'frightening' and 'terrifying'
Hasan Belut and Natali from Belgium and Ukraine ask about these words
'approve' or 'approve of'?
When should you use a preposition with 'approve'?
'arch enemy'
Discover how to talk about your friends and enemies
'as' and 'like'
What's the difference between the two?
'behind' and 'beyond'
Sian Harris explains that these words are very different in meaning
British measures: feet and inches
How many feet are there in a meter? Find out here...
'broadcaster', 'presenter' or 'announcer'?
A question from Suharno in Indonesia
'call' and 'kid'
Roger Woodham talks about telephoning and joking
'can't' and 'unable to'
Catherine Chapman explains the difference
'come' or 'go'? 'bring' or 'take'?
'Come with me' or 'Go with me'? Roger Woodham explains
'come back' or 'go back'?
Catherine Walter explains that it depends on where you are
Compound words
Charles Otoghile wants to know the rules for the formation of compound words
Compound words: 'wool churches' and more
Explanation by Catherine Chapman
'concern', 'concerned' and 'concerning'
Eunice Cheung from Hong Kong is concerned about the use of 'concern'
Confusing pairs: 'definite' and 'definitive'
Jean Stocker from Germany asks about these
Confusing road signs
Do you push your bicycle 'across' the underpass or 'through' it?
'dedicated' and 'devoted'
Find out how 'dedicated' is more flexible in usage than 'devoted'
'deny', 'refuse', 'reject' and 'decline'
Mark Shea explains the differences between these words
'do', 'did' and 'done'
'It's the done thing' to send your questions to BBC Learning English
'dress', 'dressed in', 'wear' and 'put on'
Tugba from Turkey finds out how to talk about clothes and hair
'either', 'neither' and 'too'
'Neither of them is' or 'Neither of them are'? Find out with Roger Woodham
'effect' or 'affect'?
The difference is not only in the spelling...
'effect' and 'affect'
Catherine Walter explains why native speakers find these words difficult
'effective' or 'efficient'?
Is a car with an effective engine always an efficient car? Gareth Rees explains...
'efficient' or 'effective'?
Roger Woodham explains how to use these two words
'eminent' or 'prominent'?
Catherine Chapman explains how to use these two words
'ensure', 'assure' and 'insure'
Betty Choy from Hong Kong asks about these words
'enquire' and 'inquire'
Are there any other differences apart from the spelling?
'equipment', 'utensil', 'tool' and 'apparatus'
Samarn Dokkularb finds out about these words
Expressions with 'take'
Find out about 'take for granted' and 'take as it comes'
Expressing views and opinions
Are these phrases acceptable? 'in his point of view...', 'according to his point of view...'
'faults', 'flaws', 'weaknesses' and 'drawbacks'
Helen from Russia asks if these words are interchangeable when talking about character...
'fire in anger'
Why do we use this phrase in non-military contexts?
'foot' and 'feet''
Are you 'five foot' or 'five feet' tall?
'get' and 'become'
Is there a rule about when to use 'get' and 'become'?
'hear' and 'listen'
George Pickering explains the difference between these two words. Listen carefully!
'high time' and 'let's'
Abdalla Salih asks which is correct: 'Let's go home' or 'It's high time we went home'?
'hire' or 'rent'? 'rise' or 'raise'? 'drive' or 'ride'?
Roger Woodham talks about these easily confused words
'hold' or 'keep'
Jana from the Czech Republic isn't sure which one to use...
'horrible' and 'horrific'
Charlie Qin studying English in Canada asks about the difference between 'horrible' and 'horrific'
'horrible' and 'horrific', 'terrible' and 'terrific'
Alex Gooch explores the differences between these four adjectives
'hot dog' and 'hat trick'
Vinh from Viet Nam asks about the origin of these words
'hope' and 'wish'
What's the main difference between these two verbs?
'house' or 'home'?
One is a building, and the other is the place you belong to
'intent' and 'intention'
Gareth Rees talks about the diffirences and similarities between these two words
'interfere' and 'intervene'
Amos Paran explains the different connotations of these two words
Job applications and cover letters
What's the difference between an application letter and a cover letter?
'journalist', 'reporter', 'columnist'
This question was sent in by Suharno from Indonesia
Judging something 'on its merits'
Lisa from Taiwan asks Roger Woodham to explain a joke
'kinds', 'types', 'sorts' and 'varieties'
Roger Woodham uses examples from the world of music to explain how these words are used
'lack' as a verb and a noun
Is the sentence 'Many children are in lack of sleep' correct?
'large' and 'big'
Which do we use more frequently, 'large' or 'big'?
'last' and 'take'
Both of these words can be used to talk about time - but how are they different?
'lazy' and 'idle'
Anne McConnell in England asks, 'why aren't lazy and idle exact synonyms?'
'learned' or 'learnt'?
Karen Adams says there isn't a difference between these two words
Learning and using synonyms
Yeon-Ju from South Korea asks: 'When should I use synonyms?'
'lend', 'borrow' or 'owe'?
Omar Weli from Somalia talks money with Roger Woodham
'lest'
Martin parrot explains what this unusual word means and when we use it
'let' or 'leave'
Salman from Pakistan is 22 and has been learning English for 6 months...
'lie' or 'lay'?
What's the easiest way to remember the difference between 'lie' and 'lay'?
'look', 'see' and 'watch'
Karen adams talks about different ways of using your eyes
'look forward to', 'agree to', 'object to'
Find out about these phrases with Roger Woodham
'lunch', 'dinner' and 'supper'
Do words for meals relate to time, or to the type of food, or both?
'make' or 'do'?
Do you 'make an exam' or do you 'do an exam'?
Media related job titles
Is 'reporter' different from 'journalist' or 'broadcaster'?
'melt', 'thaw' and 'freeze'
All of these verbs are related to ice - but what do they mean?
'miss', 'missing', 'missed'
Bernadette from France has translation difficulties
'meeting', 'gathering', 'assembly' and 'rally'
How do we distinguish between these four nouns when we use them?
'mother tongue', 'honeymoon' and 'a small amount of gold'
Why do we say 'mother tongue' and not 'mother language', and why 'honeymoon' and not 'honey month'?
'nail bombs'
E. Lamai asks: I know the word 'bomb'. What does the addition of 'nail' do to the meaning?
'ordinary', 'normal' and 'usual'
What are the differences between these words?
'no' and 'zero'
Do we say 'no accidents' or 'no accident'?
Numbers: 'once', 'twice', 'thrice'
Is there a difference between 'three times' and 'thrice'?
'partner' or 'boyfriend'?
Mojca Belak from Slovenia asks: How old can a boyfriend/girlfriend be?
Parts of the body
Practice vocabulary and pronuncation of body parts here
'pandemic' and 'epidemic'
Yumi from Japan asks if there was a bird flu pandemic or epidemic?
'person' and 'people'
The simple singular and plural distinction is complicated by the word 'persons'
'problems' and 'troubles'
A student from Cameroon has problems distinguishing between these words
'prominent' or 'eminent'?
Catherine Chapman explains how to use these two words
'quite'
Francoise from France asks if 'quite' means partially or totally. It means both!
'raise' and 'rise'
They have similar meanings, but Amos Paran explains the grammatical differences
'relations', 'relatives' and 'relationships'
Denis Baizeau from France doesn't feel comfortable using these words. Can Roger Woodham help?
'rise', 'arise' and 'raise'
Roger Woodham explores these verbs
'remind', 'remember', 'recall' and 'recollect'
Agustin from Spain thinks these verbs appear very similar...
'repeat' and 'restate'
Gareth Rees answers a question from Jun in China
'rote learning'
Martin Parrott explains this way of learning, also known as learning 'parrot fashion'
'satisfying' or 'satisfactory'?
George Pickering gives a satisfactory explanation to satisfy to Ha from Vietnam
'see' and 'watch'
How are these verbs used?
'situation', 'position' and 'condition'
Giti from Iran asks about these nouns
'solve' and 'resolve'
Sian Harris explains that these words do not always have the same meaning
'sport' or 'game'?
Why do we say 'The Olympic Games'? Why not 'The Olympic Sports'?
'seem', 'appear' and 'look'
Are there any significant structural or semantic differences between these words?
'solicitor', 'lawyer', 'attorney', 'barrister' and 'counsellor'
Krista Soenen from Belgium had a discussion about these words in her English class...
'such as' and 'as such'
'Such as' introduces an example, but what about 'as such'?
'sum' and 'amount'
The difference between these verbs is more complicated than it first appears
'suppose' and 'supposed to'
Sanmati Pragya from India says that in America, people use 'suppose' and 'supposed to' a lot in conversation...
Synonyms for 'I (don't) know/understand'
Learn some everyday English expressions like 'cotton on' and 'I haven't the foggiest'
Slang, idiomatic expressions and euphemisms
Roger Woodham explains the differences between slang, idiomatic expressions and euphemisms
'switch' and 'change'
Izmaelov from Denmark has been discussing these words with his friends...
'travel', trips' and 'journeys'
Find out about these and other words connected with travel
'take care' and 'take a look'
Maria from Ukraine asks about verb + noun collocations with 'take'
'teacher', 'trainer', 'instructor', 'lecturer'
Mann from Cambodia wants to know how to use these words
'tell', 'say' and 'speak'
Catherine Walter tells Dmitrij from Latvia about these words
'to be anything to go by'
Sarah Bradshaw explains how this phrase reflects knowledge gained from experience
'to' and 'for'
Samantha explains when to use these two prepositions
'unable to' and 'can't'
Catherine explains the difference
'used to' and 'be used to'
Supawadee from Thailand always confuses 'to be used to' and 'used to'...
Verbs + adverbial particles
What are the differences between 'pop into' and 'pop over'? And how about 'pop out'?
'wedding' or 'marriage'?
Morena Diego from Italy asks about the difference between 'wedding' and 'marriage'
'wait' and 'await'?
Find out about the differences in grammar and formality between these words
'well off' or 'better off'?
Does the phase 'We are better off than you...' always refer to money?
'wool churches' and other compound words
Explanation by Catherine Chapman
'worry' and 'be worried'
Mohammad Atai from Iran wants to know the difference in the use of to worry and to be worried.
'would rather', 'would prefer' and 'had better'
If you want to learn about these phrases, you'd better click on the link!
'wound', 'hurt', 'harm' and 'damage' as verbs, adjectives and nouns
Agustin from Spain says: 'Their meanings are so close that I have difficulty differentiating them.'

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