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Vocabulary Level B1

20 Commonly Confused English Words

Affect or effect? Its or it's? Clear up common English word pairs and triples learners mix up, with simple tricks to remember each one, plus a quick exercise.

words that look alike  ·  mean different things

Some English words look or sound so alike that even fluent speakers slip up. The fix isn't memorizing long definitions — it's a quick trick for each group that tells them apart in a second. Here are ten common traps that learners meet often, grouped so they're easy to keep straight.

The apostrophe traps

its / it's — it's = it is/has; its = belonging to it. Trick: if "it is" fits, use the apostrophe. It's late. The dog wagged its tail.
your / you're — you're = you are; your = belonging to you. You're early. Is this your bag?
they're / their / there — they are / belonging to them / a place. They're here with their friends over there.

The meaning mix-ups

affect / effect — affect is usually a verb (to influence), effect usually a noun (the result). The noise affects me. It has an effect.
advice / advise — advice is the noun, advise the verb. Advice ends with an /s/ sound; advise ends with a /z/ sound. She advised me. Good advice.
lose / loose — lose (verb) = not win / misplace; loose (adjective) = not tight. Don't lose it. The screw is loose.
then / than — then = time/next; than = comparison. Taller than me. We ate, then left.

Small words that cause big mistakes

fewer / less — fewer for things you count, less for amounts you don't count. In everyday speech, people sometimes use less with plural nouns, but fewer is the safer choice in careful English. Fewer cars, less traffic.
much / many — many + countable, much + uncountable. Many books, not much time.
to / too / two — direction or infinitive / also or excessive / the number 2. I went to bed too late. I have two alarms.

Common mistakes

✕Its raining. / Your right. / I have less friends now.
✓It's raining. / You're right. / I have fewer friends now.

When you're unsure about an apostrophe pair, expand the contraction in your head: does "it is" or "you are" make sense? If yes, use the apostrophe. If not, it's the possessive. And use fewer for countable plural nouns in careful English: fewer friends, fewer cars, fewer mistakes.

Quick exercise

Choose the right word.

  1. I think (its / it's) going to rain.
  2. Can you give me some (advice / advise)?
  3. She's two years older (then / than) me.
  4. Try to eat (fewer / less) sugar.
  5. (Your / You're) doing really well.
Answer key
  1. it's (it is going to rain)
  2. advice (the noun)
  3. than (comparison)
  4. less (sugar is uncountable)
  5. You're (you are doing)

Related topics

Make vs Do: What's the Difference? Say, Tell, Speak, Talk: Which One? Common English Collocations

Practice this in Recursio

Confusing pairs stick once you've practiced them in real sentences a few times. Save the ones that trip you up to your word list in Recursio, and let spaced recall bring "affect vs effect" and "its vs it's" back until the right choice is obvious.

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