accept
Allowed or less enthusiastically welcomed, so cannot say 'present company accepted

except
Excluding, as in 'present company excepted'

accessary
This is the one after the fact

accessory
This is not the one after the fact but is applied to equipment or a contribution

adaptation
The verb is adopt meaning to tailor something for use and its noun is adaptation

adoption
The verb is adopt meaning to choose and follow and its noun is adoption, frequently misused instead of adaptation

adopted
Acquired as one's own by free choice; the child under guardians is adopted

adoptive
Acquire by free choice; it is the guardians of an adopted child who are adoptive

affect
This verb is to have an effect upon, thus present-past

effect
The noun means something that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon or past-present, and the verb is to bring about, thus something being done in the present-future

affection
A positive feeling of liking

affectation
A deliberate pretense or exaggerated display: certainly not affection!

amend
To make better in quality or more valuable

emend
Make improvements or corrections to texts, that is remove errors, so that amend is more imprecise

apposite
Being of striking appropriateness and pertinence

opposite
Something inverted in sequence, character or effect, so this not apposite

analyst
Someone who forensically interprets and also a psychotherapist

annalist
A historian who writes records of events: so such a person need not be very historical

animus
An animated spirit who may or may not actually be said to generate ill will arousing active hostility

animosity
Ill will arousing active hostility

artist
A person whose creative work shows imagination

artiste
A public performer who, therefore, may or may not be an artist

assurance
Freedom from doubt; belief in one's abilities; a binding commitment; a statement to inspire confidence; and a British word for some kinds of insurance

insurance
Simply a contractual promise of reimbursement in the case of loss

aural
About hearing or the ear

oral
Of or relating to or affecting use of the mouth: rather a different orifice from aural therefore

balmy
Mild and pleasant

barmy
Slang for mentally irregular and therefore hardly balmy

biannual
Twice every year

biennial
Once every two years

canon
A law, especially ecclesiastical

cannon
A military weapon using big balls

canvas
Closely woven fabric materials with uses: e.g. artists' canvas or tent material

canvass
Getting opinion or support, e.g. in an election, or a setting in a drama

causal
Involving or constituting events of origin

casual
The meaning that this is seeming to be without plan or method is quite the opposite of causal

censer
A vessel for burning incense

censor
Official seeking objectionable material to restrict it from public view

censure
Disapproval or to disaprove, reprimand and suggest blame

census
The act of collecting information from a whole population

comment
Statement of opinion or belief or commentary on a piece of work and as a verb it is to carry out these

commentate
This has come to mean a running commentary on some event, usually sporting

complacent
Self satisfied or allowing things to run unchecked

complaisant
Excessively courteous, so usually someone like this is more involved than someone complacent

complement
A full quantity or making total of something

compliment
A positive comment of courtesy rather than any totalising or completing

councillor
Elected local authority decision taker

counsellor
Person who gives advice or facilities self-improvement, but simply counsel for legal representatives

credible
Believable

creditable
Worthy if less than excellent, so a judgment of value not belief

crevasse
A deep fissure

crevice
Any fissure or narrow opening

currant
Tart red or black berries or a dried seedless raisin

current
A flow as in electricity or running water

cygnet
Young swan

signet
A seal for documents

decompose
Lose structural integrity and metamorphose towards a rotten condition

discompose
To disturb composure and can be a part of disconcerting, meaning promoting embarrassment

dependant
Noun for somone or something dependent

dependent
Adjective meaning depending on somone or something

deprecate
Wishing for absence of something or to express strong disapproval of or deplore or belittle - these meanings can themselves be confused

depreciate
A regular or irregular fall in value but this also overlaps with deprecate when it means disparaging and reducing and therefore belittling to that reducing effect

discomfit
To defeat, frustrate and thwart

discomfort
As a noun it means tense and feeling pain whereas the verb means to deprive of relaxation and pleasure and this is not the same as defeat etc.

discreet
Tactful and circumspect or unobtrusive

discrete
A part or whole that is distinct and discontinuous

disinterested
A neutral position of involvement

uninterested
Rejection of involvement altogether

egoist
Self centred person

egotist
Speaks of oneself or draws attention excessively and so needs to be an egoist to do this

elicit
Extract and draw out

illicit
Not permitted and even unlawful

eligible
Suitable, qualified and desired

illegible
Unreadable, so nothing at all to do with eligible

emigrant
Leaves the country to live elsewhere and therefore emigrates

immigrant
Comes into a country and therefore immigrates to live here

enquire
Simply asking, thus somone makes a brief enquiry

inquire
Asking continuously and deeply - thus The Hutton Inquiry

ensure
Carefully making sure that something is the case

insure
Arranging compensation if something goes wrong

erotic
Arousing sexually through relating and implies a more positive value than the voyeuristic object-making pornographic

exotic
Attractively strange, often from abroad; so something exotic may or may not be erotic

erupt
To break through violently

irrupt
To burst inwards (an invasion is an irruption) and therefore this is the opposite of erupt

euphemism
An inoffensive expression substituted for one that is considered offensive

euphuism
Only slightly related to euphemism in that a euphuism is any artificially elegant style of language or, more specifically, an elegant prose of the Elizabethan period showing balance with antithesis and alliteration, extended similes and having allusions to nature and mythology

ferment
A precise meaning in chemistry where an organic substance breaks down into simpler substances; it has been generalised into turbulent political and social change or development

foment
With a general meaning to encourage or promote, this acquires a more specific and correctly applied meaning than ferment because it means trying to encourage or promote public opinion - and it also means to apply a hot poultice or dressing perhaps to foment healing

forbear
A verb meaning to be patient, abstaining and refraining

forebear
An ancestor

forgo
To deny oneself, to abstain and decline

forego
To go before, and therefore hardly much to do with having to forgo

gamble
To take a chance in the hope of winning

gambol
Light hearted play or romping around, as by lambs

grisly
Causing orror or dread

grizzly
Powerful brown-yellow bear of the uplands of western North America that may or may not be grisly when it comes close

hoard
A secret store of valuables or a verb to store up - applies to things

horde
A moving crowd or multitude with a slight derogatory sense - applies to people

hypercritical
Very critical

hypocritical
A pretence of vitue

immanent
Inherent and indwelling

imminent
Happen very soon, and so refers to time

ingenious
Showing inventiveness and skill

ingenuous
Open, frank, innocent and artless, with no connection to the word ingenious

lay
Be lying, be prostrate; be in a horizontal position, is one common meaning for the noun; put into a certain place is a common verb use (past tense laid) meaning lay something down and lay an egg and there is imposing as a duty, burden, or punishment

lie
A common verb use (as well as the one to give an untruth) is to be lying down, and it is in this verb meaning that confuses lie, with its present tense implication, with lay, and its past tense implication

laid
I laid the baby down is correct; I laid down is not correct (I lay down is correct)

lain
From lie as in lie down, where someone or something is lain (underlain, overlain are examples)

lineal
Specific adjective of being in the direct line of descent

linear
To be in line or on the line of something (for example, expression, extent, presence on the same) and is broader in use than lineal

loath
Adjective of being unwilling or reluctant: loth means reluctant to as in its negative of 'nothing loth'

loathe
A verb to detest or hate and so much more active than a more neutral loath

mat
Just something to stand on

matt
Not reflective and of little contrast

moot
To think about carefully and weigh up and to be open to debate (as in 'moot point'

mute
No sound or speech and therefore hardly anything to do with moot

naught
The literate side of nothing

nought
The numerical nothing or zero invented by Hindu civilisation and transmitted by the Arabs to the West

noisome
Hurtful, offensive, obnoxious and disgusting and so this is unrelated to meaning connected with sound

noisy
Neutral sound or too loud or meaningless sound and so this is completely unrelated to feelings of disgust, unless such feelings happen to come about when someone reacts the makers of noise

piteous
The object of pity is called piteous

pitiful
The person who does the pitying is pitiful and therefore a pitiful sight is wrong as it should be a piteous sight

potation
A serving of a draught, beverage and also an act of drinking alcohol

potion
Specifically a medicinal draught

practicable
Capable of being put into effect

practical
Guided by what works rather than theory and, also, suitable and efficient

practice
The noun meaning (the, a) practice (session/s) in British English and practice is also a functional activity of a professional

practise
The verb to practice, or to repeat effort to get something right

practitioner
Someone who conducts a professional practice

practiser
Someone who learns by repeated effort

prescribe
To impose or intentionally give, as with medicine

proscribe
To prohibit (stop, remove, disallow), to publish a name in order to make public a ban, and to banish

principal
The head or greatest of something when used as a noun but as an adjective it is (one) of the highest or most significant in importance

principle
This is always a noun and is something fundamental, and so is connected to the adjective principal

quash
To annul, make void and suppress

squash
A form of edible fruit, or a game, and compress with violence, and this latter meaning of flattening gets confused with the gentler quash of removal

rout
Once it meant an evening party, and it meant a disorderly army (it was routed) and it means to dig out

route
This is a way to somewhere and nothing to do with disorder or digging out

sergeant
Military rank above a corporal and a police rank

serjeant
Just an official functionary

stile
Part of a door frame or the construction of foot positions built to facilitate climbing over a fence

style
Collective cultural characteristics or an old writing implement

sumptuous

The adjective meaning costly and extravagant especially around food

scrumptious
The adjective meaning extremely pleasing to the sense of taste but the food can just as well be be cheap and simple and therefore scrumptious but not sumptuous

tortuous
Twisted, winding and crooked

torturous
Causing systematic cruel treatment and really is nothing to do with being tortuous

waive
To forgo, relinquish and not insist upon

wave
Undulating phenomena including an act of signalling with the arm and hand - so nothing to do with waive

 

 

Adrian Worsfold