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