A

• a/the: a is an indefinite article and is used before: singular nouns having no specified referent, collective numerals, mass nouns, proper noun representing example or type; the is a definite article and is used: when a noun has been referred to previously, before a specific time reference, before a proper name [The earth is a beautiful planet.]
  
  
• ability/capability/capacity: ability is an individual’s potential to achieve a goal; capability is a more generalized aptitude; capacity has the literal meaning of a container’s ability to contain a substance and the figurative meaning as a person’s learning potential
  
  
• abjure/adjure: abjure is to either renounce under oath or to solemnly recant; adjure is to make a strong, earnest request or to beg, either under oath or as if under oath
  
  
• abrogate/arrogate: to abrogate is to revoke, cancel, repeal; to arrogate is to place an unjustified claim on a position or right
  
  
• about/approximately/average: about is a vague word for “near” that is preferred over approximately in general usage; approximately is preferred wording for “near” in the sciences and suggests one has done some calculating; average is an arithmetic mean and should never be used with “about” or “approximately.”
  
  
• absolutely: never synonymous for “very,” “indeed” or used in conjunction with either word; absolutely is an unconditional term
  
  
• absorb/adsorb: absorb is to drink in or to take in; adsorb is to condense and hold in a thin layer on a surface
  
  
• abstruse/obtuse: obtuse means blunt and is used to describe a person who is dull; abstruse is incomprehensible or nearly so
  
  
• accept/except: accept is to receive and except means either to exclude or unless
  
  
• accident/mishap: accident can be a good or bad surprise, with a mishap always being bad, relatively unimportant, and not necessarily a surprise
  
  
• accord/accordance: accord is agreement and accordance is conformity
  
  
• accuse/charge: accuse is to informally allege a misdeed, with charge being an official citation for a suspected crime
  
  
• acetic/ascetic: acetic is being acid; ascetic is practice of denial as a religious discipline
  
  
• act/action: act is a specific behavior; action is ongoing behavior
  
  
• adduce/deduce/induce: adduce is to cite an example, provide as a reason, or present as proof; deduce is to develop specific conclusions from general propositions; induce is to use specific observations to form general conclusions
  
  
• adequate/enough/sufficient: adequate is about the aptness of something in a specific situation; enough is a modifier of nouns of number (either of count or mass); sufficient deals with an amount of stuff (mass nouns), as in sufficient water (mass nouns, can’t be counted), but not as in sufficient people (count nouns: can be counted)
  
  
• administration/government/junta/regime: as a noun in this sense, administration is the group comprising the executive officials of a government; a government is an operating system of political administration; a junta is a council or group that may rule after a coup; regime is synonymous with "political system" and does not define "government"
  
  
• adopt/adapt: adopt is to take on and employ as one's own; adapt means to modify to fit a specific requirement or circumstance
  
  
• adopted/adoptive: adoptive parents have adopted children.
  
  
• advance/advancement: advance is progress in general, with advancement as a specific promotion
  
  
• adverse/averse: adverse is either "unfavorable," “opposed to," or “unfortunate”; averse deals with reluctance or opposition to
  
  
• affect/effect: affect is typically a verb meaning to “have an effect on” or “to influence” and can be a noun with a specialized psychological meaning in relation to mood; effect is usually a noun meaning “ a result” or “an outcome” and is also a verb meaning “to make happen” or “to produce”
  
  
• affront/effrontery: affront is an insult; effrontery is an outrageous act
  
  
• afterward/afterwards: American English does not add the s
  
  
• after/following: after is typically the best word to introduce material that is “after”; following is best reserved for the causative actions “subsequent to” (headaches followed medication ingestion) and is rarely a better choice than “after”
  
  
• afterward/afterword: afterward means “later,” with afterword being an epilogue
  
  
• aggravate: means “to strengthen something (usually bad); for the sense of “to bother,” use either annoy or irritate
  
  
• alibi: means “defense of being somewhere other than where a crime was committed. Do not use as synonym for “excuse”
  
  
• allege/assert: allege is to claim on insufficient grounds; assert is to say with conviction
  
  
• allude/elude/illude: allude is to indirectly refer to something; elude is to avoid being captured; illude is to deceive
  
  
• allude/refer: to allude is to indirectly mention something; to refer is to directly communicate information
  
  
• allusion/reference: allusion is a casual or indirect suggestion, with reference being a formal, direct mention
  
  
• altar/alter: altar is a noun for a sacramental table or similar item; alter is a verb meaning “to change”
  
  
• alternate/alternative: alternate means substituting something for another (as adjective) or (as noun) an entity substituting for another; alternative is a selection between two or more choices
  
  
• although/though: although is a conjunction with the meaning of (and vastly preferred to) "in spite of the fact that"; though is most correct as an adverb synonymous with "however" or "nevertheless" and is frowned on as a conjunction shortened version of "although"
  
  
• ambiguous/ambivalent/equivocal: ambiguous describes language with more than one discrete meaning communicated either intentionally or unintentionally; ambivalent is about contradictory views; equivocal is communication intended to have two or more meanings
  
  
• amend/emend: amend is to “add to” or “to change”; emend means “to correct”
  
  
• amiable/amicable: amiable is about friendly people; amicable is about friendly relationships (as in “amicable” career change)
  
  
• among/between/amid: among deals with collective or undefined interrelationships (honor among thieves); between is about one-to-one relationships (It is between the two of us.); amid goes with mass nouns (amid rumors of peace); among is the word for plurals of count nouns (among the elders)
  
  
• amoral/immoral/nonmoral/unmoral: amoral is being outside the area of moral judgment; immoral is being in violation of morals; nonmoral is being outside the area of moral judgment; unmoral is out of the bounds of moral consideration
  
  
• amount/number: amount, as a mass noun, is used for aggregates; number is a count noun and is used for groups that can be counted
  
  
• anachronism/anomaly: anachronism is an inconsistency based on time; anomaly refers to any sort of incongruity
  
  
• ancient/antiquated/antique/antiquity: ancient means very old; antiquated is out of style or out of use or out of date; as an adjective, antique means something old that is valued or to a style (not as aged); as a noun, antique is an old object, often of value; antiquated means unvalued or unprized; antiquity means either long ago or an object from such times
  
  
• anticipate/expect: anticipate means to forestall, to foretell, or to accomplish in advance; expect means to look forward to or to consider sensible
  
  
• anxious/eager: anxious means “distressed” or “worried”; eager is enthusiastic anticipation
  
  
• any place/anywhere: any place is one location among several; anywhere is preferred for an unspecified location. eager is enthusiastic anticipation; avoid: “anyplace”
  
  
• anyone/any one: anyone is a singular indefinite pronoun; any one emphasizes a single individual within a group
  
  
• appraise/apprise: appraise is to specify a value for an item; to apprise is to alert or report to someone
  
  
• appreciation/enjoyment: appreciation is a largely rational expression of approval, also being an increase or enrichment; enjoyment is a primarily emotional expression of approval
  
  
• apprehend/comprehend: apprehend is to grasp the main point of something or to arrest or take into custody; comprehend is to understand completely
  
  
• apt/likely/liable: apt denotes a sentient creature's volition or habitual tendency; likely addresses probability; liable denotes the possibility of disadvantage or risk to a subject
  
  
• arbitrate/mediate: arbitrate is to present evidence for all aspects of a negotiation, with a decision following; mediate is to seek to bring parties to an agreement after listening to all aspects of a situation
  
  
• assemblage/assembly: assemblage is an casual grouping of people or stuff; an assembly is a gathering of people for a reason
  
  
• assent/consent: assent has the implication of enthusiastic agreement; consent infers allowing something to go forward with neither enthusiasm nor reservation
  
  
• assumption/presumption: an assumption is a hypothesis and does not rely on evidence; a presumption is typically backed up by evidence
  
  
• assure/ensure/insure: assure means to reassure or to pledge support; ensure is the preferred term for making certain that something will or will not happen; insure needs to be limited to areas of actual insurance (underwriting financial threat)
  
  
• auger/augur: auger is a tool; augur is an omen
  
  
• average/about/approximately: average is an arithmetic mean and should never be used with “about” or “approximately”; about is a vague word for “near” that is preferred over approximately in general usage; approximately is preferred wording for “near” in the sciences and suggests one has done some calculating
  
  
• average/mean/median/norm: average is the answer arrived at by dividing a sum by the number of numbers added: The average of 8, 12, and 19 is 39 divivided by 3, or 12; mean is a figure at the center of two extremes calculated by added the series of numbers and dividing by the number of cases: The mean temperature of five days with termperatures of 77, 72, 78, 79, 74 is 76; median median is the mid number in a series of amounts arranged in order of size: the median age of 50, 55, 85, 88, 92 is 85 (the average is 74); norm implies a criterion of average performance for a given group: The youngster was above the norm for her age in math computation.