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- scarce/rare: scarce means in short supply; rare typically means uncommon [snakes are not rare, but make be scarce in a given location or time]
- semi/bi: semi means “half,” with semiweekly being twice a week; bi typically means “two,” with biweekly being every two weeks. As the prefixes are used interchangeably, writers are encouraged to emphasize the intended meaning to avoid misuse/misunderstanding
- sensual/sensuous: sensual communicates immoderation; sensuous is what appeals to the senses
- since/because: since is only correct with a causal meaning when an initial event logically leads to a second happening, but not as a direct cause (They went to the concert, since the tickets had been given to them); Use because in relating a specific cause-and-effect relationship (She took the turn because it was marked on the map)
- site/cite: site is a location or place; cite as a noun is an abbreviation for citation (information source); to cite is to provide an information source
- slander/libel/defamation: other-than-written defamation is slander; libel is the written form of defamation; defamation is spreading a lie that damages an individual’s reputation and/or livelihood
- stalemate/impasse: stalemate is a true final and irreversible end that has been reached; an impasse is a dead end that, unlike a stalemate, allows one to turn around
- stationary/stationery: stationary means at a standstill; stationery is writing/correspondence materials
- staunch/stanch: staunch is an adjective meaning “enthusiastic and loyal; stanch is a verb meaning “stop the flow,” typically of bleeding
- stratagem/strategy: strategy is the art of planning; a stratagem is a particular device or trick used to get the better of a situation
- subject/resident/citizen/national/native a subject is a synonym for "citizen" in a monarchy; a resident is an inhabitant of a national subcategory, such as a city, village, or state; a citizen is a person with the full civil rights conferred by a nation, either by birth or naturalization; a national is a person living in a nation other than the national of citizenship, or a person under the protection of a specified country; a native is an individual born in a given location
- subtract/deduct: subtract is the operator for numbers; deduct is used for quantities or amounts
- sufficient/adequate/enough: 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); adequate is about the aptness of something in a specific situation; 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); enough is a modifier of nouns of number (either of count or mass)
- sympathy/empathy: sympathy is compassionate sorrow for another; empathy is vicarious understanding of another’s situation by imaginative adoption of the other’s position
- systematic/systemic: systematic means precisely organized in a system; systemic is typically about the system of a biological entity, although it's being increasingly applied to governments
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