100 Words Almost Everyone Confuses and Misuses

by American Heritage

Avoid vocabulary mistakes with this fun guide to tricky and troublesome words!
 
With concise and authoritative usage notes from the editors of the American Heritage® Dictionaries, this guide explains common English-language errors—whether it’s mixing up affect and effect ; blatant and flagrant ; or disinterested and uninterested , or stumbling over sound-alikes including discrete / discreet or principal / principle .
 
Other notes tackle such classic irritants as hopefully , impact , and aggravate , as well as problematic words like peruse and presently .
 
A great read for anyone who cares about getting it right, 100 Words Almost Everyone Confuses and Misuses can help keep writers and speakers on the up-and-up!
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Writing, Language, Linguistics

131 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 10, 2004

Reviews

[Zain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly Helpful.

I’m sure most of us may find a word or two that gives us trouble located in this book. I, myself, found a few.

Discreet and discrete are two of my problems. I should say discrete is. I know how to use discreet, but I still don’t understand exactly how to use discrete. I just couldn’t get my head around it.

Many of the explanations and sample sentences are helpful. So I would give myself a beautiful 96% if I am given a test. 😎👍🏽😊🙃👏🏽👏🏽✨

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slim but information dense. Explanations are succinct and easy to understand (one per page), and there's plenty to learn here, even for the experienced writer and the widely read. The only drawback is that some sections could use further explanation.

Some misused words covered include

-"gender" vs. "sex"

-"aggravate" vs. "irritate"

-"all right" vs. "alright"

-"infer" vs. "imply"

-"which" vs. "that"

All serious writers and editors should prioritize reading this.

[Suzanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is true that most words in this book are often confused and misused, but for readers who might struggles with word usage this book will do little to enlighten them. Most of the example sentences are archaic, lengthy, and/or include lofty language and foreign concepts that will be lost on the exact type of reader that this book is meant to attract. For example:

DISCRETE - constituting a separate thing.

"Although hypertext may well turn out to be no more than an amusing detour in the history of the written word, its most ardent fans foresee a future in which traditional narratives would become obsolete, and discrete, self-contained books would also give way to vast interlinked electronic networks."

What an approachable sentence! It's so clear to me now. Wait. What was the word again?

or

DISINTERESTED - free of bias and self-interest

"Debates on the fluoridation issue are passionate and polemical. For this reason disinterested scientific opinion on fluorides in the water supply, which is itself hard to come by, is not always the basis for public policy."

Zzzzz.

There are many sentences like this. Do I understand them? Yes. I have a college education. But for someone who is simply trying to dope out the difference between EFFECT and AFFECT, using examples pulled from the works of Shakespeare, Dickens, Thoreau, and the like, is not helpful. When trying to explain things, stay away from elevated language. Keep it simple.

[Cathryn Conroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're a word geek as I am, you'll love this book by the American Heritage Dictionary Editors and want to read it cover-to-cover. For everyone else, it's a handy reference tool so you can quickly figure out if you're using the right word—or not. This book will help you look smart, not stupid!

As the title says, there are 100 words—from adverse to zoology—that are easily confused and misused by almost everyone. Find out the very different meanings of such words as flaunt and flout, auger and augur, discreet and discrete, and enormity and enormousness.

Fun things I learned that I either forgot or never knew:
• Is "kudos" singular or plural? It's singular! Find out why it's singular and whether you can get away with using it in the plural.

• Find out why we pronounce "mischievous" as if it ended in "vious" and why so many, including three U.S. presidents, mispronounce "nuclear."

• Read an interesting discussion about the somewhat natural confusion of the words "unexceptionable" and "unexceptional."

Bonus: There are excellent explanations of fewer/less, effect/affect, and lie/lay that will benefit everyone. And even for those of you who are sure you understand the differences, this will help you explain it to someone else.

Each word entry contains the word, pronunciation guide, full definition, and sentences containing the words. Many of the sentence examples come from such storied sources as the New York Times or Atlantic Monthly, as well as classic works of literature by Aesop, Charles Darwin, Henry David Thoreau, Herman Melville, William Shakespeare, Charlotte Bronte, George Eliot, Thomas Hardy, and many more.

This is a fun, quick read and an excellent reference tool.

[Lloyd Downey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit to struggling between "effect" and "affect" ....so I bought the book (Or at least the kindle version) ,,,,,,and I'm not disappointed. I guess that I had few problems with about 80 percent of the entries but about five percent were quite troublesome and the authors have done a good job of clarifying the usage. On e of the things that I found especially interesting was their usage of panels to judge whether changing usage meant that some phrasing was now acceptable whereas it might not have been acceptable 20 years ago,
I've extracted a few of the gems that stood out for me. Hopefully, they will serve a memory joggers for me about correct usage. I was frankly expecting more differences between this American English and Australian English but I actually detected few differences. .......Maybe with something like the pronunciation of a word like "nuclear" but, as the editors point out....the pronunciation varies within America itself. Here's a few of the extracts:

According to a traditional rule, one persuades someone to act but convinces someone of the truth of a statement or proposition: By convincing me that no good could come of staying, he persuaded me to leave. If the distinction is accepted, then convince should not be used with an infinitive: He persuaded (not convinced) me to go. In a 1981 Usage Panel survey, 61 percent rejected the use of convince with an infinitive. But the tide of sentiment against the
construction appears to be turning. In a 1996 survey, 74 percent accepted it in the sentence I tried to convince him to chip in a few dollars, but he refused. Even in passive constructions, a majority of the Usage Panel accepted convince with an infinitive.

Because they are pronounced the same way, discreet and discrete are sometimes confused in print. Discreet means “prudent in speech and behavior”: He told me the news but asked me to be discreet about it. The related word discrete means “separate, distinct”: The summer science program consists of four discrete units.

The words affect and effect are often confused, in no small part because they often sound the same. What’s worse, two different words are spelled affect. One is solely a verb and means “to put on a false show of,” as in The actor affected a British accent. The other can be both a noun and a verb. The noun meaning “emotion” is a technical term from psychology that sometimes shows up in general writing, as in the quote “The soldiers seen on television had been carefully chosen for blandness of affect” written by Norman Mailer in a piece about the Gulf War. In its far more common role as a verb, affect usually means “to influence,” as in The Surgeon General’s report outlined how much smoking affects health. Effect can also serve as a noun or a verb. The noun means “a result.” Thus, if you affect something, you are likely to see an effect of some kind, and from this may arise further the confusion. As a verb, effect means “to bring about or execute.” Thus, using effect in the sentence These measures may effect savings implies that the measures will cause new savings to come about. But using affect in the very similar sentence These measures may affect savings could just as easily imply that the measures may reduce savings that have already been realized.

Flaunt as a transitive verb means “to exhibit ostentatiously”: She flaunted her wealth. To flout is “to show contempt for something by disregarding it”: Some people at the reception flouted convention by wearing sneakers. For some time now flaunt has been used in the sense “to show contempt for,” even by educated users of English. But this usage is still widely seen as erroneous. In our 2009 survey, 73 percent of the Usage Panel rejected it in the sentence This is just another example of an executive flaunting the rules for personal gain.

Assure, ensure, and insure all mean “to make secure or certain.” Only assure is used with reference to a person in the sense of “to set the mind at rest”: The ambassador assured the Prime Minister of his loyalty. Although ensure and insure are generally interchangeable, only insure is now widely used in American English in the commercial sense of “to guarantee persons or property against risk.”

The possessive form of it. Used as a modifier before a noun: The airline canceled its early flight to New York.
Its is the possessive form of the pronoun it and is correctly written without an apostrophe: The kitten licked its paws. It should not be confused with the contraction it’s (for it is or it has), which should always have an apostrophe: It’s snowing outside. It’s been years since I’ve visited Chicago.
Kudos is one of those words like congeries that look like plurals but are etymologically singular. Acknowledging the Greek history of the term requires Kudos is (not are) due her for her brilliant work on the score. The singular kudo remains far less common than the plural use; both are often viewed as incorrect in more formal contexts.
Etymology would require that the final consonant be pronounced as a voiceless (s), as we do in pathos, another word derived from Greek, rather than as a voiced (z).

The adjective precipitate and the adverb precipitately were once applied to physical steepness but are now used primarily of rash, headlong actions: Precipitous currently means “steep” in both literal and figurative senses: the precipitous rapids of the upper river; a precipitous drop in commodity prices. But precipitous and precipitously are also frequently used to mean “abrupt, hasty,” which takes them into territory that would ordinarily belong to precipitate and precipitately: their precipitous decision to
leave.
This usage is a natural extension of the use of precipitous to describe a rise or fall in a quantity over time: a precipitous increase in reports of measles is also an abrupt or sudden event. Although the extended use of precipitous is well attested in the work of reputable writers, it is still widely regarded as an error and was considered unacceptable to two-thirds of the Usage Panel in 2001.

The standard rule requires that that should be used only to introduce a restrictive (or defining) relative clause, which identifies the entity being talked about; in this use it should never be preceded by a comma. Thus, in the sentence The house that Jack built has been torn down, the clause that Jack built is a restrictive clause identifying the specific house that was torn down. Similarly, in I am looking for a book that is easy to read, the restrictive clause that is easy to read tells what kind of book is desired. A related rule stipulates that which should be used with nonrestrictive (or nondefining) clauses, which give additional
information about an entity that has already been identified in the context; in this use, which is always preceded by a comma. Thus, we say The students in Chemistry 101 have been complaining about the textbook, which (not that) is hard to follow. The clause which is hard to follow is nonrestrictive in that it does not indicate which text is being complained about; even if the clause were omitted, we would know that the phrase the textbook refers to the text in Chemistry 101.

The confusion between unexceptionable and unexceptional is understandable, since both derive from the noun exception. Unexceptionable takes its meaning from exception in the sense “objection,” as in the idiom take exception to (“ find fault with, object to”). Thus unexceptionable is commendatory, meaning “not open to any objection or criticism,” as in A judge’s ethical standards should be unexceptionable. Unexceptional, by contrast, is related to the adjective exceptional (“ outstanding, above average”), which takes its meaning from exception in the sense “an unusual case”; thus unexceptional generally has a somewhat negative meaning, “not superior, run-of-the-mill” as in Some judges’ ethical standards, sadly, have been unexceptional.

Traditionally, the first syllable of zoology has been pronounced as (zō), rhyming with toe. However, most likely due to the familiarity of the word zoo (which is merely a shortened form of zoological garden), the pronunciation of the first syllable as (zo̅o̅) is also commonly heard. In 1999, 88 percent of the Usage Panel found the (zō) pronunciation acceptable, and 60 percent found the (zo̅o̅) pronunciation acceptable. In their own speech, 68 percent of the Panelists use the (zō) pronunciation, and 32 percent use the (zo̅o̅) pronunciation. Thus, while both pronunciations can be considered acceptable, the (zō) pronunciation may be perceived as more scientific.
Overall, I liked the book and learned some new things. Five stars from me.

[AF · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the love of (insert deity here), this book should be required reading to graduate high school. I might even go so far as to say "to graduate 5th grade", since the importance of knowing the differences between lie, lay, lying and lies (isn't there a "lain" in there too?) cannot be ignored. Sorry, I'm an occasional grammar snob.

Also, it's never too early (or too late!) to know that mischievous only has 3 syllables.

[Page 815 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Prescriptivism is one hell of a drug.

A boring and trite book. Little more than a dictionary containing just a hundred words and lots of bonus extra nitpicking. You might think it’s exactly what it says on the tin so there’s no reason to think bad of a book for being exactly what it wanted to be but it doesn’t even do a good job of being it. Multiple entries in the book note that the book’s Usage Panel that decided which words go into it overwhelmingly approve of the uses noted by the book to be incorrect which just begs the question of just who exactly decides which words are being misused if the very authority, which this book claims to be based on, didn’t. An entry notes a word has been misused since Middle Ages, which is older than modern english itself, which again causes confusion about what the correct language even is because seemingly it’s not english. The rest of entries are mostly nitpicking usage and nearly identical meanings. A few are genuine mistakes but are far and few between. The rest are just a language drift. A good thing to be aware of to be sure, but it could have been a one-page list instead of a book that needlessly copies the form of a dictionary. It’s just filler to make it longer.

[chrstphre campbell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not intended to clarify The usage of various words… ( ! )

Your first perusal of this book may have led you to believe that it was intended to provide The writer with instructions towards The proper usage of commonly confusable words, but it does Not ( ( !!! ) )
It very rarely brings up The confusingable word or phrase that would lead many immature writers to use them inappropriately !
: - - - - - : o
Not fun.
This book should have been much funner.

[judymellinnetzero.net · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not what I expected

I was hoping for funny examples of the
confusion/misuse of the chosen words but this book is aimed at people who regard vocabulary and usage much more seriously than I do. Written for academicians, not lay people.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun & informative look at some of the "popular" words we use & abuse today.

[Elisabeth Warner · Rating 5 out of 5]

So helpful! I will be referring to this at all times while I write.

[Kay Hudson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually a Kindle edition. Some interesting information. Useful reference.

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Reference Book

I thought it would be a little more readable. But this is clearly a reference book. But a good resource.

[Cricket Muse · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a linguaphile, it’s a treat to find a handy resource which explains words used improperly. A quick, informative read with helpful notes.

[Grace Kimmerling · Rating 1 out of 5]

The way this book is organized makes it very hard to read straight through. And since it only has 100 words, it’s not super helpful as a reference book.

[Marty LaFleur · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book with succinct examples. I learned several words I was misusing but also appreciated how the usage panel’s opinions on misuses evolved over time.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very helpful reminders!

[Leonard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very useful information

[Markham Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ridiculous. I expected to learn from this book, but it did nothing to enhance my linguistic skills.

Certainly, I understood, the title was not meant to include all the population of the earth, since most people in China do not use the words listed in the book, and understanding that it was exaggerated, I assumed that 'everyone' in the title referred to every person who would actually pick up a book to read. I would be appalled if most literate people misused even half of these words (though I know that many intelligent people misuse quite a number of them).

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another in the series.

This one was interesting more to see things I hadn't quite pieced together as being problematic. I only had three things that stood out to me and now I've got them down. But I loved the time spent wandering through it. Looking at where words came from and some of the quotes of people using the words, or misusing the words previously.

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good ready reference for writers, but it could be better. Listings are strictly alphabetical. It would be better if the confused words were listed together, twice, saving the writer some time in consulting the book.

[Karna Converse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this series from America Heritage Dictionaries and now have four of the eight books. The format is easy to follow and includes etymologies as well as examples of usage. I especially like the pronunciation key and am surprised at how many words I mispronounce!

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as interesting as "100 Words Every Word Lover Should Know", but it was enjoyable and SO true.

I wish everyone in the world knew when to use "there", "their", and "they're".

[Danny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful. Explains lots of words and helps set you strait on the definitions of 100 words. Useful for just about anyone.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really know how to speak English well...or is it good.

[Kelly Bania · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't as entertaining as I thought it would be and I was hoping to have it arranged on more of a comparative basis as opposed to alphabetical.

[Mohey Aboshosha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice addition to library of vocabulary enhancement Reads