Continual vs Continuous Definitions ‘Continual’ (adj) means ‘being repeated frequently; recurring’. ‘Continuous’ (adj) means ‘happening without interruption’. What’s the difference between ‘continual’ and ‘continuous’? Both adjectives are derivations of the verb ‘continue’, which makes them easily confused. Some people think they are interchangeable, but the truth is they mean slightly different things. ‘Continual’ refers to …
Discreet vs Discrete Definitions ‘Discreet’ (adj) means ‘careful not to cause embarrassment or attract too much attention’. ‘Discrete’ (adj) means ‘distinct, separate, or different from other things’. What’s the difference between ‘discreet’ and ‘discrete’? As they look and sound similar, it is very easy to confuse and misspell these words. But they mean very different …
Assume vs Presume Definitions ‘Assume’ (verb) means ‘take something as true in the absence of evidence’. ‘Presume’ (verb) means ‘take something as true, with some degree of evidence’. What’s the difference between ‘assume’ and ‘presume’? At first sight, both words have the same broad meaning. So it’s easy to think they can be used interchangeably, …
Lead vs Led Definitions ‘Lead’ (verb) means ‘guide or conduct’. ’Lead’ (noun) refers to a type of metal. ‘Led’ is the past tense/participle of the verb ‘lead’. What’s the difference between ‘lead’ and ‘led’? The difference between the two is that ‘led’ is the past tense and past participle of the verb ‘lead’. When the …
Moral vs Morale Definitions ‘Moral’ (noun) refers to the lesson or message that can be learned from something. ‘Morale’ (noun) refers to the emotional or psychological state of mind of a person or group. What’s the difference between ‘moral’ and ‘morale’? As they differ by just one letter, it can be easy to confuse these …
Rational vs Rationale Definitions ‘Rational’ (adj) means ‘logical or sensible’. ‘Rationale’ (noun) refers to a set of reasons that support a claim; the logic behind something. What’s the difference between ‘rational’ and ‘rationale’? With just one letter difference, it is easy to confuse these two words. Their meanings have a common theme of ‘logic’ as …
Elicit vs Illicit Definitions ‘Elicit’ (verb) means ‘to cause or provoke a response or outcome’. ‘Illicit’ (adj) refers to something illegal or not permitted. What’s the difference between ‘elicit’ and ‘illicit’? Because they look and sound similar, these two words are easily confused. However they are very different. First, they are not semantically related (as …
Explicit vs Implicit Definitions ‘Explicit’ (adj) describes something that is very clear and without ambiguity. ‘Implicit’ (adj) describes something that is vague and not directly expressed. What’s the difference between ‘explicit’ and ‘implicit’? Despite having similar forms (only the prefix differs), these two words have completely opposite meanings. This makes it all the more important …
Significant vs Important Definitions ‘Significant’ (adj) means ‘sufficiently great or important to be worthy of attention; noteworthy’. ‘Important’ (adj) means ‘of great significance or value; having great effect or influence’. What’s the difference between ‘significant’ and ‘important’? These two words have very similar meanings, but should be used carefully in academic writing. While ‘important’ can …
Affect vs Effect Definitions ‘Affect’ (verb) means ‘have an effect on, or make a difference to something’. ‘Effect’ (verb) means ‘cause something to happen’. What’s the difference between ‘affect’ and ‘effect’? ‘Affect’ and ‘effect’ are very commonly misused in academic texts due to their similar spellings, but they have different meanings: While ‘affect’ refers to …
