Assure vs Ensure Definitions ‘Assure’ (verb) means ‘declare something with certainty or confidence’. ‘Ensure’ (verb) means ‘make something certain to happen or exist’. What’s the difference between ‘assure’ and ‘ensure’? It is easy to see how these two words can be confused, and indeed they often are. Not only do they look and sound alike, …
Ambiguous vs Ambivalent Definitions ‘Ambiguous’ (adj) means ‘open to more than one interpretation; not entirely clear’. ‘Ambivalent’ (adj) means ‘having or showing uncertain or opposite views/attitudes about something or someone’. What’s the difference between ‘ambiguous’ and ‘ambivalent’? Because they share the same prefix (‘ambi’, meaning ‘both’ in Latin), these two words can be confused in …
Proscribe vs Prescribe Definitions ‘Proscribe’ (verb) means ‘forbid or not allow something’. ‘Prescribe’ (verb) means ‘advise or order the use of something’. What’s the difference between ‘proscribe’ and ‘prescribe’? Though just one letter distinguishes one from the other, these words have entirely opposite meanings. When someone (typically a health professional) prescribes something, they want you …
Principal vs Principle Definitions ‘Principal’ (adj) means ‘main; most important’. ‘Principle’ (adj) means ‘a proposition, theorem or idea’. What’s the difference between ‘principal’ and ‘principle’? It is easy to misspell and therefore confuse the two, but they are very different in usage and meaning. ‘Principal’ is an adjective, which combines with nouns like ‘objectives’, ‘components’, …
Climactic vs Climatic Definitions ‘Climactic’ (adj) means ‘constituting the culmination or resolution to a series of events’. ‘Climatic’ (adj) means ‘relating to the climate’. What’s the difference between ‘climactic’ and ‘climatic’? With just one letter difference, it is easy to see how these two adjectives can be confused. But make no mistake: they are completely …
Imply vs Infer Definitions ‘Imply’ (verb) means ‘indicate the truth or existence of something’. ‘Infer’ (verb) means ‘deduce or conclude something from available information’. What’s the difference between ‘imply’ and ‘infer’? Although both relate to implicit or indirect communication, there is a clear difference in meaning between the two. One synonym for ‘imply’ is ‘suggest’, …
Accept vs Except Definitions ‘Accept’ (verb) means ‘consent to something, or believe it to be true, fair or valid’. ‘Except’ (preposition/conjunction) means ‘not including; leaving out someone or something’. What’s the difference between ‘accept’ and ‘except’? Although they look and sound similar, these two words mean very different things. And since one is a verb …
Classic vs Classical Definitions ‘Classic’ (adj) refers to something that is judged to be very typical of its kind (e.g. ‘classic example’); also outstanding (e.g. ‘a classic novel’). ‘Classical’ (adj) refers to something relating to the ancient Greek or Latin world or culture. What’s the difference between ‘classic’ and ‘classical’? These words can be easily …
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 …
