Pair of Words

What it is

Commonly confused words tested in MCQs.

High-yield pairs (with meaning + example)

1. accept (v. agree to receive) / except (prep. excluding) — I accept your offer. / Everyone came except him.
2. affect (v. to influence) / effect (n. result) — Smoking affects health. / The effect was positive.
3. principal (adj. main / n. head of school) / principle (n. rule/law) — The principal called a meeting. / He has strong principles.
4. loose (adj. not tight) / lose (v. to misplace) — The rope is loose. / Don't lose your keys.
5. complement (v./n. completes) / compliment (v./n. praise) — The scarf complements her dress. / He complimented her work.
6. stationary (adj. not moving) / stationery (n. paper goods) — The car remained stationary. / Buy stationery for the office.
7. council (n. group/committee) / counsel (n./v. advice) — The city council met. / He gave wise counsel.
8. desert (n. dry land / v. abandon) / dessert (n. sweet dish) — They crossed the desert. / We had dessert after dinner.
9. elicit (v. draw out) / illicit (adj. illegal) — She elicited the truth. / Illicit trade is banned.
10. eminent (adj. famous) / imminent (adj. about to happen) — An eminent scholar. / Danger is imminent.
11. breath (n. air taken in) / breathe (v. to take air) — Take a deep breath. / Breathe slowly.
12. quiet (adj. silent) / quite (adv. fairly/very) — The room is quiet. / It's quite cold today.
13. advice (n. suggestion) / advise (v. to suggest) — Take my advice. / I advise you to rest.
14. device (n. tool) / devise (v. to plan) — A useful device. / Devise a strategy.
15. later (adv. after) / latter (adj. second of two) — See you later. / Of the two options, I prefer the latter.
16. moral (adj. ethical / n. lesson) / morale (n. confidence/spirit) — A moral duty. / Team morale is high.
17. weather (n. climate) / whether (conj. if) — The weather is nice. / I don't know whether he'll come.
18. conscious (adj. aware) / conscience (n. inner sense of right/wrong) — He was conscious of the risk. / Her conscience troubled her.
19. envelop (v. to wrap/surround) / envelope (n. paper cover for letters) — Fog enveloped the city. / Seal the envelope.
20. personal (adj. private) / personnel (n. staff) — A personal matter. / The company hired new personnel.

Drill: Pick the Correct Word

1. The (principal/principle) of the college gave a speech. — principal
2. Please (accept/except) my apology. — accept
3. His health began to (affect/effect) his work. — affect
4. She gave good (advice/advise) to her students. — advice
5. The (desert/dessert) was extremely hot. — desert