32 Similar Words in English and How to Tell Them Apart
Twins may look almost the same, but their personalities can be completely different. Some twins don’t look alike but share similar personalities and tastes.
Did you know that some words in the English language have twins?
Not only are there synonyms but there are also other types of words that may share a characteristic (e.g., spelling, pronunciation or meaning) and differ in another.
For example, “break” and “brake” share the same pronunciation but have different spellings and meanings.
In this post, you’ll find 32 similar words in English and learn how to tell them apart as well as use them correctly in different contexts.
Contents
- Words with Similar Spellings/Pronunciations but Different Meanings
- Words with Similar Meanings
- Which Is Which? Quick Tips to Tell Similar English Words Apart
- And One More Thing...
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
Words with Similar Spellings/Pronunciations but Different Meanings
1. Coarse / Course
Coarse: (adjective) texture that feels rough, not smooth
Is the texture of the jacket you’re wearing smooth or coarse?
Course: (noun) a series of classes you take to learn about a certain subject
Tip to tell them apart:
Think of the letter “u” as in a course “you” are taking.
Are you currently taking a course to improve your English?
2. Race / Raise
Race: (verb) compete in a contest of speed, like running or cycling
My neighbor’s children love to race each other home from school.
This word can also be used as a noun to refer to a contest of speed.
Which runner won the race this afternoon?
Raise: (verb) lift up something like your hand or a flag
Tip to tell them apart:
Picture the letter “i” here as someone raising their hand.
If you want some ice cream, raise your hand now before I finish the whole tub!
3. Bear / Bare
Bear: (verb) produce results or fruit
I hope this tree will bear more apples next year.
Bare: (verb) expose or show
When I opened the door, his dog ran up and started to bare its teeth at me.
4. Desert / Dessert
Desert: (noun) a hot, dry land with little rain and few plants or people (for example, the Sahara)
If you had to go to the desert for three days, how much water would you bring?
Dessert: (noun) a sweet dish served at the end of a meal (for example, cake or ice cream)
Maybe we should have chocolate ice cream for dessert.
Tip to tell them apart:
Think of the two s’s as an abbreviation (short form) for “sweet serving.”
5. Break / Brake
Break: (verb) separate something into pieces or cause it to stop working—usually after dropping or misusing it
Please don’t break those expensive Italian vases.
Brake: (verb) slow down or come to a stop
You should brake your car when you see someone crossing the street.
6. Price / Prize
Price: (noun) the money you pay for something
I didn’t buy it because the price was too high.
Prize: (noun) something offered to winners of a contest or competition
If you want to win the first prize, you must practice harder.
7. Lose / Loose
Lose: (verb) suffer a loss or fail to keep something in your possession
Please don’t lose these keys or you won’t be able to get into the apartment.
Loose: (adjective) not tightly fitted
She’s much thinner now and her clothes have become far too loose for her.
Tip to tell them apart:
People often use the word lose when they mean loose, especially when writing. To use the right word, think of the two o’s in loose as representing extra space—meaning it’s not tight but baggy.
8. Plain / Plane / Plan
Plain: (adjective) ordinary, not decorated
This dress is too plain. I prefer something with a floral print.
Plane: (noun) short for airplane
How long will the journey take by plane?
Plan: (noun) a detailed program of action
My plan is to stay longer in places that are less often visited by tourists.
Words with Similar Meanings
9. Cut / Chop
Cut: (verb) divide something into pieces with a knife or scissors
Let’s not cut the cake until everyone gets here.
Chop: (verb) cut into many small pieces with repeated strokes of a knife
You have to chop the garlic finely before you add it to the pan.
10. Rob / Steal
Rob: (verb) take something away from someone by force
Someone tried to rob him while he was walking home late last night.
Steal: (verb) take something away illegally or without permission
If I accidentally leave my phone in the park, will someone steal it?
Tip to tell them apart:
As noted earlier, these words’ definitions are very similar. However, English speakers do use them differently.
Rob typically refers to a single incident, often a violent one. For example, if someone surprised you on the street, pointed a weapon at you and demanded your wallet, they would be robbing you.
Steal, by contrast, often refers to theft that’s unseen and sometimes prolonged. If a coworker secretly took money out of your wallet every time you went to the bathroom, they would be stealing from you.
However, note that a native English speaker won’t be confused if you use these words interchangeably.
11. Lend / Borrow
Lend: (verb) give someone temporary use of something on the condition that it’s returned later
You left your wallet at home? That’s okay, I can lend you some money.
Borrow: (verb) receive or ask for temporary use of something on the condition that it’s returned later
I have a history test tomorrow. Could I borrow your book to study?
12. Hear / Listen
Hear: (verb) become aware of a sound
Did you hear the doorbell ring?
Listen: (verb) pay attention or be alert to a sound
I like to listen to music while I’m driving.
Tip to tell them apart:
Both of these words have to do with the concept of hearing. The difference is in the intent.
When you listen, there’s intent. For example, at a concert, you listen to the music—you’re focusing on the melody and enjoying every note.
But to hear something, you don’t have to be consciously paying attention. When someone shouts your name from across the street, you would hear it, even if you weren’t listening for it.
13. Ice / Snow
Ice: (noun) frozen water
It was so cold last night that my car’s windows were covered in a layer of ice this morning.
Snow: (noun) small white frozen drops of water that fall from the sky
The weatherman says that light snow is expected today.
Tip to tell them apart:
Snow is soft.
Ice is hard and clear. Ice can coat a surface or it can be in a cube, like ice cubes in your drink.
14. Amount / Number
Amount: (noun) the total number or quantity, used for uncountable items
You must use this amount of baking powder for the cake to rise.
Number: (noun) the total sum of units, used for countable items
The number of tickets sold this year has increased by 20 percent.
Tip to tell them apart:
Many people say the amount of when they mean the number of . Remember that you can count numbers, so the number of should be used for countable items.
15. See / Watch / Look
See: (verb) detect by eye or sight
Did you see him throw the ball at the window?
Watch: (verb) observe attentively
We’re all set to watch the football game on TV tonight.
Look: (verb) cast your eye on
Please look at this picture before you start drawing.
Tip to tell them apart:
All three of these words have to do with the concept of sight, but the difference is in the intent.
Often, you see something without actually intending to. You could be walking your dog and happen to see someone throwing a ball that hits the window.
When you watch TV or a football game, you’re doing it with an intent to purposefully see what happens on the TV show or who wins the game.
When you look, you’re paying attention to what you’re seeing. So again, there’s a purpose here. However, looking is generally quick and focused on a static object, while watching takes place over a period of time. That’s why we watch movies but look at pictures.
Which Is Which? Quick Tips to Tell Similar English Words Apart
Make it a habit to use the dictionary and thesaurus.
In language learning, the dictionary and thesaurus are your best friends. Whenever you’re unsure of a word’s meaning, look it up in an English-language dictionary.
Remember, one word can have many different meanings and usages. A quality dictionary or dictionary app will list them all with examples for context. A thesaurus (which lists synonyms for any word) will also help you identify words with similar meanings.
Better yet, check out Visual Thesaurus, which creates interactive word maps to help you learn and distinguish similar English words.
The farther away two words are on the map, the more different they are. This visual element makes words and their synonyms much more memorable. You can even search and display similar words in multiple languages!
Create your own clues about the word.
Similar English words can often be very confusing, but you can create clues and images in your mind to help you remember which word is which.
Create an image of something familiar (a person, thing or event, whatever works!) and relate it to the word. Then when you see the word again, that clue will automatically pop up in your mind and you’ll easily recall the difference.
Learn different types of similar words.
As you’ve seen above, besides synonyms, there are also words with the same spelling and pronunciation but different meanings (homonyms), words that sound the same but are spelled and used differently (homophones) and words that share the same spelling but have different pronunciations and meanings (homographs).
Learning different types of similar words can help you start to tell words apart and develop your English vocabulary, as well as practice your spelling and pronunciation skills.
Use flashcards to learn and test yourself.
There are lots of ways you can use flashcards as memory aids, too. Write the word on one side of the flashcard and its meaning on the other side and use it to test yourself.
Flashcards are easy to carry around with you so you can review them whenever you have free time. Better yet, you can even create and study with flashcards online. To get started, check out these helpful English flashcard apps you can download right now.
Focus on learning new words in context.
If you just memorize English words and their definitions things will get confusing fast.
For example, here are the dictionary definitions for the similar words rob and steal (which we’ve covered in depth above in #10):
Rob: “to take personal property from [someone] by violence or threat”
Steal: “to take the property of another wrongfully”
Okay… those definitions look practically identical! To learn how native English speakers use those words, you’d need to hear them in real sentences and situations (but hopefully not when someone actually robs you).
So there we have it: words that look similar can be confusing. I hope their differences are clearer to you now and you’ll be more confident in choosing the right word to use.
With practice, you’ll soon build up the confidence to use them. You can always print out a copy of this article and refer to it when in doubt. You can also use the FluentU program to to study these words in context with English videos.
FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.
You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
Happy learning!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And One More Thing...
If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials, as you can see here:
If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.
The FluentU app and website makes it really easy to watch English videos. There are captions that are interactive. That means you can tap on any word to see an image, definition, and useful examples.
FluentU lets you learn engaging content with world famous celebrities.
For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:
FluentU lets you tap to look up any word.
Learn all the vocabulary in any video with quizzes. Swipe left or right to see more examples for the word you’re learning.
FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples. Learn more.
The best part? FluentU remembers the vocabulary that you’re learning. It gives you extra practice with difficult words—and reminds you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. You have a truly personalized experience.
Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)
