Proofreading is an arduous task that requires a lot of concentration. Often, when we are reading lengthy material at one go, we tend to glaze over the text, rather than registering each word individually. Same goes for writing, be it books, articles, or learning material.

In this video/blog, you will learn how to recognize certain commonly misused words while proofreading, understand their meaning and context, and also use these words appropriately in sentences.

This video/blog outlines one aspect of proofreading and editing. 

For detailed tips on proofreading, do check out our course on Effective Proofreading on Udemy.

You can either read the blog below or play the video. 

When it comes to correct word usage, every author likes to use specific words that can convey the intended meaning and context distinctly. In our quest to find the most suitable phrasing, we sometimes tend to misuse certain words. Some of these misuses have become so prevalent that many readers have accepted them as the true meaning of the term.

It is the job of an editor or proofreader to be aware of the correct context and usage of these words, so that they can be corrected before publication. While doing so, they can safeguard the organization’s reputation by preventing such mistakes from showing up after the content has been made public.

These mistakes occur in American English more commonly, as its usage has been affected by the urban lingo, internet slangs, and also technical jargon. To amalgamate all these branches, some original words have lost their association with their true meaning. Many dictionaries have also ended up recognizing the newly attributed meanings of the words according to usage.

Often, these misused words lead to a loss of credibility for the author or the organization whose name is associated with the content. Hence, everyone involved in the writing process must be acquainted with these common mistakes and confusing words.

So, let us explore some of these misused words that we come across in our daily life.

Lose versus Loose

Even the best English-speakers sometimes get confused with these two words. “Lose” and “loose” look similar but they have different pronunciations and meanings. “Lose” is pronounced with a “z” sound and is a verb, whereas “loose” is spoken with an “s” sound and is an adjective.

The word “lose” means to fail to win, misplace something, or being unable to find it. On the other hand, “loose” means not tight or not firmly fixed in place. You might understand the difference better with these examples.

  • In the sentence, Make sure you don’t lose your ID card, “lose” means to misplace.
  • While in the sentence, The drawstring of my trousers has become loose, “loose” means not tight.

 There versus Their

The next example is there & their.

This mistake, although common, is quite disturbing for a writer or editor as it changes the whole context of the sentence. It is also one of those errors that immediately calls your language skills into question.

“Their” a determiner and is the possessive form of “they”. It indicates association with people or things, whereas “there” is an adverb and means at that place or position. It is also used as an exclamation. Let’s check the examples.

  • In the first sentence, “Their children go to the same school.”, there is the possessive form of “they”.
  • However, in the sentence “There is a tree beside my house.”, “there” indicates a place.

 Affect versus Effect

Next, let’s talk about affect and effect.

This one’s a little tricky, but it stands out like a sore thumb in a write-up. “Affect” and “effect” look and sound almost similar, and their meanings are quite close too. However, they are used in very different contexts; one that we should know about.

“Affect” is a verb that means to change or impact. “Effect” is a noun that refers to anything that is a result or consequence of an action or decision. Basically, it is the result of a change. Their parts of speech are different, and so is their usage.

For example,

  • In the sentence “Your behavior will affect your children’s mood.”, “affect” means to cause a change.
  • Whereas in this sentence, “The medicine had a quick effect on the patient.”, “effect” means result.

Further versus Farther

Our fourth pair of words is further and farther. This is one of the most confusing and misused word usages as both “further” and “farther” have the same meaning. However, their usage differs, as does their implication.

Further can be used as an adverb or adjective, whereas farther is only an adverb.

Both “further” and “farther” are used to denote going ahead in terms of distance. But “further” is used in more of an abstract sense, whereas the latter is used to denote physical distance. Let’s see their correct usage.

  • In the first sentence, “You should take this course for further growth in your career.”, “farther” refers to going ahead professionally.
  • On the other hand, in the sentence, “His house is located farther along this road.”, “farther” refers to being ahead in physical distance.

Insure versus Ensure

Next, we come to insure and ensure. These two words have completely different meanings, but can be confused due to their similar sounds and spellings. To make it clear, “insure” is a verb that means to protect against damage, and it is the verb form of “insurance”.

On the other hand, “ensure”, also a verb, means to make sure something happens. Let’s see how they are used differently in sentences.

  • In the first case, the sentence is, “You should insure your car as soon as you buy it.”

Here, “insure” means to protect against damage.

  • However, in the sentence, “I will ensure that the clients address your feedback by tomorrow.”, “ensure” means to make sure.

 Adapt versus Adopt

Adapt and adopt are another pair of words that are often mistaken and substituted for one another. Even skilled editors overlook their usage sometimes, leading to incorrect sentences. Although the words look and sound almost the same and are both verbs, they have vastly different meanings.

“Adapt” means to make something or someone suitable for a new purpose, whereas “adopt” means to take up or follow something. It can refer to adopting a baby or adopting certain ideas or things as your own. Here are the examples.

  • “John found it easy to adapt to his new house.”

In this sentence, “adapt” means to adjust or make suitable.

  • But in the next sentence, “Mia will adopt the practices of Buddhism after her conversion.”, “adopt” means to take up or follow.

 Compliment versus Complement

The next misused pair of words is “compliment” and “complement”. These words are pronounced exactly the same way, are both noun and verb, and have almost similar spellings, but can change the meaning of a sentence.

“Compliment” means to say something nice about someone. On the other hand, “complement” means to make something complete or go along perfectly with another thing. They’re also used differently in a sentence. Let’s check it out.

  • In the first sentence, “He gave me a compliment on my yellow dress.”, “compliment” means a word of praise.
  • In the next sentence, “These chairs complement the center table very well.”, “complement” means to go along well with something.

 Nauseous versus Nauseated

Our next pair of words is nauseous and nauseated. If you’ve watched the American sitcom The Big Bang Theory, you must have heard Sheldon correcting people on their wrong usage of these two words. Often, we tend to use “nauseous” when we mean “nauseated”.

The word “nauseous” is an adjective that refers to something causing nausea or feeling inclined to throw up. On the other hand, “nauseated” is a verb that means to be filled with disgust or being affected with nausea. The examples will explain this better.

  • In the first instance, “A nauseous smell wafted from the kitchen.”, “nauseous” means something worthy of causing nausea.
  • But in the next sentence, “The smell of fish curry makes Mary feel nauseated.”, the word “nauseated” means to make someone sick or filled with disgust.

 Prescribe versus Proscribe

The ninth pair of commonly misused words is prescribe and proscribe. “Proscribe” is a less common word compared to “prescribe”, and several people mistakenly assume that the two words mean the same as they are both verbs. However, that could not be further from the truth.

“Prescribe” means to advise or authorize the use of something, primarily medicines. “Proscribe”, on the other hand, means to condemn or forbit something. Surprised, right? Let’s see the sentences.

  • The doctor prescribed antibiotics, but the patient refused to take them.

In this sentence, “prescribe” means to advise the use of something.

  • However, in the second sentence, “The library proscribes writing or drawing inside the books.”, “proscribe” means to forbid.

 Pressurized versus Pressured

Our last pair is pressurized and pressured. This is one of those differences that sometimes Google would also not be able to tell you at first glance. We are extremely used to using the word “pressurized” in place of “pressured”, which grammar experts would recognize as a mistake.

“Pressurized” is both a verb and adjective. It means to create or produce raised pressure in a space. However, the word “pressure”, when used as a verb, means to persuade or coerce someone, as well as to exert physical force on something. The sentences will make this distinction clearer.

  • In the sentence, “The medicine has to be stored in a pressurized container.”, the word “pressurized” means raised pressure.
  • On the contrary, in the sentence, “Michael pressured his subordinate to quit the job.”, the word “pressured” means to force or coerce.

There are several other instances like “its” and “it’s”, “bare” and “bear”, “sell and “sale”, “accept” and “except”, or “fair” and “fare”, which can be confused by writers or even editors and proofreaders. These words appear on a regular basis in professional as well as personal material, making the job of a proofreader a bit more difficult.

Once we have clarity in identifying the correct meaning and usage of the words, proofreading a document will take lesser time and effort.