Commonly confused words sound the same but have different meanings. Such word pairs can confuse you when you take the MAT. To properly prepare for the Miller Analogies Test, study these commonly confused word pairs.
For example, do you know when to use “affect” vs. “effect”? If you have trouble remembering which one of these commonly confused words to use, you’re not alone. Commonly confused words are notorious for tripping people up, like compliment and complement. The following list is designed to help you keep any troublesome words straight.
| Word One | Definition | Word Two | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accept | Agree to receive | Except | Not including |
| Adapt | Adjust | Adopt | Start to use |
| Advice | Guidance | Advise | To give guidance |
| Affect | Make a difference | Effect | The result |
| Altar | Table used for rituals | Alter | Change |
| Allusion | A reference | Illusion | A deceptive appearance |
| Appraise | To assess the value of | Apprise | To inform |
| Ascent | The journey up | Assent | Agreement |
| Capital | The city where government is located | Capitol | The principal building where government is located |
| Cite | To reference | Site | A location |
| Complement | Goes well with | Compliment | Kind words of approval |
| Confident | Assuredness | Confidant | A trusted person |
| Council | A group that advises | Counsel | To give suggestion |
| Currant | A dried grape | Current | Happening at the present |
| Dependant | Someone who relies on another | Dependent | Contingent on |
| Desert | Dry landscape | Dessert | The sweet course at the end of a meal |
| Discreet | Careful, sly | Discrete | Separate |
| Elicit | Draw forth | Illicit | Illegal |
| Ensure | To make sure of | Insure | To arrange for compensation |
| Eminent | Famous | Imminent | Very soon |
| Faint | Barely perceptible | Feint | A deceptive move |
| Farther | A larger distance away | Further | More |
| Foreword | The beginning of a book before the first chapter | Forward | Ahead |
| Grisly | Gruesome | Grizzly | A brown bear |
| Hoard | A stockpile | Horde | A large group |
| Incite | Stir up | Insight | Understanding |
| Ingenious | Very smart | Ingenuous | Unsuspecting |
| Lie | To rest horizontally | Lay | To put down |
| Loose | Unsecured | Lose | To misplace |
| Palate | The roof of the mouth | Palette | Colors used by an artist |
| Passed | To have moved by | Past | From a time gone by |
| Pore | Study carefully | Pour | Cause a flow from a container |
| Persecute | To annoy and harass | Prosecute | Bring legal action upon |
| Principal | Head of a school | Principle | A governing belief |
| Stationary | Not moving | Stationery | Paper to write on |
| Vain | Conceited | Vane | Device to measure wind direction |
| Venal | Corrupt | Venial | Pardonable |
| Wreath | Circular decoration of plants | Wreathe | To surround |
