LibroEditing proof-reading, editing, writing

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All the Troublesome Pairs August 29, 2011

Here’s a list of all the troublesome pairs I’ve done (both ways round) in alphabetical order, to help you find them more easily.

A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W   X   Y   Z

A

Affect or effect

Among or amongst (see while or whilst)

Amongst or among (see whilst or while)

Amoral or immoral

Amount or number

Assume or presume

Assure, ensure or insure

back to top

B

Bare or bear

Bear or bare

Biannual or biennial

Biennial or biannual

Borrow or lend

Bought or brought

Brought or bought

Burglary or robbery

back to top

C

Can, may or might

Client or customer

Comparable or comparative

Comparative or comparable

Complement(ary) or compliment(ary)

Compliment(ary) or complement(ary)

Confound or confuse

Confuse or confound

Conserve or preserve

Continual or continuous

Continuous or continual

Councillor or counsellor

Counsellor or councillor

Cue or queue

Customer or client

back to top

D

Definite or definitive

Definitive or definite

Discreet or discrete

Discrete or discreet

Disinterested or uninterested

Dissatisfied or unsatisfied

Due to or owing to

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E

Effect or affect

E.g. or i.e.

Elder or older

Eligible or illegible

En route or on route

Enquiry, inquiry or query

Ensure, insure or assure

back to top

F

Fewer or less

Flammable or inflammable

back to top

G

back to top

H

have or of

Hear! Hear! or Here! Here!

Here! Here! or Hear! Hear!

back to top

I

I or me

I.e. or e.g.

Illegal, illicit or unlawful

Illegible or eligible

Illicit, unlawful or illegal

Immoral or amoral

Inflammable or flammable

Inquiry, query or enquiry

Insure, assure or ensure

Interlude, interval or intermission

Intermission, interlude or interval

Interval, intermission or interlude

Invaluable or valuable

back to top

J

back to top

K

back to top

L

Lead or led

Led or lead

Lend or borrow

Less or fewer

Libel or slander

Licence or license

License or licence

Linage or lineage

Lineage or linage

Loose or lose

Lose or loose

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M

Manx, minx or minks

May, might or can

Me or I

Might, can or may

Minks, minx or Manx

Minx, Manx or minks

back to top

N

Number or amount

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O

Of or have

Of or off

Off or of

Older or elder

On route or en route

Owing to or due to

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P

Peace or piece

Pedal or peddle

Peddle or pedal

Perspective or prospective

Piece or peace

Practice or practise

Practise or practice

Preserve or conserve

Presume or assume

Prescribe or proscribe

Principal or principle

Principle or principal

Proscribe or prescribe

Prospective or perspective

back to top

Q

Queue or cue

Query, enquiry or inquiry

back to top

R

Rain, rein or reign

Rebut or refute

Refute or rebut

Regretfully or regrettably

Regrettably or regretfully

Reign, rain or rein

Rein, reign or rain

Relation or relative

Relative or relation

Robbery or burglary

back to top

S

Slander or libel

Spelled or spelt

Spelt or spelled

Stationary or stationery

Stationery or stationary

back to top

T

That, which or who

Themself or themselves

Themselves or themself

There, they’re or their

Their, there or they’re

They’re, their or there

Till or until

back to top

U

Uninterested or disinterested

Unlawful, illegal or illicit

Unsatisfied or dissatisfied

Until or till

back to top

V

Valuable or invaluable

back to top

W

Wary or weary

Weary or wary

Which, who or that

While or whilst

Whilst or while

Who, that or which

Who or whom

Whom or who

Who’s or whose

Whose or who’s

Would have or would of

Would of or would have

back to top

X

back to top

Y

Your or you’re

You’re or your

Yours or your’s

Your’s or yours

back to top

Z

back to top

 

46 Responses to “All the Troublesome Pairs”

  1. [...] Here it is! All the Troublesome Pairs, listed alphabetically, both (or all, in the case of trios) ways round. Share this:EmailFacebookLinkedInDiggTwitterStumbleUponRedditLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post.   Leave a Comment [...]

  2. Sarah Says:

    Would you be able to compare persuade and convince please? Think it’s quite a subtle difference but hard to explain.

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  6. Nordie Says:

    Of and Off?

    Just caught myself about to use one, when I probably should have used the other.

    And not a pair, but the correct use of “either” and “Neither”? (So you can only have “either one thing or the other”, not “either A or B or C”?)

  7. Nordie Says:

    Who’s and Whose?

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  12. Nordie Says:

    Me again – lose and loose?

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  14. [...] can find more troublesome pairs here and the index to them all so far is here. Share this:EmailFacebookLinkedInDiggTwitterStumbleUponRedditLike this:LikeBe the first to like [...]

  15. [...] the success of my Troublesome Pairs series (still continuing, on a Friday), I decided to start a new series about single words which [...]

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  27. Rose Harris Says:

    Hi Liz,

    I do so enjoy reading your troublesome pairs. I have one (well, a trio actually) for you – peek, peak and pique. I have so often read of someone’s interest being peeked! A pet hate – people who use “myself” when they mean “me” or “I” in the mistaken belief that it makes them sound more competent and official. It doesn’t.
    I could spend ages ranting away like a grumpy old woman, but I’ll spare you. Keep up the good work!

    Rosr

    • Liz at Libro Says:

      Ah – thanks for that one, it’s a good one! I’ll do that in a week or so. And yes, “myself” is annoying – I’m thinking of just starting a troublesome words series and will add that one in there. Thanks for your suggestions!

  28. Rose Harris Says:

    FUMOP.

    Oh Lord, I can’t even spell my own name!!

    Rose

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