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
Advice or advise
Advise or advice
Affect or effect
Affect or impact
Allude, elude or illude
Allusive, elusive or illusive
Alternate, alternating or alternative
Alternating, alternative or alternate
Alternative, alternate or alternating
Among or amongst (see while or whilst)
Among or between
Amongst or among (see whilst or while)
Amoral or immoral
Amount or number
Annex or annexe
Annexe or annex
Assume or presume
Assure, ensure or insure
Asterisk or Asterix
Asterix or asterisk
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B
Bare or bear
Bazaar or bizarre
Bear or bare
Between or among
Biannual or biennial
Biennial or biannual
Bizarre or bazaar
Borrow or lend
Bought or brought
Brought or bought
Burglary or robbery
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C
Can, may or might
Cite, sight or site
Client or customer
Comparable or comparative
Comparative or comparable
Complement(ary) or compliment(ary)
Compliment(ary) or complement(ary)
Compose, consist or comprise
Comprise, compose or consist
Confound or confuse
Confuse or confound
Consequently or subsequently
Conserve or preserve
Consist, comprise or compose
Continual or continuous
Continuous or continual
Councillor or counsellor
Counsellor or councillor
Convince or persuade
Coruscating or excoriating
Cue or queue
Customer or client
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D
Definite or definitive
Definitive or definite
Defuse or diffuse
Desert or dessert
Dessert or desert
Device or devise
Devise or device
Diffuse or defuse
Discreet or discrete
Discrete or discreet
Disinterested or uninterested
Disorganised or unorganised
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
Elude, illude or allude
Elusive, illusive or allusive
En route or on route
Enquiry, inquiry or query
Ensure, insure or assure
Excoriating of coruscating
Expansive or expensive
Expensive or expansive
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F
Fair or fare
Fare or fair
Fewer or less
Flammable or inflammable
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G
Gunnel or gunwale
Gunwale or gunnel
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H
have or of
Hear! Hear! or Here! Here!
Here! Here! or Hear! Hear!
Heterogeneous or homogeneous
Historic or historical
Historical or historic
Hoard or horde
Homogeneous or heterogeneous
Homograph, homonym or homophone
Homonym, homophone or homograph
Homophone, homograph or homonym
Horde or hoard
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I
I or me
I.e. or e.g.
Illegal, illicit or unlawful
Illegible or eligible
Illicit, unlawful or illegal
Illude, allude or elude
Illusive, allusive or elusive
Immeasurable or unmeasurable
Immoral or amoral
Impact or affect
Imply or infer
Infer or imply
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
Invitation or invite
Invite or invitation
ise or ize
ize or ise
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J
Judgement or judgment
Judgment or judgement
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K
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L
Lead or led
Led or lead
Lend or borrow
Less or fewer
Libel or slander
Licence or license
License or licence
Lightening, lighting or lightning
Lighting, lightning or lightening
Lightning, lightening or lighting
Linage or lineage
Lineage or linage
Loose or lose
Lose or loose
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M
Mandrel or mandrill
Mandrill or mandrel
Manx, minx or minks
May, might or can
Me or I
Me or myself
Might, can or may
Minks, minx or Manx
Minx, Manx or minks
Myself or me
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N
Number or amount
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O
Ocular or oscular
Of or have
Of or off
Off or of
Older or elder
On route or en route
Oscular or ocular
Owing to or due to
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P
Palate, pallet or palette
Pallet, palette or palate
Palette, palate or pallet
Pair, pear or pare
Pare, pair or pear
Passed or past
Past or passed
Peace or piece
Peak, pique or peek
Pear, pare or pair
Pedal or peddle
Peddle or pedal
Peek, peak or pique
Perquisite or prerequisite
Persuade or convince
Perspective or prospective
Piece or peace
Pique, peek or peak
Pore or pore
Pore or pour
Practice or practise
Practise or practice
Prerequisite or perquisite
Preserve or conserve
Presume or assume
Prescribe or proscribe
Principal or principle
Principle or principal
Proscribe or prescribe
Prospective or perspective
Pus or puss
Puss or pus
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Q
Queue or cue
Query, enquiry or inquiry
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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
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S
Sight, cite or site
Silicon or silicone
Silicone or silicon
Site, sight or cite
Slander or libel
Slay or sleigh
Sleigh or slay
Spelled or spelt
Spelt or spelled
Stationary or stationery
Stationery or stationary
Subsequently or consequently
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T
That, which or who
Themself or themselves
Themselves or themself
Than or then
Then or than
There, they’re or their
Their, there or they’re
They’re, their or there
Till or until
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U
Uninterested or disinterested
Unlawful, illegal or illicit
Unmeasurable or immeasurable
Unorganised or disorganised
Unsatisfied or dissatisfied
Until or till
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V
Valuable or invaluable
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W
Waist or waste
Wander or wonder
Wary or weary
Waste or waist
Weary or wary
Weather or whether
Whether or weather
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
Wonder or wander
Would have or would of
Would of or would have
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X
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Y
Your or you’re
You’re or your
Yours or your’s
Your’s or yours
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Z
Zeroes or zeros
Zeros or zeroes
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Sarah
September 19, 2011 at 6:30 pm
Would you be able to compare persuade and convince please? Think it’s quite a subtle difference but hard to explain.
Liz at Libro
September 19, 2011 at 6:31 pm
I can certainly add those to the list! Thanks for your suggestion!
Nordie
October 9, 2011 at 8:59 am
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”?)
Nordie
October 9, 2011 at 9:15 am
Who’s and Whose?
Liz at Libro
October 9, 2011 at 9:37 am
Both good ones, will add them to the list! Thank you!
Nordie
October 21, 2011 at 5:38 pm
Me again – lose and loose?
Liz at Libro
October 22, 2011 at 8:40 am
Will add it to the list! Keep them coming!
Rose Harris
January 9, 2012 at 11:31 am
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
January 12, 2012 at 5:24 pm
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!
Rose Harris
January 9, 2012 at 11:33 am
FUMOP.
Oh Lord, I can’t even spell my own name!!
Rose
Caroline Palmer
September 5, 2012 at 3:25 pm
Wow I presume you are creating this into a book – could be as big as Eats, Shoots and Leaves or whatever it was called!!
Liz at Libro
September 5, 2012 at 3:26 pm
Thank you – I may do at some stage – still so many gaps at the moment!