Proofreader Offers Useful Mnemonic Devices for Demystifying Words That Are Confusingly Similar

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    Font - Dr Kat Day @chronicleflask ... I am a proofreader. Would you like a list of words which are very nearly, not not quite, the same? Of course you would All right... 12:52 · 3/6/22 · Twitter for iPhone 41.7K Retweets 4,306 Quote Tweets 218K Likes
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  • 02

    Forgo vs. Forego

    Gesture - Dr Kat Day ... @chronicleflask Forgo: opt out/abstain Forego: go before (Remember FOREgo means beFORE)
  • 03

    Complement vs. Compliment

    Font - Dr Kat Day @chronicleflask Complement: completes something/ adds features Compliment: a nice thing to say (I always find myself double-checking this one. Remember compLEment means to compLEte)
  • 04

    Stationary vs. Stationery

    Font - Dr Kat Day @chronicleflask Stationary: not moving Stationery: paper, pens etc (Remember stationEry includes Envelopes)
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  • 05

    Brooch vs. Broach

    Font - Dr Kat Day /. @chronicleflask Brooch: pinned jewellery Broach: raise a (difficult) subject (Think of pretty jewellery making you say “ooh!")
  • 06

    Peak vs. Peek

    Organism - Dr Kat Day /. @chronicleflask Peak: the top of something Peek: a quick look at something (Imagine the "ee" as 00)
  • 07

    Climactic vs. Climatic

    Font - Dr Kat Day @chronicleflask ... Climactic: culmination of events Climatic: relating to climate (Think "act" in the sense of story acts. This one is easy really, but also the sort of thing one's eyes can easily skip over.)
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  • 08

    Licence vs. License

    Rectangle - Dr Kat Day @chronicleflask Licence: a permit (noun) License: to permit (verb) (This is a peculiarly British one: Americans keep it simple and use "license" for everything. Very sensible. Although...) 99
  • 09

    Practice vs. Practise

    Font - Dr Kat Day a @chronicleflask Practice: way of doing something (noun) Practise: to do something in a certain way, often with the aim of improving (verb) (Yes, a bit like licence/license. Except, just for fun, here Americans use the "ce" ending for both verb and noun.)
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    Advice vs. Advise

    Rectangle - Dr Kat Day a @chronicleflask Advice: guidance (noun) Advise: give guidance (verb) (What do you reckon? Heh, nope! This time US and UK English agree: "ce" for the noun, "se" for the verb) 66 99
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  • 11

    Lightning vs. Lightening

    Font - Dr Kat Day @chronicleflask Here's a spelling I'm not ashamed to admit has tripped me up before: Lightning: an electrostatic discharge (noun) Lightening: make/become lighter in colour or weight (verb) I remember this because four constants in a row-ghtn-seem spiky to me (Midwives, bear with me..)
  • 12

    Phosphorus vs. Phosphorous

    Font - Dr Kat Day a /, @chronicleflask Oh, I forgot the chemistry classic! Phosphorus: chemical element, symbol P (noun) Phosphorous: relating to, or having properties of, the element (adjective) (I'm afraid I learned this through sheer brute force. Fortunately if you're not a chemist it doesn't often come up!)
  • 13

    Effect vs. Affect

    Font - Dr Kat Day @chronicleflask All right, I see all of you struggling with affect/effect. Let's take a crack at it: GENERALLY: effect: a change/an item (noun) affect: make a difference to (verb) To help with this, remember: she dropped her bag, but her personal effects weren't affected BUT also (sorry)...
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  • 14
    Font - Dr Kat Day @chronicleflask ... effect: to cause something to happen (verb) affect: observable manifestations of an emotion (noun) So... the doctor effected changes to her medication which reduced her distressed affect (These are less common, especially affect as a noun-double-check when using!)
  • 15

    Rein vs. Reign

    Product - No one: ... Me: @thewildgoose · 1d A favourite for me is rein/reign, in the context of "keeping a tight rein" on something. Because both words kinda work, and "reign" might actually make more sense if you're not familiar with horses! ... Dr Kat Day @c... · 2d I am a proofreader. Would you like a list of words which are very nearly, not not quite, the same? Of course you would Show this thread 3 27 5 52 Dr Kat Day a/ •.. @chronicleflask Replying to @thewildgoose This is one that always
  • 16

    Tortuous vs. Torturous

    Font - Ngozi Chinegwundoh @gertruden... · 1d Tortuous and torturous; exalt and exult... 1 27 2 23 Dr Kat Day /. @chronicleflask ... Replying to @gertrudengozi Oh yes, “tortuous" – that's a good one: twisty-turny 99 As opposed to “torturous" which you are (UR) likely to find much more painful
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  • 17

    Bear vs. Bare

    Font - Carol BH @CarolBH6 1d I always struggle with bear and bare...any top tips? 18 27 1 26 MegCNaylor @MegCNaylor · 1d ... Me too!! Would love a clarification. n maxted @nile_maxted 1d A bear is bare without his fur but a real male ... bear would never be bare. G 10 MegCNaylor Yes - I know this much. But do I bare with you or bear with you? @MegCNaylor · 1d ... 19
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    Vertebrate - Dr Kat Day @chronicleflask ... Replying to @CarolBH6 @MegCNaylor and @nile_maxted Bear with me... ン。
  • 19

    Viscous vs. Vicious

    Font - Stephen Bell @stevebwriter · 1d Venus: planet or goddess. Venous (concerning the veins). 11 Dr Kat Day a /. @chronicleflask ... Replying to @stevebwriter Ah. Yes. And also: ViScous: Sticky ViCious: Cruel/violent
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