Choose Your Words (Beginning With I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P)
Caught between words? Make the right choice.
IIIIIIIII
imply/ infer
Imply and infer are opposites, like a throw and a catch. To imply is to hint at something, but to infer is to make an educated guess. The speaker does the implying, and the listener does the inferring.
incredible/ incredulous
Incredible describes something you can’t believe because it’s so right, like an incredible double rainbow. Incredulous describes how you feel when you can’t believe something because it’s so wrong, like when someone tells you leprechauns left two pots of gold.
indeterminate/ indeterminable
Understanding the nuances of this word pair, indeterminate and indeterminable, hinges on understanding the words' parts. The root word, determine, means to establish something.
indict/ indite
If you're using indite to talk about people being formally accused of lawbreaking, you're using the wrong word: it's indict.
inflammable/ inflammatory
Inflammable and inflammatory can be confused with one another, but they also offer their own source of confusion with the prefix in-.
ingenious/ ingenuous
Ingenuous means innocent, artless, simple, while ingenious refers to something original, creative, inventive.
insidious/ invidious
Neither insidious nor invidious are happy words: insidious describes something that lies in wait to get you, and invidious is something offensive or defamatory. Cancer can be insidious, lurking in your body without your knowing it. Invidious doesn’t hide; it’s hateful right away.
instant/ instance
Around the Vocabulary.com office, we might like an instance of tea, but we vehemently oppose instant tea.
intense/ intensive/ intent
If your teacher offered you a choice between an intense course or an intensive one, which one would you choose? And would you wonder what his intent was?
introvert/ extrovert
These two personality types are opposites — introverts focus inward, into their own thoughts, and extroverts focus outward, into the world. But don't get too excited; most people are a little bit of both.
irony/ satire/ sarcasm
Irony, satire, and sarcasm all fall into the category of, "That's funny but I'm not sure what my English teacher wants me to call it."
it's/ its
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's is short for "it is"! But its simply owns something — it's soooo possessive. Its is the possessive form of "it."
LLLLLLLLLL
laudable/ laudatory
Something worthy of praise is laudable. Something or someone that gives praise is laudatory.
lay/ lie
The verbs lay and lie are total jerks. People often say lay when they mean lie, but it's wrong to lay around. You have to lay something, anything — lay an egg if you want. But you can lie around until the cows come home!
loath/ loathe
Confusion between loath ("unwilling or reluctant") and loathe ("to hate") is a growing trend.
lose/ loose
Lose sounds like snooze. If you lose something, you don’t have it anymore. Add an “o” and loose rhymes with goose and describes something that’s not attached.
luxuriant/ luxurious
In yet another attempt to reduce English to features and selling points, advertisers often use luxuriant to describe their products or services.
MMMMM
marital/ martial
Marital and martial look almost alike, but the only time they overlap is when you declare war on your spouse. Marital has to do with marriage, and martial is concerned with fighting.
mean/ median/ average
Wordsmiths sometimes dislike numbers, or at least have a hard time grasping them. These words offer us an opportunity to better understand numbers and use their terms more precisely in writing and speaking.
medal/ meddle/ mettle
Here we have a trio of words that sound the same (at least in American English) but mean very different things: medal, meddle, and mettle.
metaphor/ simile
Both make comparisons, but a metaphor compares one thing to another straight up, while a simile uses "like" or "as."
moral/ morale
A moral is the lesson of a story. Add an "e" and you have morale: the spirit of a group that makes everyone want to pitch in and do better.
morbid/ moribund
Morbid describes something gruesome, like smallpox or Frankenstein's monster. Moribund refers to the act of dying. Goths love both. What fun!
NNNNNN
nauseated/ nauseous
If you’re nauseated you’re about to throw up, if you’re nauseous, you’re a toxic funk and you’re going to make someone else puke. These words are used interchangeably so often that it makes word nerds feel nauseated!
naval/ navel
Your navel is in the center of your belly, while naval ships belong out at sea.
OOOOOOO
objective/ subjective
Anything objective sticks to the facts, but anything subjective has feelings. Objective and subjective are opposites. Objective: It is raining. Subjective: I love the rain!
optimistic/ pessimistic
An optimistic person expects all the best things to happen! Is it raining money yet? A pessimistic person is a downer. Who cares if it's raining money? They'll never get any.
PPPPPPP
palate/ palette/ pallet
Palette can refer to a range of colors. A platform used for moving things is a pallet. And your preference of flavors in food is your palate.
paradox/ oxymoron
A paradox is a logical puzzle that seems to contradict itself. No it isn't. Actually, it is. An oxymoron is a figure of speech — words that seem to cancel each other out, like "working vacation" or "instant classic."
parameter/ perimeter
Parameter is a limit that affects how something can be done, and perimeter is the outline of a physical area. Both words have special meanings in math, but they take off their pocket protectors and relax their definitions when they join the rest of us.
parody/ parity
They're different, but when these words are said out loud it's hard to tell them apart. A parody is a silly spoof and parity is equality, and that's no joke.
peak/ peek/ pique
Let's look at three homophones: peak, peek, and pique. Peak is a topmost point, such as a mountain peak, or to reach that point.
peddle/ pedal/ petal
Sometimes the only way to choose your words with homophones is to memorize their spellings and meanings. Pedal/peddle/petal is one such set of homophones.
persecute/ prosecute
What is it about pursuing legal action that makes people think of harassing someone? Although we're not sure, it turns out that people have been confusing persecute and prosecute from the start.
personal/ personnel
Personal and personnel can be confused if the writer is not diligent, especially as both can be used as a noun and an adjective.
pitiable/ pitiful/ piteous/ pitiless
We don't often look at four words that can be easily confused for each other, but this pack is an exception.
pore/ pour
A pore is small opening in a surface that lets stuff through. To pour, on the other hand, means to flow continuously and rapidly.
practical/ practicable
Choosing between practical ("sensible") and practicable ("possible") often depends on context.
pragmatic/ dogmatic
If you're pragmatic, you're practical. You're living in the real world, wearing comfortable shoes. If you're dogmatic, you follow the rules. You're living in the world you want, and acting a little stuck up about it.
precede/ proceed
These two words have similar sounds. They also have similar definitions, encompassing an idea of forward movement. This leads to some confusion.
precedent/ president
How has the United States affected this word pair, precedent and president? Let's find out.
predominate/ predominant
If you win an election by a 3:1 margin, are you the predominant winner or the predominate winner?
premier/ premiere
A premiere is the first public performance of something. If you're looking for an adjective meaning "the very best," then use premier without the "e" at the end.
prescribe/ proscribe
Warning! These similar sounding words have very different meanings. To prescribe is to recommend and to proscribe is to forbid. One little letter makes a big difference.
pretentious/ portentous
Fake mobsters in suits and spats are pretentious. But a horse head in your bed? That's portentous. And also, call the police.
principal/ principle
If offered a choice, would you rather have principles or principals?
prophecy/ prophesy
One letter separates prophecy from prophesy, and the close relationship is derived from a shared word history.
prostate/ prostrate
Oh, for the want of a letter! Prostate is a gland found in male mammals, but prostrate, with an r, means to lie face down. Get them mixed up and you’ll thoroughly confuse your doctor.
.......................................................................
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IIIIIIIII
imply/ infer
Imply and infer are opposites, like a throw and a catch. To imply is to hint at something, but to infer is to make an educated guess. The speaker does the implying, and the listener does the inferring.
incredible/ incredulous
Incredible describes something you can’t believe because it’s so right, like an incredible double rainbow. Incredulous describes how you feel when you can’t believe something because it’s so wrong, like when someone tells you leprechauns left two pots of gold.
indeterminate/ indeterminable
Understanding the nuances of this word pair, indeterminate and indeterminable, hinges on understanding the words' parts. The root word, determine, means to establish something.
indict/ indite
If you're using indite to talk about people being formally accused of lawbreaking, you're using the wrong word: it's indict.
inflammable/ inflammatory
Inflammable and inflammatory can be confused with one another, but they also offer their own source of confusion with the prefix in-.
ingenious/ ingenuous
Ingenuous means innocent, artless, simple, while ingenious refers to something original, creative, inventive.
insidious/ invidious
Neither insidious nor invidious are happy words: insidious describes something that lies in wait to get you, and invidious is something offensive or defamatory. Cancer can be insidious, lurking in your body without your knowing it. Invidious doesn’t hide; it’s hateful right away.
instant/ instance
Around the Vocabulary.com office, we might like an instance of tea, but we vehemently oppose instant tea.
intense/ intensive/ intent
If your teacher offered you a choice between an intense course or an intensive one, which one would you choose? And would you wonder what his intent was?
introvert/ extrovert
These two personality types are opposites — introverts focus inward, into their own thoughts, and extroverts focus outward, into the world. But don't get too excited; most people are a little bit of both.
irony/ satire/ sarcasm
Irony, satire, and sarcasm all fall into the category of, "That's funny but I'm not sure what my English teacher wants me to call it."
it's/ its
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's is short for "it is"! But its simply owns something — it's soooo possessive. Its is the possessive form of "it."
LLLLLLLLLL
laudable/ laudatory
Something worthy of praise is laudable. Something or someone that gives praise is laudatory.
lay/ lie
The verbs lay and lie are total jerks. People often say lay when they mean lie, but it's wrong to lay around. You have to lay something, anything — lay an egg if you want. But you can lie around until the cows come home!
loath/ loathe
Confusion between loath ("unwilling or reluctant") and loathe ("to hate") is a growing trend.
lose/ loose
Lose sounds like snooze. If you lose something, you don’t have it anymore. Add an “o” and loose rhymes with goose and describes something that’s not attached.
luxuriant/ luxurious
In yet another attempt to reduce English to features and selling points, advertisers often use luxuriant to describe their products or services.
MMMMM
marital/ martial
Marital and martial look almost alike, but the only time they overlap is when you declare war on your spouse. Marital has to do with marriage, and martial is concerned with fighting.
mean/ median/ average
Wordsmiths sometimes dislike numbers, or at least have a hard time grasping them. These words offer us an opportunity to better understand numbers and use their terms more precisely in writing and speaking.
medal/ meddle/ mettle
Here we have a trio of words that sound the same (at least in American English) but mean very different things: medal, meddle, and mettle.
metaphor/ simile
Both make comparisons, but a metaphor compares one thing to another straight up, while a simile uses "like" or "as."
moral/ morale
A moral is the lesson of a story. Add an "e" and you have morale: the spirit of a group that makes everyone want to pitch in and do better.
morbid/ moribund
Morbid describes something gruesome, like smallpox or Frankenstein's monster. Moribund refers to the act of dying. Goths love both. What fun!
NNNNNN
nauseated/ nauseous
If you’re nauseated you’re about to throw up, if you’re nauseous, you’re a toxic funk and you’re going to make someone else puke. These words are used interchangeably so often that it makes word nerds feel nauseated!
naval/ navel
Your navel is in the center of your belly, while naval ships belong out at sea.
OOOOOOO
objective/ subjective
Anything objective sticks to the facts, but anything subjective has feelings. Objective and subjective are opposites. Objective: It is raining. Subjective: I love the rain!
optimistic/ pessimistic
An optimistic person expects all the best things to happen! Is it raining money yet? A pessimistic person is a downer. Who cares if it's raining money? They'll never get any.
PPPPPPP
palate/ palette/ pallet
Palette can refer to a range of colors. A platform used for moving things is a pallet. And your preference of flavors in food is your palate.
paradox/ oxymoron
A paradox is a logical puzzle that seems to contradict itself. No it isn't. Actually, it is. An oxymoron is a figure of speech — words that seem to cancel each other out, like "working vacation" or "instant classic."
parameter/ perimeter
Parameter is a limit that affects how something can be done, and perimeter is the outline of a physical area. Both words have special meanings in math, but they take off their pocket protectors and relax their definitions when they join the rest of us.
parody/ parity
They're different, but when these words are said out loud it's hard to tell them apart. A parody is a silly spoof and parity is equality, and that's no joke.
peak/ peek/ pique
Let's look at three homophones: peak, peek, and pique. Peak is a topmost point, such as a mountain peak, or to reach that point.
peddle/ pedal/ petal
Sometimes the only way to choose your words with homophones is to memorize their spellings and meanings. Pedal/peddle/petal is one such set of homophones.
persecute/ prosecute
What is it about pursuing legal action that makes people think of harassing someone? Although we're not sure, it turns out that people have been confusing persecute and prosecute from the start.
personal/ personnel
Personal and personnel can be confused if the writer is not diligent, especially as both can be used as a noun and an adjective.
pitiable/ pitiful/ piteous/ pitiless
We don't often look at four words that can be easily confused for each other, but this pack is an exception.
pore/ pour
A pore is small opening in a surface that lets stuff through. To pour, on the other hand, means to flow continuously and rapidly.
practical/ practicable
Choosing between practical ("sensible") and practicable ("possible") often depends on context.
pragmatic/ dogmatic
If you're pragmatic, you're practical. You're living in the real world, wearing comfortable shoes. If you're dogmatic, you follow the rules. You're living in the world you want, and acting a little stuck up about it.
precede/ proceed
These two words have similar sounds. They also have similar definitions, encompassing an idea of forward movement. This leads to some confusion.
precedent/ president
How has the United States affected this word pair, precedent and president? Let's find out.
predominate/ predominant
If you win an election by a 3:1 margin, are you the predominant winner or the predominate winner?
premier/ premiere
A premiere is the first public performance of something. If you're looking for an adjective meaning "the very best," then use premier without the "e" at the end.
prescribe/ proscribe
Warning! These similar sounding words have very different meanings. To prescribe is to recommend and to proscribe is to forbid. One little letter makes a big difference.
pretentious/ portentous
Fake mobsters in suits and spats are pretentious. But a horse head in your bed? That's portentous. And also, call the police.
principal/ principle
If offered a choice, would you rather have principles or principals?
prophecy/ prophesy
One letter separates prophecy from prophesy, and the close relationship is derived from a shared word history.
prostate/ prostrate
Oh, for the want of a letter! Prostate is a gland found in male mammals, but prostrate, with an r, means to lie face down. Get them mixed up and you’ll thoroughly confuse your doctor.
You may also like 😊😊😊😊
Newspaper Vocabulary
Words of '-ism'
Barron's GRE
Fantastic 25 (Words)
A-E Vocabulary
F-L Vocabulary
M-Q Vocabulary
R-Z Vocabulary
Poetry Terms
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