Confused Words 6

By georgelthomas on 20 Sep 2018 • ( 1 )

Hi everyone, here’s another round of commonly confused words!

Loose, Lose
Loose: this is the word you’d use when referring to something which has not been firmly fixed in place, or when talking about a piece of fabric or clothing that is not a close fit. For example, the lid of the bottle was ‘loose‘, so it leaked water as he ran. She wore her scarf ‘loosely’ around her neck.
Lose: is used when you’re talking about something you no longer have or someone who is no longer in your life. For example, she didn’t think she’d ‘lose‘ her passport again, but she did. He hated the thought that one day, he’d ‘lose‘ his parents.

Transparent, Translucent, Opaque
Transparent: is the word you would use to refer to something that is entirely see-through. For example, the ‘transparent‘ fabric of which the curtains were made, still allowed him a view of the sea, even when they were drawn.
Translucent: is used in reference to a surface that is semi-transparent: it allows light to pass through it, but not detailed shapes. For instance, frosted glass is ‘translucent‘.
Opaque: is the word you’d use when you’re talking about a surface that is not at all see-through or non-transparent. For example, the container was made of a black ‘opaque‘ glass which completely hid its contents.

Peak, Peek
Peak: this is the word you’d use when you want to describe the top of a mountain or the highest level of something. For example, the ‘peak‘ of Mount Everest reaches beyond the clouds. Maintaining ‘peak‘ performance can be hard during times of stress.
Peek: is used to describe somebody looking quickly and furtively. For instance, the boy ‘peeked‘ around the corner.

Tied, Tide
Tied: is used when you are referring to something that has been fastened with string, twine or something similar. For example, she ‘tied‘ her hair up in a red ribbon.
Tide: this is used in reference to the rise and fall of the sea twice a day due to the moon’s gravitational pull. For instance, they had to leave the beach before the ‘tide‘ came in.

Affable, Effable
Affable: this word is used when your referring to someone who is friendly, easy going and good natured. For example, he was an ‘affable‘ and cheerful young man.
Effable: is used to mean that something can be described or expressed in words, however, it is very rarely used. For example, he stubbed his toe and exclaimed a colourful array of words, few of which would have been ‘effable‘ in polite company. The antonym of effable, ineffable, which means that something can not be described or expressed with words, is much more common.

Aught, Ought
Aught: is an archaic word which is sometimes confused with ought. It means – anything at all. For example, do you know ‘aught‘ of this young fellow?
Ought: is used to indicate duty or correctness or to indicate something that is probable. For instance, you ‘ought‘ to obey the rules. Six eggs ‘ought‘ to be enough.

As always, thanks for spending your valuable time with my words, I appreciate it.

Until next time,

George