9 Common Words You’re Probably Using Wrong

Take a closer look at the word “awful” — although you assume you can use it when talking about something “full of awe,” in reality, this adjective has a completely opposite meaning. That being said, sometimes we tend to use lots of other English words the wrong way without even realizing it.

9. Epilation vs depilation

• Epilation is the way you’d remove an unwanted hair by tearing it out, usually with a pair of tweezers.
• Depilation is the way you’d get rid of an unwanted hair at the level of your skin by shaving or trimming.

8. Farther vs further

• When you’re talking about a physical distance, you can say, “This is farther from that.”
• Further usually refers to a figurative distance, meaning “extra or more” as in the following sentence: “If you complain further, I’m going to stop this conversation and never return to it again.”

7. Flammable vs inflammable

• Flammable means “capable of being set on fire.”
• Inflammable means exactly the same thing, so there’s no difference between these 2 words.

6. Emoticon vs emoji

• If you use characters such as punctuation marks, numbers, letters, etc. to express your feelings or mood, you use emoticons.
• Emojis are actual graphical expressions that can refer to anything including faces, common objects, places, types of weather, animals, and so on.

5. Famous vs infamous

• The word famous usually refers to people who are known for their great deeds, like heroes.
• However, if you want to say “very famous,” you should never use infamous as it means “famous for a negative reason,” like bank robbers or other criminals.

4. Poisonous vs venomous

• Poisonous is used to refer to something that is toxic if you eat it.
• Venomous is used to refer to something that is toxic if it bites you.

3. Torturous vs tortuous

• When something makes you feel bad or causes pain and suffering, it’s considered torturous.
• Tortuous means “full of twists, turns, or bends.” You can also use this word when talking about something too lengthy or complex.

2. Bemused vs amused

• Although most people think that bemused means “to be amused in a calm way,” it’s not actually true. The real meaning of this word is “to be bewildered, puzzled, or confused.”
• So when you want to say that you’re having an enjoyable time, you should say that you’re amused.

1. Nauseous vs nauseated

• Despite what you might think, nauseous doesn’t mean feeling sick to your stomach. What it really means is “causing nausea” like when you’re speaking about something smelly, spoiled, or rotten.
• So if you feel unwell, you probably feel nauseated.

Which English words do you always confuse? Let’s continue the list together in the comments!