Category Archives: confusing words

It’s time for “Confusing Words of the Week” where I take a set of two or three words that get confused and give you definitions and try to give you a memory trick to help you remember when to use which word. If you have words that confuse you, use the Ask PTB tab on the website or send an email to [email protected] and they may appear here soon!

This week’s words are:

• quash – to suppress (a legal motion)
  • We are filing the motion to quash the subpoena on Wednesday.
• squash – (v.) to press down, to flatten; (n.) a vegetable
  • She sat on the suitcase to squash it so she could lock it.

Memory tips:

• quash – you’re not trying to flatten something, you just want it to end, so you don’t need the extra “s”
• squash – it takes more weight and energy to squash something, so it needs the extra “s”

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It’s time for “Confusing Words of the Week” where I take a set of two or three words that get confused and give you definitions and try to give you a memory trick to help you remember when to use which word. If you have words that confuse you, use the Ask PTB tab on the website or send an email to [email protected] and they may appear here soon!

This week’s words are:

• precede – to go before
  • The flower girl will precede the bride down the aisle.
• proceed – to advance
  • We will proceed to order lunch at 10:00 whether or not we have your order.

Memory tips:

• precede – the prefix pre- means before, so precede means to go before
• proceed – think of pro- as being the same as go and you are going to advance or go forward, so you will proceed 

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It’s time for “Confusing Words of the Week” where I take a set of two or three words that get confused and give you definitions and try to give you a memory trick to help you remember when to use which word. If you have words that confuse you, use the Ask PTB tab on the website or send an email to [email protected] and they may appear here soon!

This week’s words are:

• tack – (n.) direction; (v.) to change direction
• tact – considerate way of behaving so as to avoid offending others

Memory tips:

• tack – think of the “k” as a road with a choice of direction

• tact – think of the “t” as keeping things even to avoid offending others

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It’s time for “Confusing Words of the Week” where I take a set of two or three words that get confused and give you definitions and try to give you a memory trick to help you remember when to use which word. If you have words that confuse you, use the Ask PTB tab on the website or send an email to [email protected] and they may appear here soon!

This week’s words are:

• decadent – something that is luxurious and self-indulgent
  • The dessert was the most decadent thing she had had in quite some time.
• decedent – a person who has died.
  • The decedent did not leave a Last Will and Testament.

Memory tips:

• decadent – think of “deca”–which means a factor of ten–to represent how much weight you will gain if you eat the decadent dessert.
• decedent – think of the beginning of the word “deceased” so a decedent is someone who is deceased.

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It’s time for “Confusing Words of the Week” where I take a set of two or three words that get confused and give you definitions and try to give you a memory trick to help you remember when to use which word. If you have words that confuse you, use the Ask PTB tab on the website or send an email to [email protected] and they may appear here soon!

This week’s words are:

• ordinance – a local law
  • There was a city ordinance against parking on the street at night.
• ordnance – arms; munitions
  • The military has a large supply of ordnance.

Memory tips:

• The only difference is the “I,” so think of your local municipality saying “I am watching you and waiting for you to break the ordinance.”

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It’s time for “Confusing Words of the Week” where I take a set of two or three words that get confused and give you definitions and try to give you a memory trick to help you remember when to use which word. If you have words that confuse you, use the Ask PTB tab on the website or send an email to [email protected] and they may appear here soon!

This week’s words are:

• hoard – (n.) a hidden supply; (v.) to hide a supply
  • She had a hoard of toothpaste in her cupboard.
• horde – a crowd or throng
  • It was hard to find him in the horde of people at the concert.

Memory tips:

• hoard – you can keep your hoard of supplies neatly in the cupboard.
• horde – there is no order in a horde.

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It’s time for “Confusing Words of the Week” where I take a set of two or three words that get confused and give you definitions and try to give you a memory trick to help you remember when to use which word. If you have words that confuse you, use the Ask PTB tab on the website or send an email to [email protected] and they may appear here soon!

This week’s words are:

• perspective – a view in correct proportion
  • His perspective was based on his career in juvenile criminal law.
• prospective – anticipated
  • The prospective job reviews were making everyone nervous.

Memory tips:

• perspective – use perSPECtive remembering spectacles (or glasses) being something you see with for the view in correct proportion.
• prospective – PROSPECT means the possibility of a future event occurring, so PROSPECTive is the anticipation of the future event.

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It’s time for “Confusing Words of the Week” where I take a set of two or three words that get confused and give you definitions and try to give you a memory trick to help you remember when to use which word. If you have words that confuse you, use the Ask PTB tab on the website or send an email to [email protected] and they may appear here soon!

This week’s words are:

• rye – a grain used to make bread or whiskey
• • I like pastrami on rye for a sandwich.
• wry – ironically humorous
• • My son has a very wry sense of humor.

Memory tips:

• rye – Use the e to remind you that things made with ryE are Edible (and I’m counting drinkable as edible).
• wry – Words are what are used to show the Wry sense of humor.

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It’s time for “Confusing Words of the Week” where I take a set of two or three words that get confused and give you definitions and try to give you a memory trick to help you remember when to use which word. If you have words that confuse you, use the Ask PTB tab on the website or send an email to [email protected] and they may appear here soon!

This week’s words are:

• lam – flight from the law (as in on the lam)
  • The number of people on the lam every week on Live PD is crazy!
• lamb – a young sheep
  • The ewe at the zoo had a lamb with her when we visited.

Memory tips:

• lam –  Running from the law so they don’t have time to add extra letters.
• lamb – Think of the “b” as the first letter of “baby sheep.”

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It’s time for “Confusing Words of the Week” where I take a set of two or three words that get confused and give you definitions and try to give you a memory trick to help you remember when to use which word. If you have words that confuse you, use the Ask PTB tab on the website or send an email to [email protected] and they may appear here soon!

This week’s words are:

• farther – at a greater distance, referring to actual distance
  • The drive from Joe’s house to mine was farther than I expected.
• further – to a greater extent or degree, referring to figurative distance
  • We will plan to discuss the fundraiser further at the next board meeting.

Memory tips:

• fArther – Actual distance
• fURther – figURative distance

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