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Free Commonly Confused English Words Flashcards
Affect or effect? Its or it's? These word pairs trip up natives and learners alike — and spellcheck won't save you, because both spellings are real words. These cards settle each pair for good.
Study these 10 starter cards
QUESTION
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QAffect vs effect — which is (usually) the verb?
AAffect is the verb ("it affects me"); effect is the noun ("the effect")
QIts vs it's — which one owns something?
AIts is possessive; it's = it is
QThey're / their / there — sort them.
AThey're = they are; their = possessive; there = place
QThen vs than?
AThen = time/sequence; than = comparison
QLose vs loose?
ALose = misplace/fail to win; loose = not tight
QFewer vs less?
AFewer for countables (fewer cards); less for uncountables (less time)
QComplement vs compliment?
AComplement completes; compliment praises
QPrincipal vs principle?
APrincipal = main / head person; principle = a rule or truth
QStationary vs stationery?
AStationary = not moving; stationery = paper goods (e for envelope)
QWho's vs whose?
AWho's = who is; whose = possessive
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Create your free deck →How to study commonly confused english words with flashcards
- One fact per card. Card each pair as a CONTRAST question — the confusion is between them, so the retrieval should be too.
- Rate honestly. After each card, choose Again, Hard, Good, or Easy — the spaced repetition algorithm uses your answer to decide when the card returns, right before you'd forget it.
- A few minutes daily beats marathons. Ten new cards a day is roughly 3,650 a year, retained. Deep dives: How to learn a language with flashcards · What is active recall? · How many flashcards per day?.
Related flashcard topics
English Irregular VerbsEnglish Phrasal VerbsEnglish IdiomsBusiness EnglishEnglish PrepositionsVietnamese
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