As you might already know, there are some words in English that sound very similar or even identical but have different meanings. Even native speakers sometimes make mistakes when they spell some of these words. But for nonnative speakers, these words can be a nightmare. Ok, I might be exaggerating a little, but they are indeed confusing.
That’s why in this post I’ll share with you six pairs of words that have the same or similar pronunciation but mean something totally different. Honestly, now I’m used to them, but in the beginning when I started speaking English, I used to think twice before saying some of them out loud.
Effect vs. affect
Ok, the first pair of words is effect /əˈfɛkt/ and affect /əˈfɛkt/. Even native speakers confuse these words because they actually sound the same. Both of them are pronounced with the schwa sound /ə/ in the first syllable – “UH-FEKT” /əˈfɛkt/.
Effect /əˈfɛkt/ with an E in the beginning is usually used as a noun. It is the change that comes as a consequence of an action. For instance, if you stay in the sun for several hours the effect will be your burned skin. Another example is:
Exercise has a positive effect on the body.
Affect /əˈfɛkt/ with an A in the beginning is usually used as a verb and it means to impact or change something or someone. For example:
Exercise will affect your body in a positive way.
As you can see from the examples, you can use both words in a similar context. But make sure to use each one of them in the correct way. Actually, you don’t have to worry too much when you pronounce them because, as I said, they sound the same. But you will need to be a little more careful when you use them in writing.
Suite vs. suit
The next pair of words that might be confusing is suite /swiːt/ and suit /suːt/.
A suite /swiːt/ is a number of connected rooms in a hotel. It’s larger than just a regular room and it usually has a separate bedroom and living room. For example:
I love this hotel. I stayed in a beautiful suite last time I was there.
A suit /suːt/ is an outfit consisting of two or more matching parts – usually pants or a skirt combined with a jacket or a blazer. An example in a sentence would be:
I got a new job at a bank, and I have to wear a suit to work every day now.
Although they are pronounced differently, what messes up with our brains here is the spelling. You can see that there is only one letter difference – E at the end of suite – but this letter is not pronounced anyway. What’s different is the vowel. Suite /swiːt/ is pronounced exactly like sweet /swiːt/ as in “I like my coffee sweet.” It has the high and tense vowel /iː/ as in the words sheep /ʃiːp/ and beach /biːtʃ/.
Suit /suːt/ is pronounced with the high and tense vowel /uː/ – the same vowel that’s in the words smooth /smuːð/ and soon /suːn/.
So, keep in mind that the vowels in these two words – suite /swiːt/ and suit /suːt/ – are different, even though it’s not obvious from the spelling.
Costume vs. custom
The next pair of words that baffles many nonnative speakers is costume /ˈkɑːs.tuːm/ and custom /ˈkʌs.təm/.
Costume /ˈkɑːs.tuːm/ is a set of clothes that are typical to a particular country or culture. People usually wear costumes during cultural celebrations. Actors can also wear costumes when they perform. Probably the most popular day when many people wear costumes is Halloween. Here are some example sentences:
Hey, do you remember who the costume designer for this movie was?
What costume are you going to wear for Halloween?
Custom /ˈkʌs.təm/ is a traditional way of behaving that is specific to a particular society, time, or place. For example:
I like the old Bulgarian custom of holding hands and dancing in a circle.
or:
I always try to respect the customs of the country I travel to.
Now let’s talk about the pronunciation. Although to many nonnative speakers these two words seem the same, they actually sound quite different to native speakers. Again, this is because of the difference in the vowels.
Costume /ˈkɑːs.tuːm/ is pronounced as “KAA-STOOM” /ˈkɑːs.tuːm/. The first vowel /ɑː/ is the same as in the word father /ˈfɑːðɚ/, while the second vowel /uː/ is the vowel that appears in the word food /fuːd/.
Custom /ˈkʌs.təm/, on the other hand, has two completely different vowels. The first one /ʌ/ is the same vowel that is used in the word cup /kʌp/ and the second one is a schwa /ə/ – a reduced vowel that appears in most non-stressed syllables.
To practice, you can take a mirror and watch your lips:
Costume /ˈkɑːs.tuːm/
Custom /ˈkʌs.təm/
Costume /ˈkɑːs.tuːm/
Custom /ˈkʌs.təm/
Receipt vs. recipe
Another confusing pair of words is receipt /ɹəˈsiːt/ and recipe /ˈɹɛ.sə.pi/.
These words also give many people a hard time because they look similar at first glance. But, as you’ve probably guessed by now, they have a different meaning and are also pronounced differently.
Receipt /ɹəˈsiːt/ is the piece of paper that a person receives after paying for something. For example, when you go grocery shopping, the cashier gives you your receipt after you pay. You can say:
Could you please email me the receipt for this purchase?
or:
I’d like to return this dress, but I forgot my receipt at home.
Recipe /ˈɹɛ.sə.pi/ is a set of instructions that you follow when you cook something new. For example, if you liked the cake you had at your friend’s house, you can ask her for the recipe. You can say:
This is delicious. Would you share the recipe with me?
Ok, now let’s talk about the pronunciation of these two words. What’s important to know is that receipt /ɹəˈsiːt/ has two syllables:
“RUH” /ɹə/ • “SEET” /siːt/
while recipe /ˈɹɛ.sə.pi/ has three:
“RE” /ɹɛ/ • “SUH” /sə/ • “PEE” /pi/
Also, notice that the P in receipt /ɹəˈsiːt/ is silent. It’s not “RUH-SEEPT” /ɹəˈsiːpt/, but “RUH-SEET” /ɹəˈsiːt/. Many nonnative speakers try to pronounce each letter they see, but English is not a phonetic language. This means that how words are spelled is not how they are pronounced.
The vowel in the first syllable of receipt /ɹəˈsiːt/ is a schwa /ə/ and the vowel in the second syllable is a tense /iː/ – the same one that we have in the word sheep /ʃiːp/.
Although the spelling in the beginning of the word recipe /ˈɹɛ.sə.pi/ is the same, the vowel is pronounced differently.While the first two letters – RE – in receipt /ɹəˈsiːt/ are pronounced as “RUH” /ɹə/ – with a schwa /ə/, the same first letters – RE – in recipe /ˈɹɛ.sə.pi/ are pronounced as “RE” /ɹɛ/ with the front middle vowel /ɛ/ as in the color red /ɹɛd/.
In recipe /ˈɹɛ.sə.pi/, we have a schwa /ə/ in the second syllable and a high tense /i/ in the third syllable – “RE-SUH-PEE” /ˈɹɛ.sə.pi/.
Also, do you hear that the word stress is different? Receipt /ɹəˈsiːt/ is stressed on the second syllable – “SEET” /siːt/ and recipe /ˈɹɛ.sə.pi/ is stressed on the first syllable – “RE” /ɹɛ/.
Come on, now say it a few times:
receipt /ɹəˈsiːt/
recipe /ˈɹɛ.sə.pi/
receipt /ɹəˈsiːt/
recipe /ˈɹɛ.sə.pi/
receipt /ɹəˈsiːt/
recipe /ˈɹɛ.sə.pi/
Good job! 🙂
Remainder vs. reminder
Ok, let’s move to the next pair of confusing words. And this is: remainder /ɹəˈmeɪn.dɚ/ vs. reminder /ɹəˈmaɪn.dɚ/.
I actually have a personal story with these words that inspired this whole video. When I was in college, one day during my math class the teacher was explaining an equation. One of my classmates, an Arabic speaker, raised his hand and asked a question referring to the remainder in the equation as a “reminder.” This slight mispronunciation made our teacher smile and she told him that he was very funny. But he was confused because he didn’t understand what he had done. By the way, if you are not into math or don’t remember what a remainder is, don’t worry. This is a common word and is not just used in math.
Remainder /ɹəˈmeɪn.dɚ/ is a part of something that’s left over after the rest of the parts have been completed, consumed, or executed. In math it is the number left over after subtraction or integer division, but, as I said before, it’s definitely not limited to math. For example, if you haven’t finished eating your food in the restaurant, you can pack the remainder of it and take it home.
For example, you can say:
I was in such a hurry that I gulped down the remainder of my coffee and left.
Reminder /ɹəˈmaɪn.dɚ/ is a thing that causes you to remember something. For example, you can set up a reminder for the Speaking Club meeting in your calendar 😉. Did I mention that I host free weekly Speaking Club meetings? You can sign up here. And, by the way, speaking of reminders, you can set up one for my YouTube channel so that you won’t miss any of my videos. You can do so by subscribing to the channel and clicking on the bell button 😀.
Back to reminder /ɹəˈmaɪn.dɚ/. Here is an example sentence:
Hey, I’m just sending you a friendly reminder about the meeting today.
Now let’s talk about the pronunciation. The difference between the two words is in the vowel in the second syllable.Remainder /ɹəˈmeɪn.dɚ/ is pronounced with the diphthong /eɪ/ as in main /meɪn/, and reminder /ɹəˈmaɪn.dɚ/ is pronounced with another diphthong: /aɪ/ as in mine /maɪn/. The rest of the vowels in both words are reduced to a schwa /ə/.
Now you try it:
remainder /ɹəˈmeɪn.dɚ/
reminder /ɹəˈmaɪn.dɚ/
remainder /ɹəˈmeɪn.dɚ/
reminder /ɹəˈmaɪn.dɚ/
Good job! 🙂
Edition vs. addition
Ok, let’s move on to the next pair, which is edition /əˈdɪ.ʃən/ and addition /əˈdɪ.ʃən/.
These two words might be confusing because many (if not most) people pronounce them in the same way and the difference is only in the spelling.
Edition /əˈdɪ.ʃən/ with the letter E is a particular version of a published text. For example, you can have a magazine’s newest edition or a book’s second edition. When it comes to a magazine, you can also say that this is its Italian, French, or Russian edition. An example would be:
I love Vogue’s Japanese edition this month. It has great articles and fashion.
Addition /əˈdɪ.ʃən/ with an A in the beginning is something that is added to something else. It is used in math when you add one number to another. It can also be the birth of a new family member, or a pet joining your family. For example, you can say:
This puppy will be a cute addition to our family.
As in the example of effect /əˈfɛkt/ and affect /əˈfɛkt/, the pronunciation of edition /əˈdɪ.ʃən/ and addition /əˈdɪ.ʃən/ is identical. The first vowel in both words is reduced to a schwa /ə/ followed by “DISH” /dɪʃ/ and another schwa /ə/. So, you just need to be careful when you use these words in writing.
Final thoughts
When you see a new word and try to memorize it, I advise you to always look up the pronunciation as well. Learning the correct pronunciation from the get-go will give you clarity and confidence.
Let me know in the comments if you have ever mistaken some of these words. Or maybe you have other words that are confusing to you? Put them in the comments so that others can learn as well. Let’s share our knowledge 🙂.
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