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False Friends and Confusables

Actually, sensible, affect/effect, raise/rise.

Pairs that are easily confused · FCE accuracy
B2 Vocabulary

What are false friends?

False friends are words that look similar to a word in another language but have a different meaning in English. These are common sources of error.
actually
in fact — NOT currently or at the moment
sensible
having good judgement — NOT sensitive (emotionally)
embarrassed
feeling ashamed — NOT pregnant
library
a place to borrow books — NOT a bookshop
eventually
in the end — NOT possibly or perhaps

Confusable pairs

These pairs look or sound similar in English and are confused by many learners.
affect vs effect
affect = verb · effect = noun (generally)
principal vs principle
principal = main / head · principle = rule/belief
economic vs economical
economic = relating to the economy · economical = not wasteful
historic vs historical
historic = important in history · historical = about history
raise vs rise
raise = lift (transitive) · rise = go up (intransitive)

More confusables

prevent vs avoid
prevent = stop something from happening · avoid = stay away from
discover vs invent
discover = find something already existing · invent = create something new
deny vs refuse
deny = say it is not true · refuse = decline to do something
remember vs remind
remember = recall yourself · remind = cause someone else to remember

Summary

False friends
actually · sensible · embarrassed · library · eventually
Confusable pairs
affect/effect · economic/economical · raise/rise · deny/refuse · remember/remind
Strategy
Learn each word in context with a clear example sentence
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