Some English words appear to be similar but they have different meanings. Here is a collection of such words.
Discreet / prudent
To be discreet is to be tactful and sensitive, especially in order to avoid some potential embarrassment. ‘Prudent’ means ‘to be careful about your affairs and also ‘to provide against the future.’ It also means ‘wise.’
Nellie stood back at a discreet distance.
It is prudent to get a virus guard for the computer.
Discriminating / discriminatory
‘Discriminating’ means ‘able to judge what is of good quality and what is not.’ ‘Discriminatory’ means ‘treating a person differently from other people, in an unfair way.’
Discriminating readers know what books they should read.
The company was notorious for its discriminatory hiring practices.
Disinterested / uninterested
‘Disinterested’ means ‘able to judge a situation fairly because you are not concerned with gaining any personal advantage from it.’
A judge should provide disinterested service.
‘Uninterested’ means ‘not interested.’
Most honest people are uninterested in politics.
Disoriented / disorientated
Both words mean ‘confused and not understanding what is happening around you.’
When Pollock attended the first meeting of the club, he was completely disoriented.
Disparate / different
‘Disparate’ means ‘consisting of things or people that are very different and not related to each other.’
I have experienced the difficulties of dealing with disparate groups of people.
‘Different’ means ‘not like something or someone else.’
Your shirt is different to mine.
Disparity / discrepancy
‘Disparity’ means ‘a difference between two or more things.’
There is a disparity between the rates of pay for men and women.
‘Discrepancy’ means ‘a difference between two amounts, details, or reports that should be the same.’
Police found discrepancies in the two suspects’ confessions.
Despatch / dispatch
‘Despatch’ is another spelling of ‘dispatch’ meaning ‘to send someone or something somewhere for a particular purpose.’
A reporter was dispatched to Jaffna to cover the riot.
Dissatisfied / unsatisfied
‘Dissatisfied’ means ‘not satisfied because something is not good as you had expected.’
If you are dissatisfied with the product, please return it.
‘Unsatisfied’ means ‘not pleased because you want something to be better.’
Unsatisfied consumers complained to the manager about the poor quality of bread.
Dissemble / disassemble
‘Dissemble’ means ‘to hide your true feelings or thoughts.’ ‘Disassemble’ is the opposite of ‘assemble.’
His evil intentions were dissembled by a pious demeanour.
The entire machine could be assembled and disassembled in less than a day.
Dissociate / disassociate
‘Dissociate’ means ‘to do or say something to show that you do not agree with the views or actions of someone with whom you had a connection.’ ‘Disassociate’ is another form of ‘dissociate.’
I wish to dissociate myself from Max’s remarks.
Distinct / distinctive
‘Distinct’ means ‘clearly different or belonging to a different type.’
Latin and Tamil are two entirely distinct languages.
‘Distinctive’ means ‘having a special quality, character or appearance that is different and easy to recognize.’
James joined a rock band with a distinctive sound.
Distinguish / differentiate
‘Distinguish’ means ‘to recognise and understand the difference between two or more things or people.
You should be able to distinguish between right and wrong.
‘Differentiate’ means ‘to recognize or express the difference between things or people.’
It is important to differentiate between fact and fiction.