Some English words appear to be similar but they have different meanings. Here is a collection of such words.
Envy / jealousy
Envy is the feeling of wanting something that someone else has.
Sandra felt a twinge of envy when she saw them together.
Jealousy is a feeling of unhappiness because someone has something you want and cannot have.
Sharon has always been jealous of her sister’s long blonde hair.
Envisage / envision
Envisage means to think that something is likely to happen in the future.
The building cost a lot more than we had originally envisaged.
Envision means to imagine something that you think might happen in the future.
I envisioned a future of educational excellence.
Epigram / epitaph
An epigram is a short sentence that expresses an idea in a clever or amusing way.
An epitaph is a short piece of writing on the stone over someone’s grave.
Equable / equitable
Someone who is equable remains calm and happy and does not often get annoyed.
Tom is a young man with a naturally equable temperament.
Equitable means treating all people in a fair and equal way.
There should be an equitable distribution of food supplies.
Erupt / irrupt
To erupt is to burst out violently. To irrupt is to enter forcibly and violently.
Esoteric / exotic
Esoteric means known and understood by only a few people who have special knowledge about something.
What do you know about the esoteric world of scientific supercomputing?
Something that is exotic seems unusual and interesting because it is related to a foreign country.
Especially / specially
Especially means really exceptionally. Specially means out of the ordinary, individual or particular.
The dog was specially chosen for its alertness.
The dog is especially attentive at mealtimes.
Evacuate / vacate
Evacuate means to send people away from a dangerous place to a safe place.
Several families were evacuated from the flood-affected areas.
Vacate is to leave a job or position so that it is available for someone else to do. We were asked to vacate our rooms by 11 a.m.
Evade / avoid
Evade means to avoid talking about something especially because you are trying to hide something.
I felt that he was trying to evade the issue.
Avoid means to prevent something bad happening.
Road safety is taught to drivers to avoid accidents.
Every day / everyday
Every day means each day.
I see her walking down the lane every day.
Everyday means ordinary, usual or happening every day.
Can you describe it in ordinary everyday language?
Everyone / every one
Everyone means everybody.
Send my best wishes to everyone in the family.
Every one means each one.
I wish to thank every one of you.
Evidence / proof
Evidence means facts or signs that show clearly that something exists or is true
At present we have no evidence of life on other planets.
Proof means facts, information or documents that prove something is true.
We need proof of the existence of life on other planets.
Evince / evoke
Evince means to show a feeling or have a quality in a way that people can easily notice.
Thelma evinced no surprise at seeing them together.
Evoke means to produce a strong feeling or memory in someone.
The photographs evoked strong memories of our holiday in India.
Exasperate / aggravate
Exasperate means to make someone very annoyed by continuing to do something that upsets them.
It exasperates me to hear comments like that.
Aggravate means to make a bad situation, illness or injury worse. Building the highway will aggravate the floods.