Accepted – to be received
Excepted – to be excluded

Adapt – to adjust
Adopt – to assume as your own

Adapter – a person who adapts something for use in another form
Adaptor – a device for making appliances work

Adverse – hostile
Averse – reluctant

Affect – v = to change, n (psychology) = affectation
Effect – n = result, v = to bring about

Alibi – somewhere else when the crime was committed
Excuse – removal of blame

Allude – to touch on indirectly
Refer – to mention distinctly

Alternatives – when there are just two choices
Choices – when there are more than two alternatives

Ambiguous – vague
Equivocal – dubious or suspicious

Among – when speaking of more than two things or people
Between – when speaking of just two things or people

Annex – verb
Annexe – noun

Ante- – before
Anti- – against

Anticipate – to act in preparation for something
Expect – to think something may happen

Anxious – uneasy
Eager – keen

Apiary – shed containing beehives
Aviary – bird house

Appraise – to evaluate
Apprise – to inform

Apt – suited, pertinent, inclined, disposed, prompt to learn
Liable – responsible for circumstances,
Likely – probable

Arbitrate – to judge
Mediate – to negotiate

Arcane – hidden, secret
Archaic – old fashioned

Ascetic – austere
Acetic – sharp, sour

Auger – a drilling tool
Augur – to foretell

Avoider – an exploiter of loopholes
Evader – an ignorer of rules

Bail – to scoop water, a prisoner’s bond, pieces atop cricket stumps
Bale – a bundle, to jump from a plane

Bait – fish food
Bate – to restrain

Baton – truncheon, wand
Batten – light strip of wood

Bazaar – market
Bizarre – eccentric

Benzene – hydrocarbon used as a solvent for resins and fats
Benzine – hydrocarbon used as a solvent in cleaning

Beside – at the side of
Besides – additionally

Bevvy – alcoholic drink
Bevy – group of maidens

Biannual – half-yearly
Biennial – two-yearly

Boar – male pig
Boer – South African of Dutch decent
Boor – rude person
Bore – v = to pierce, n = dull, tiresome

Boche – World War I nickname for the Germans
Bosch – German firm making domestic appliances

Boil – change from liquid to gas
Broil – to grill or barbecue

Breach – to break
Breech – to put a boy in trousers

Bridal – pertaining to a bride
Bridle – part of a horse harness

Bogey – one stroke over par in golf, solidified mucus
Bogie – wheeled section of a railway carriage, swimming hole
Bogy – evil spirit

Bon vivant – someone who enjoys good food
Bon viveur – someone who lives well

Bur – seed vessel
Burr – rough edge

Caddie – golfer’s assistant
Caddy – tea container

Canvas – fabric
Canvass – to solicit

Carat – unit of measurement
Caret – insertion mark (^)

Career – to gallop at full speed
Careen – to sway dangerously, to scrape off barnacles

Carousal – a drinking-fest
Carousel – a roundabout

Cast – actors in a play
Caste – cultural or religious division

Caster – roller, sugar
Castor – oil

Causal – relating to a cause
Casual – by chance

Celibate – unmarried
Chaste – not having had sexual intercourse

Celebrant – a person who presides over a religious rite
Celebrator – a person involved in revelry

Censer – vessel for burning incense
Censor – faultfinder, guardian of morality
Sensor – device capable of giving a signal
Censure – hostile criticism

Centrifugal – force that pulls away from
Centripetal – force that pulls towards

Charted – appearing on a chart
Chartered – hired

Chafe – to make sore by rubbing
Chaff – to tease good-naturedly, husks of grain

Chord – string of an instrument, group of notes, emotion, geometric term
Cord – length of rope, stack of wood

Chronic – long-lasting
Acute – sharp

Cleave (together) – to stick fast
Cleave (apart) – to cut asunder

Clew – corner of a sail
Clue – thread

Climatic – of weather
Climactic – culminating

Clod – lump of soil or clay
Clot – lump of coagulated liquid

Coherent – ideas that hold together
Cohesive – material that sticks together

Cohort – group of people
Henchman – trusty follower

Comic – intended to be funny
Comical – funny whether intended or not

Compel – to coerce
Impel – to encourage

Complement – to make whole
Compliment – to praise

Compulsive – pleasurably compelling
Compulsory – forced, obligatory

Comprise – to include
Compose – to make up

Confidant – person to whom secrets are confided
Confident – sure, bold

Contemptible – deserving contempt
Contemptuous – bestowing contempt

Contiguous – touching
Continual – repeatedly but not constantly
Continuous – unbroken sequence

Corset – women’s undergarment
Corsage – small bouquet of flowers

Coruscate – to sparkle or gleam
Excoriate – to criticise savagely

Council – governing body
Counsel – adviser, barrister

Coup – violent change of government
Coupe – enclosed car with one set of seats
Coophen house

Courtesy – politeness
Curtsy – bow in respect

Cozen – to cheat
Cosset – to pamper

Credible – believable
Credulous – too ready to believe others

Crescendo – rising volume
Climax – the highest point

Curb – to restrict
Kerb – a pavement

Cygnet – small swan
Signet – ring, small seal

Decimate – to kill one in 10
Destroy – to devastate

Defective – not working properly
Deficient – missing a part

Definite – unmistakable
Definitive – conclusive

Defuse – to make less harmful
Diffuse – to scatter

Dependant – noun
Dependent – adjective

Deprecate – to express disapproval
Depreciate – to devalue

Derisive – conveying ridicule
Derisory – inviting ridicule

Diagnosis – identification of a problem
Prognosis – projected outcome

Die – small gaming cube
Dice – plural of die

Dilemma – a choice of two unfavourable actions
Problem – a matter involving difficulty

Direct – by the shortest route
Directly – at once

Disassemble – to take apart
Dissemble – to conceal

Discomfit – to defeat
Discomfort – to make uneasy

Disclosure – exposure or revelation
Disclaimer – disavowal of legal claim

Discrete – separate, distinct
Discreet – tactful, prudent

Disinterested – impartial
Uninterested – not interested

Doner – kebab
Donor – person who gives

Douse – to drench
Dowse – to search for water

Draftsman – a person who drafts documents
Draughtsman – a person who makes drawings

Dual – twofold
Duel – fight between two

Dyeing – colouring
Dying – approaching death

Each other – implies only two
One another – implies more than two

Effete – exhausted or worn out
Effeminate – soft or delicate

Elemental – basic or uncompounded
Elementary – rudimentary or introductory

Elicit – to draw out
Extract – to draw out by force
Extort – to draw out by violence

Emigrant – leaves a country
Immigrant – enters a country

Enervate – to weaken
Energise – to invigorate

Ensure – to bring about
Insure – to take out insurance
Assure – to give confidence

Entomb – in a tomb (dead)
Entrap – in a trap (alive)

Envelop – verb
Envelope – noun
Equable – uniformly tranquil
Equitable – just, fair

Essay – short literary composition
Assay – to test by chemical methods

Evoke – to call forth
Invoke – to call upon

Exotic – foreign
Colourful – full of colour

Explicit – expressed
Implicit – understood

Faint – lacking brightness ore strength
Feint – to pretend

Fazed – to be disturbed
Phased – to pass through stages

Ferment – to convert sugars into alcohol
Foment – to foster rebellion

Flair – aptitude
Flare – to flame up or outwards

Flaunt – to display ostentatiously
Flout – to mock or treat with contempt

Floe – piece of floating ice
Flow – to glide long

Florescent – in flower
Fluorescent – Radiating light

Flotsam – floated away
Jetsam – jettisoned

Flounder – to flail helplessly
Founder – to sink

Flu – short for influenza
Flue – smoke duct of a chimney

Forbear – to avoid
Forebear – ancestor

Forego – to go before
Forgo – to give up or relinquish

Forever – continually
For ever – for all time

Fortuitous – by chance
Fortunate – having good fortune

Fulsome – excessive
Full – complete

Fungous – adjective
Fungus – noun

Further – additional
Farther – greater distance

Geezer – an old man
Geyser – a thermal spring

Gofer – errand runner
Gopher – burrowing rodent

Gourmand – a glutton
Gourmet – a lover of food

Gregarious – fond of company
Egregious – extraordinarily bad

Grill – method of cooking, to cross-examine
Grille – grating, screen

Grisly – gruesome
Gristly – full of gristle
Grizzly – grey-haired

Guerrilla – fighter
Gorilla – ape

Hail – a greeting, balls of ice
Hale – robust, to haul with force

Hangar – shed for aeroplanes
Hanger – shaped support for a garment

Hanged – done to people
Hung – done to paintings

Heal – to restore to health
Heel – back part of foot

Historic – making history
Historical – concerned with history

Hoard – hidden valuables
Horde – disorganised crowd

Homogeneous – having common ancestry
Homogenous – uniform consistency

Humerus – bone between the shoulder and the elbow
Humorous – funny

Hyper- – over
Hypo- – below

Illicit – unlicensed, unlawful
Elicit – to draw out

Illusion – distortion of the senses
Delusion – fixed belief that results from deception or is held despite evidence to the contrary

Imaginary – existing only in the imagination
Imaginative – given to imagining

Immanent – remaining within
Imminent – impending
Eminent – outstanding

Immured – walled in
Inured – accustomed

Impeccable – faultless
Implacable – irreconcilable

Imply – To suggest
Infer – To deduce

Impracticable – cannot be put into practice with the available means
Impractical – able to be done but not worth doing

Indefensible – unjustifiable
Undefendable – incapable of being defended

Indigent – destitute
Indolent – lazy

Inequity – unfairness
Iniquity – sin

Infect – to affect with disease
Infest – to haunt or overrun

Inflammable – flammable
Inflammatory – kindling passion or anger

Ingenious – clever
Ingenuous – innocent, simple

Insidious – stealthily treacherous
Invidious – offensive

Instigate – to incite, to spur on
Initiate – to originate

Intense – extreme
Intensive – with concentrated focus

Intestate – without a will
Interstate – across state borders

Into – movement towards
In to – two words when ‘in’ is an adverb

Invaluable – too valuable to price
Valueless – worthless

Inveigh – to attack vehemently
Inveigle – to entice

Involve – to entangle
Included – to contain

Its – possessive of ‘it’
It’s – contraction of ‘it is’

Judicious – wise
Judicial – connected to the law

Languid – drooping, indifferent
Limpid – transparent

Lama – Tibetan priest
Llama – South American ruminant

Large – more than common
Largely – abundantly

Later – more late
Latter – the second mentioned of two things

Laud – to praise
Lord – master or ruler

Lava – molten rock
Larva – insect’s young

Lay – to place in position
Lie – to recline, a false statement

Lead – to show the way, the bluish-grey metal
Led – past tense of the verb

Learn – to gain knowledge
Teach – to impart knowledge

Less – compares quantities (eg, less traffic)
Fewer – compares numbers (eg, fewer cars)

Libel – written defamation
Slander – spoken defamation

Licence – noun
License – verb

Lightening – making lighter
Lightning – atmospheric electricity

Linage – lines per page
Lineage – descent from an ancestor

Literally – exact to the letter
Metaphorically – figurative, not literal

Livid – bluish appearance due to congestion of blood vessels
Angry – wrathful

Lloyd’s – underwriters
Lloyds – bankers

Loan – noun
Lend – verb

Loath – reluctant
Loathe – to despise

Lord’s – the London cricket ground
Lords – Britain’s House of Lords
Lourdes – French pilgrimage destination

Lumbar – pertaining to the loin
Lumber – to move clumsily

Luxuriant – abundant
Luxurious – full of luxury

Maleficence – tendency to cause harm
Malfeasance – legal wrongdoing

Masterful – able to control
Masterly – done expertly

Maize – corn
Maze – labyrinth

Metal – chemical elements
Mettle – spirit, courage

Mete – to allot
Meet – to come into contact

Meter – devise that measures
Metre – a measurement

Mitigate – to soften
Militate – to make war

Moot – debateable
Mute – to silence

Moreish – tasty
Moorish – from north-western Africa

Muscle – brawn
Mussel – bivalve mollusc

Naught – nothing
Nought – the number zero

Naval – connected with a navy
Navel – the umbilicus, the centre of something

Newsagency – shop
News agency – press service

No-one – nobody
No onenot one

Oblivious – forgetful
Ignorant – uninformed

Obsolete – no longer in use
Obsolescent – becoming obsolete

Oral – spoken
Verbal – concerned with words written or spoken

Ordinance – a decree or command
Ordnance – military weapons

Paean – song of praise
Peon – peasant

Pail – bucket
Pale – lacking colour

Palate – roof of the mouth
Palette – colour-mixing board
Pallet – wooden freight platform

Parlay – to use to make money
Parley – a discussion

Peaceful – tranquil
Peaceable – disposed to peace

Pedal – lever worked by the foot
Peddle – to hawk in small quantities

Penal – pertaining to punishment
Penile – pertaining to the penis

Peninsula – noun (US)
Peninsular – adjective

Percentage – proportion per hundred
Percentage point – unit for the arithmetic difference of two percentages

Perchance – possibly
Perforce – without choice

Perpetrate – to commit
Perpetuate – to prolong

Paw – animal’s foot
Pore – opening, to study closely
Pour – to cause to flow

Plain – clear, distinct

Plane – level surface, aeroplane, woodworking tool

Practicable – feasible with the available means
Practical – workable, as opposed to theoretical

Practice – noun
Practise – verb

Pray – to make earnest petition
Prey – animal hunted for food

Prescribe – to lay down in writing
Proscribe – to denounce or condemn

Presumptive – giving grounds to presume
Presumptuous – impertinently bold

Prevaricate – to act or speak evasively
Procrastinate – to defer action

Principal – first in rank or importance
Principle – a general truth

Prise – to open
Prize – a reward

Prostate – gland near a man’s bladder
Prostrate – lying flat

Protagonist – a leading character
Antagonist – an active opponent

Quota – allotted number
Average – typical amount

Rain – precipitation
Reign – to exercise sovereign power
Rein – part of a harness

Raise – to lift
Raze – to demolish

Racket – a din
Racquet – tennis equipment

Rapt – engrossed, enraptured
Wrapped – enclosed, enveloped

Rate – to estimate
Berate – to scold

Re-enforce – to enforce again
Reinforce – to strengthen

Refute – to prove otherwise
Deny – to challenge a claim

Reliant – showing dependence
Reliable – being dependable

Regalia – royal insignia
Insignia – marks of office

Repel – to cause distaste
Repulse – to drive back

Replete – full
Complete – whole

Replica – an exact copy
Reproduction – a close imitation

Resign – to quit
Re-sign – to sign again

Restful – quiet
Restive – stubborn, disobedient

Role – part in a play
Roll – to move on wheels

Saccharin – sweetening agent
Saccharine – sugary

Segue – smooth transition
Segway – two-wheeled, self-balancing electric vehicle

Sceptre – staff or rod
Spectre – ghost

Scull – type of oar
Skol – drink in one go
Skull – bony framework of the head

Sensual – lewd, unchaste
Sensuous – alive to sensation

Set – to place, to wane
Sit – to be seated

Sew – to attach by a thread
Sow – to scatter seeds

Sewage – waste
Sewerage – drain system

Sexton – church officer
Sextant – navigation instrument

Silicon – sand
Silicone – synthetic rubber

Snooty – haughty
Snotty – dirty

Sod – disagreeable person, piece of grassland
Sot – drunkard

Spacious – roomy
Specious – plausible

Stalactite – points down
Stalagmite – points up

Stationary – stopped
Stationery – writing materials

Story – a tale
Storey – a floor

Straighten – to make straight
Straiten – to constrict

Substantial – having substance
Substantive – self-sufficient

Swat – to strike
Swot – to study

Synthetic – man-made
False – wrong

Temerity – willingness to shock or upset
Timidity – shy, easily frightened

Testament – disposition to take effect upon death
Testimony – evidence

Their – possessive form of ‘they’
There – at that place
They’re – contraction of ‘they are’

Throe – violent spasm
Throw – toss

Timber – wood
Timbre – tone

Titivate – to spruce
Titillate – to excite

Toeing – to touch with the toes
Towing – to drag or pull

Tortuous – full of twists and turns
Torturous – painful

Transpire – to emit through the surface
Happen – to take place

Trooper – soldier
Trouper – actor

Unexceptionable – beyond criticism
Unexceptional – ordinary

Urbane – suave
Urban – of the city

Venal – corruptible
Venial – excusable

Viable – capable of independent life
Feasible – practicable

Viscous – sticky, glutinous
Viscose – form of cellulose

Virtually – in essence
Nearly all – almost 100%

Visit – to go to a place (by a person)
Visitation – to go to a place (by a ghost), divine punishment

Waiver – relinquishment of a right or claim
Waver – to hesitate

While – at the same time
And – with

Whiskey – Irish and American
Whisky – Scotch

Yoke – harness
Yolk – egg

Sources – The Macquarie Concise Dictionary, Cambridge Dictionaries Online, Newsman’s English by Harold Evans, Contradictionary by Fritz Spiegl, Troublesome Words by Bill Bryson, Wikipedia, News Limited style book, English Made Simple by Arthur Waldhorn and Arthur Zeiger