11 Commonly confused words about Material with Sentences

There are a lot of words in English language that sound or look similar but are actually different. These words can be a source of confusion for many.

So, here we get you 11 commonly confused word pairs accompanied by their meanings and example sentences. Read on to find out what each of them means and when should you use them.

1. Led and Lead

Lead - It has several meanings.

i. Lead is a dark lustrous, bluish-white metal resistant to corrosion but tarnishes when exposed to air.

For e.g. Getting exposed to lead particles can cause several ill-effects like kidney damage, rise in blood pressure, etc.

ii. Suppose, you are the senior most employee of the team and you are asked to supervise your subordinates, it means that you are leading them.

For e.g. Rahul was appointed as the captain to lead his Cricket team.

Led - Led is the past tense of "lead".

For e.g. The team-leader led the team with his determination and confidence.

2. Metal and Mettle

Metal - It refers to a solid material which has shiny surface and is a good conductor of heat and electricity.

For e.g. Metals like gold and silver are used to make ornaments.

If somebody asks you that he/she wants to test your mettle, they want to see your courage or spirit to follow your heart when something is difficult to do.

For e.g. Neerja Bhanot showed her mettle when the flight was hi-jacked by the terrorists.

3. Measure and Major

Measure - You might have observed a mason or a carpenter using a tape for taking the dimension of a material. He is said to be measuring that material.

For e.g. Architect had an accurate note of measurement of all dimensions of an auditorium to be constructed.

Major - Any work to which you give priority above all, is the major thing to be done.

For e.g. The major reason which has been cited for global warming is the heedless attitude towards the nature.

4. Amount, Number and Quantity

Amount - When we  say, "give me some sugar" or "fetch me a glass of water", we specify the amount of that particular thing. Amount is used with the nouns which cannot be measured.

For e.g. As the amount of time to complete the project is very less, the employees have to work overtime.

Number - It refers to arithmetical figure (or count) that precedes a plural noun which is countable. It is used while referring to both living and lifeless things.

For e.g. The organization has decided to increase the number of salesmen to penetrate the market better.

Quantity - It is most commonly used with the adjectives like large, small, huge etc. It is followed by singular or plural countable nouns.

For e.g. The quantity of manufactured commodities is insufficient to meet our current requirements.

5. Weigh and Way

The words weigh and way are homophones. They sound similar but have different meanings.

When you measure something to determine its weight, it is known as weighing.

For e.g. The worker weighed the raw material to check the approximate amount necessary for manufacturing.

i. Way is a manner that depicts your direction of thinking.

For e.g. On hearing the review of her performance, she reacted in a weird way.

ii. Way can be defined as the route or path you choose to travel from one place to another.

For e.g. When I was on the way to home, it started raining.
6. Wet and WhetWhen you put or soak something in water for some time, it absorbs water and becomes wet.

For e.g. Don't try to handle electric equipment with your wet hands.

Whet refers to increase someone's interest or desire for something especially by giving them a small experience of it.

For e.g. The strong aroma of the food whet my appetite.

7. Hoard and Horde

Hoard - The word hoard means a stock of valued things or money that are secretly guarded.

For e.g. i. The secret godown has hoards of antique pieces of art from all over the world.

ii. Hoarding of onions is the prime reason for its shooting prices.

Horde - The word horde is a noun, which means "crowd" or "mob".

For e.g. The pedestrian found difficulty in crossing the road with the horde of bicycle riders.

8. Steel, Steal and Still

Steel is a strong and malleable metal made up of iron and carbon, generally used in construction.

For e.g. The mason used steel frames to construct the pillars of the building.

Steal - When someone takes your stuffs, secretly or without your permission, it is known as stealing of your belongings.

For e.g. James was fired from his job for stealing money from cash at hand.

Still - (Adverb) When you continue the work which you are doing for sometime.

For e.g. She is still trying to figure out the right way to do this.

9. Canvas and Canvass

The word canvas and canvass sounds identical but their meanings are different.

Canvas is a noun which means strong cloth made of yarn used as a surface of oil paintings.

For e.g. The canvas painting displayed at the exhibition represented the condition of poverty and illiteracy of the society.

Canvass is a verb which means solicit votes from electors.

For e.g. The candidates are out canvassing from the people of the society for election.

10. Pair and Pare

The noun pair refers to the couple or set of things that are of two kinds, such as, a pair of shoes or a pair of gloves.

For e.g. Yesterday, she bought a beautiful dress and a pair of shoes that complemented it.

When you remove the skin or external cover of something, it is known as paring.

For e.g. She was busy paring fruits in the kitchen.

11. Minor and Miner

Minor is an entity that is lesser in importance or status.

For e.g. In India, a teenager turns to major from minor after 18 years.

A persons who works in mines, is known as miner.

For e.g. The rescue team helped all the miners come out of the trap.