From audism (the belief that people who can hear are superior to the deaf) to zoonosology (the study of animal diseases), there are no shortage of words in the English language to express ourselves or describe the things around us. However, certain words are inconspicuously alike – be it in their pronunciation, spelling and/or meaning. These sorts of mix-ups can happen regularly, but they become significantly more embarrassing when misused in a business or professional setting! Join Wordsmith as we explore some common mistakes in usage.

Affect vs Effect
Let’s say we want to write an email to upper management and inform them that the new promotional marketing is doing little for our winter sales. Do we say the marketing does not affect or effect sales?

· Affect: [verb 1] have an effect on or make a difference to something
[verb 2] touch the feelings of or move emotionally

· Effect: [noun 1] a change which is a result or consequence of an action or cause
[verb 1] to cause or bring about something to happen

Although both words can be used as verbs with the same intent, their usage conditions are not quite the same. Regarding the example above, affect is the correct option – as affect means “having an effect or influence”. According to Merriam-Webster, effect is a verb that “goes beyond mere influence; it refers to actual achievement of a final result.” For example, a lawyer can effect a will because he/she takes actions to carry out the will’s requests – on the other hand, the only way a lawyer can affect a will is if he/she persuades the owner to make changes.

Empathy vs Sympathy
When our co-worker stumbles and spills coffee over their new outfit, do we empathise or sympathise with them?

· Empathy: [noun 1] the ability to understand and share the feelings of another

· Sympathy: [noun 1] feeling of pity and sorrow for someone else’s misfortune
[noun 2] understanding between people; common feeling

If you have also spilled a hot drink on yourself before and understand the frustration and annoyance of a disastrous spill, then you are empathetic towards the co-worker. Conversely, if you were lucky enough to have avoided a beverage-based mishap all your life but want to show compassion, then you are sympathetic. Remember, sympathy is applicable only towards misfortunes you haven’t personally experienced, whereas empathy can be used across circumstances both good and bad (provided you’ve experienced them before and/or can imagine yourself in their shoes).

Discrimination vs Prejudice
If a co-worker of equal skill and title receives lower wages because of ethnic differences, is our colleague facing discrimination or prejudice?

· Discrimination: [noun 1] the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people (ie. on race, age or sex)
[noun 2] recognition and understanding of the difference between one thing and another

· Prejudice: [noun 1] preconceived opinion (usually negative) that is not based on reason or experience
[verb1] to make biased

In this scenario, the correct usage is pretty straightforward. Although being prejudiced means that you hold irrational beliefs towards a person or group, it is important to stress that these are simply beliefs – it does not necessarily result in unjust acts being committed against the prejudiced party (ie. the boss is biased against certain ethnicities, but still pays everyone equally). Discrimination only takes place when a prejudice motivates an alteration in behaviour (ie. paying someone less because of their gender).

Compose vs Comprise
Is the house composed or comprised of bricks and mortar?

· Compose: [verb 1] to write or create (ie. art, music, poetry etc)
[verb 2] constitute or make up a whole or part of something

· Comprise: [verb 1] consist of; be made up (composed) of

This one is a little trickier, as both definitions appear nearly identical (it doesn’t help that they have similar spellings as well). According to Grammarly, “if you want to be completely sure that you’re using the verb comprise in a way that everyone will deem correct, use it to describe how a whole contains parts. To say it the other way around, how parts come together to create a whole, use the verb compose.”

With this in mind: the house comprises bricks and mortar – or – the house is composed of bricks and mortar. Remember, comprise already means “composed of”, so writing “comprised of” is redundant. You are essentially saying “the house is composed of of bricks”!

Advice vs Advise
When we seek out someone for help, are we asking for advice or advise?

· Advice: [noun 1] guidance or recommendations offered with regards to future action
[noun 2] a formal notice of a financial transaction

· Advise: [verb 1] offer suggestions about the best course of action to someone

By changing one letter, advice (or advise) switches between being a noun or a verb. A good rule of thumb to differentiate between the two is: when we want to receive help– we want advice or to be advised. If we want to help – we advise or offer advice. Alternatively, if you’re writing on Microsoft Word, it’s one of the rare instances where improper term usage will be flagged by AutoCorrect.

We hope you find these handy tips useful! Stay tuned for more, and you’ll have a firm grasp of tricky vocabulary and their doppelgängers in no time.

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