Ask a linguist what they think about English and you’ll be surprised to learn that it’s one of the messier languages in the world. Many of the words used in English aren’t even from England, but are instead cobbled together like Frankenstein’s monster from the vocabulary of other European countries. Then there are also “English” words that are shamelessly stolen from other languages, like foie gras or teriyaki.

The average adult has a vocabulary of about 20,000-35,000 words, which means we should have a decent grasp of these everyday words… right? Far from it, because we often get lost when deciding what word to use next – caught between using one that’s boringly appropriate or one that’s outlandishly flamboyant (and possibly completely wrong). From words with near identical spelling (but completely different meanings) to phonetically indistinguishable homonyms, join Wordsmith as we explore the world of frequently misused diction.

Premier vs Premiere
The outbreak of the Wuhan coronavirus has created shortages of a number of everyday goods like surgical face masks. Masks like the N95 models are often worn by front-line medical staff and boast enhanced filtration capacities, hence their higher cost and greater demand for them. Given their status, do we say that these masks are the premier or premiere products at filtering out harmful particulates?

· Premier: [adjective 1] first in position, rank or importance

[noun 1] a prime minister or head of government

· Premiere: [noun 1] the first performance of a musical or theatrical work or first showing of a film
[verb 1] to give the first performance

Both premier and premiere signify the first of something, but the former is applicable to any object or person, and signifies how people perceives its status – whereas the latter exclusively signifies the first showing of a production. In our example, we’re saying N95 masks are the go-to product for particle filtration, so premier would be the correct term.

Coercion vs Persuasion
Let’s say we were just a couple days shy of turning 18 and decided to test our luck at the local bar. The bartender looks suspiciously at our young faces and asks for identification, and being sassy adolescents, we refuse. The bartender notes that our refusal would warrant the denial of alcoholic beverages. With a beer on the line, are we being coerced or persuaded to show our ID?

· Coercion: [noun 1] the action or practice of persuading someone to do something by force or threats

· Persuasion: [noun 1] the action or process of convincing someone to believe or do something

The main difference between coercion and persuasion is the involvement of a threat and whether or not person was truly swayed. When we persuade someone, we convince them that our way of thinking is correct. When we coerce someone, the person only does what we want them to because of the threat (even though they may still believe it to be wrong). In our under-aged drinking example, the bartender is persuading us to provide identification, as asking for our IDs is within his legal rights as a provider of alcohol. Alternatively, if he pulled a gun on us (like the hot-headed bartender Moe from The Simpsons), then that would definitely qualify as coercion.

Invoke vs Evoke

Robert Frost’s poetry is renowned for its ability to paint vivid scenarios (albeit depressing at times). When literature stimulates our imaginations to create scenes of nature, is it invoking or evoking imagery?

·      Invoke: [verb 1] to petition for help or support; appeal to or cite as authority
                    [verb 2] to call forth by incantation
                    [verb 3] to bring about or cause

· Evoke: [verb 1] to call forth or up; conjure
[verb 2] to re-create imaginatively

This one is more challenging, as both carry the same definition. However, according to Merriam-Webster, invoke is primarily used to mean “calling upon” a law or authority (e.g. invoking the Fifth Amendment by refusing to talk), whereas to evoke is to “call forth” emotions, memories, sympathies and associations (e.g. the lyrics evoked feelings of melancholy and despair). Using either is acceptable in our example, but since poetry calls forth imagery of nature, evoke would be the more suitable option.

Ascent vs Assent
If you worked at a law firm and climbed your way up from junior associate to partner, was your move an ascent or assent up the corporate ladder?

· Ascent: [noun 1] the act of rising or mounting upward; climbing
[noun 2] an advance in social status or reputation

· Assent: [verb 1] to agree or to approve of something
[noun 1] an act of agreeing to something, especially after consideration

This pair of words is pronounced exactly the same, but mean completely different things. When you move up the corporate hierarchy (or climb anything for that matter), you are ascending because you are moving upwards. To assent means to agree, which means that the other partners (or the majority) must have assented to you moving up!

Assault vs Battery
If a hoodlum attempts to mug you and inflict bodily harm upon you, the police can arrest him/her for assault charges. However, the dictionary and tort law have very different definitions for what is actually classified as assault.

· Assault: (dictionary) [verb 1] to make a physical attack on

[noun 1] a physical attack

[noun 2] a concerted effort to reach a goal

(law) [noun 1] a threat or attempt to inflict offensive physical contact or bodily harm on a person that puts them in immediate danger or in apprehension of such harm or contact

· Battery: (dictionary) [noun 1] the act of beating someone or something with successive blows

[noun 2] a group of artillery pieces

[noun 3] a cell that furnishes electric current

(law) [noun 1] an offensive touching or use of force on a person without their consent

By law, assault occurs when you are threatened by someone who has the means of carrying through with their threats (e.g. holding up a fist after threatening to hit you if you don’t give up your wallet). If they do hit you, the physical contact is deemed battery (provided that you didn’t consent to it of course). While most writers and news channels would still identify the act of hitting someone as assault, you can use the correct legal terms to show that you know a bit about tort law.

A vocabulary of 20,000 words may not seem like much when the active dictionary contains over 170,000 entries, but your mastery of some of the trickier words in the English language will have you standing head and shoulders above the everyday desk jockey. Stay tuned for the next list of words!

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