Allusion vs. reference
Becker Becker

Allusion vs. reference

Allusion means to hint at something without explicitly naming it, while reference means to mention something.

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Allude vs. elude vs. illude
Becker Becker

Allude vs. elude vs. illude

Allude means to hint at something indirectly while elude means to escape or avoid. Illude, on the other hand, means to trick or delude.

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All right vs. alright
Becker Becker

All right vs. alright

While some say that alright is technically incorrect or non-standard, it’s perfectly fine to use alright in your writing, especially if your characters speak informally. If you’re writing a formal document or your characters speak formally, all right is a better option.

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Aid vs. aide
Becker Becker

Aid vs. aide

Aid can be a verb which means to help or a noun which means assistance. Aide, on the other hand, is a noun which refers to a helper or assistant.

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Affect vs. effect
Becker Becker

Affect vs. effect

Affect is a verb meaning to influence or have an affect on something, while effect is a noun meaning a change resulting from an action. While effect can also be a verb, it’s likely the word you’re looking for is affected.

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Adverse vs. averse
Becker Becker

Adverse vs. averse

Adverse means to either prevent progress or be harmful, while averse refers to having a strong dislike or opposition to something. Adverse often refers to things instead of people but averse refers to people.

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Adopted vs. adoptive
Becker Becker

Adopted vs. adoptive

Adopted refers to the process of legally taking and bringing up a child or animal as one’s own. However, adopted can’t be used to refer to the ones doing the adopting. Adoptive should be used instead, which refers to the relationship by adoption.

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Admission vs. admittance
Becker Becker

Admission vs. admittance

Both admission and admittance mean the process of entering or being allowed to enter a place or organisation. Admission is often used figuratively while admittance has a more limited usage referring to physical entry.

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Adequate vs. sufficient vs. enough
Becker Becker

Adequate vs. sufficient vs. enough

Adequate refers to the acceptable quality or quantity of a thing in a particular circumstance, while sufficient means enough to meet a particular need. Enough, the most common for everyday purposes, means as much or many as required.

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