Sometimes, you get something totally wrong stuck in your head, and next thing you know you’ve gone years thinking that wrong thing was correct. Don’t worry, though, it happens to the best of us.
There are so many things that oftentimes get confused with other things. Like these things in this list. Don’t know the difference? Well, we’ll walk you though it.
Knitting
A lot of the time, you’ll see a hand-crafted clothing item, or a blanket, or even a dishcloth and assume that it’s been knitted. And a lot of the times you’ll be right. Or, you could be confusing it with…
Crochet
Though both are the process of weaving yarn to create fabric, they’re very different. Knitting uses two (or more) needles, while crochet uses a hook. They both have very different techniques and create different results.
And any fiber artist will get pretty annoyed if you don’t know the difference.
Eau de Toilette
As someone who doesn’t use a lot of scented items, I’ll admit I didn’t really know the difference between eau de toilette and that other kind of eau de-scent. But apparently eau de toilette has a lower concentration of oils versus…
Eau de Parfum
Essentially, this means that eau de toilette is not as strong as eau de parfum, which is the more concentrated kind of fragrance. I’m sure someone out there is shaking their head at me for not knowing.
Poisonous
This word gets used incorrectly all the time (and also correctly, though mostly by accident). But something that is poisonous emits toxins as a defense mechanism. If you’re thinking of an animal that actively injects toxins into prey, you’re actually supposed to use the word…
Venomous
Think about it this way. A frog might be poisonous because it wants to keep predators away from it. But a snake might be venomous because it’s trying to use its toxin glands to slow, stun, or kill its own prey.
Nauseous
Like poisonous/venomous, nauseous gets used in place of a different word a lot. The word nauseous means something that gives the feeling of nausea, like a really bad smell, or some kind of toxin. And once you experience that nauseous thing, it’ll leave you feeling…
Nauseated
This is the actual act of feeling sick due to something nauseous in the air. It’s how you feel when you’re about to throw up. Of course, even if you get the two mixed up, most people will get what you mean.
Sports Jacket
I’m sure there’s someone out there who will be very insistent about the fact that not all semi-casual jackets are sports jackets. A sport jacket is supposed to look fairly casual, especially in comparison to something like a…
Blazer
A blazer, on the other hand is a lot more formal, but can totally be dressed down for a business causal, or even just a full on casual look. It’s like the step in between suit and, well, sports jacket.
Compliment
This one is more of an example of how sneaky the English language can be. As you probably know, a compliment is when you say something nice to or about another person, or a place, or a thing. There’s another word that often gets confused with it, though, and that’s…
Complement
That single letter makes as much difference as macaroon versus macaron (though compliment and complement have the same number of letters). Complement is used when something goes with something else, like if you like the way a coffee table matches a set of curtains. It’s like they complete one another.
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Jam
Jam is a topping I’m sure we’re all familiar with. It’s often sweet, usually made with some kind of berry (though plenty of fruit jams exist, too). It also has chunks of fruit or berry throughout. It’s quite different from…
Jelly
How are jelly and jam different, you might ask? Well, if jam has bits of fruit in it, jelly does not. Jelly is generally made from preserved fruit juice, while jam is made from the whole fruit, juice and flesh included.
Cold Brew
A cold brew is a true labor of love. It involves letting coffee beans steep in cold water over the span of several hours (like, overnight), so that the coffee can be extracted. No heat needed. Unlike…
Iced Coffee
You make an iced coffee the way you’d make a regular coffee. You combine beans and hot water. Then you put it over ice, and it becomes iced coffee. And trust me, there are coffee aficionados who will get annoyed if you don’t know this.
Virtual Reality
VR has really picked up over the last decade or so. Even if you’ve never tried it, you know what it is. Usually, a virtual reality system comes with some kind of headset that lets you feel immersed in the program. And it’s quite different from, say…
Augmented Reality
Yes, yes, they’re both some kind of “reality” thing. But the biggest difference is that AR typically just uses the camera on your phone, for example, to add virtual images into the real world. Kind of like Pokémon Go.
Macaroon
A lot of people out there picture those pretty little French cookies when they say the word “macaroon.” But a macaroon is actually a coconut confectionary. While still tasty, macaroons are very different from that other thing, which is called a…
Macaron
Yes, that O makes all the difference. And no, macaroon and macaron are not pronounced the same way. They’re two different words for two different desserts.
And in case you were wondering, the little frilly edges on the sides of macarons are called “feet.”
