What Microsoft calls most commonly confused English words

Question

Recently and belatedly, I came across this article about what they call the 10 most commonly confused words in English. I happened to find the lead sentence interesting.

Here is the link: https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/the-10-most-commonly-confused-words-in-the-english-language-according-to-microsoft-a3490606.html

I gave it a try and ended up finding three mistakes in the sentence in question. Microsoft's data was a great help, but I can't find the last one. It's a little frustrating not to find it after all the clues given. Can you find it? If you did, what is it?

The following is the statement in question. The writer says there are four mistakes:

There's nothing more embarrassing than having someone point out a writing mistake and realizing you've been making it everyday. I mean, it's probably effected your professional relationships for awhile. So take my advise — have someone proofread your report before you submit it to your boss.*

Also, I did research and was wondering why English speakers would rather choose to say "commonly confused words" than "commonly confusing words" when, in fact, people are confused, not words. That means words make people confused, words are confusing (to people). I know this is a tricky one and I'd appreciate any help. The word "commonly" can modify both "confusing" and "confused" because it's an adverb.

Answer 1

The four mistakes are among the ten listed at the bottom of the article:

• everyday should be every day
• effected should be affected
• awhile should be a while
• advise should be advice

We say the words/phrases are confused because people confuse them, that is, they use one where they should use the other.

The errors in themselves do not cause much confusion in the listener, so they are not confusing anyone.

Answer 2

Both uses are correct, they just mean different things.

Part of the problem is that you are mixing up different senses of the word.

---

— These words are confusing. —

This means that the words cause confusion in people who read them.

From the Merriam-Webster definition of the verb confuse:

3 a : to make indistinct : BLUR
// Stop confusing the issue.

In this case, confusing is acting as an adjective, assigning the quality of something that causes confusion to the noun.

In the same way, you could say this:

This food is nausea-inducing.
This exercise is fatiguing.

In this particular usage, the people are confused in the following Merriam-Webster sense:

1 a : being perplexed or disconcerted
// the confused students
1 b : disoriented with regard to one's sense of time, place, or identity
//The patient became confused.

---

— These words are confused. —

This means that the words themselves are confused.

However, it doesn't mean confused in the previous sense of perplexed.

From Merriam-Webster's definition of confused:

2 : INDISTINGUISHABLE
// a zigzag, crisscross, confused trail
— Harry Hervey
3 : being disordered or mixed up
// a contradictory and often confused story

In short, the English words are not perplexed, but they are instead mixed up.

Answer 3

The key here is the word "commonly", an adverb that sounds more idiomatic modifying the verb "confuse" than the adjective "confusing".

These words commonly confuse people. People are commonly confused by these words.

We simply don't say something like "these words are commonly confusing". Instead you might use a different adverb like "frequently" or "very".

These words are frequently confusing

Although this still sounds clumsy to my hears. Words are either confusing or they aren't. It's the people who determine the frequency of confusion, e.g.:

These words are frequently confused

to mean "people frequently confuse how to use these words."

It would not be wrong to title the article:

The 10 most confusing words in the English language.

but this focuses on the words themselves, rather than on the people who are confused by them. The article is about how to be a better business writer, so it makes more sense to focus on the human element rather than the linguistic element.

Answer 4

I think you are making distinctions that don't exist in English, in any real practical sense, „commonly confused words“ and „commonly confusing words“ are synonymous and can be used interchangeable. Native speakers would never notice the difference. I doubt even publishing companies would notice the difference. Some professor at a University teaching that there is a difference is simply wrong and likely relying on an a rule invented by some Bishop in the 17th century that bears no relation to reality and no one pays any attention to. „ If you have to be taught something about your own (native) language and how to speak it correctly, the odds are about 100% that what you are being taught is wrong. It has to be taught, because it`s NOT your language. In fact, no language can be that way.“ Naom Chomsky, PhD, Linguistics, Professor Emeritis, MIT