Confused about / with?

Question

I've encountered this question today, what I actually said was

I'm confused with these two questions.

Then I thought, "Should I say confused with?"

Dictionary says about should follow confused.

Can anyone tell me whether both of them are right?

Answer 1

"Confused with" is generally used when you fail to distinguish/mistake one for another. For example, "I always confuse Tanya with her sister".

On the other hand, "confused about" is used when "confuse" is given its literal meaning. For example, "I am confused about what to do with this degree that I've got".

Depending on the context, either could be correct, as they give a different meaning.

Answer 2

Sam Karem's examples are practical and concise:

"I always confuse Tanya with her sister."

"I am confused about what to do with this degree that I've got".

But in addition to that, it would be better if we note that:

• The word "confused" is an adjective, as in "be confused about".

• The word "confuse" is a verb, as in "people confuse A with B".

references:

• http://www.freecollocation.com/search?word=confuse
• http://www.freecollocation.com/search?word=confused

Answer 3

In many cases, preposition choice is a matter of opinion and personal preference.

With is perfectly acceptable in this case. In fact, according to Dictionary.com, one of the official definitions of with is

In regard(s) to

You could easily rewrite your example as

I am confused in regards to these two questions.

However, about is also acceptable, as it can potentially have exactly the same definition as with.

In conclusion, in this case, it's simply a matter of preference. Either is correct.

Which one sounds better to you?