One of my December blog posts focused on three pairs of commonly confused words. There is almost no limit to such word pairs in the English language, but here are four more to consider.

Envelop and Envelope

Envelop is a verb that means “to completely enclose or surround someone or something,” as in “she enveloped the baby with her arms” and “mist is enveloping the hills.”

Envelope is a noun that refers to an enclosing cover for a document, such as a letter. The word is also used figuratively in the phrase “push the envelope,” meaning to go beyond typical or normal limits by doing something new and risky, as in “a doctor whose treatments push the envelope of accepted medical practice.”

Incredible and Incredulous 

Incredible means “difficult or impossible to believe,” as in “a movie telling an incredible story of survival.” It can also mean “extremely good, great, or large,” as in “the athlete’s incredible skill” and “a place of incredible beauty.”

Incredulous means “not able or willing to believe something.” The people were incredulous when they were told that a seven-year-old boy had crossed the mountain by himself.

Plain and Plane

Plain can be an adjective, adverb, or noun. As an adjective, it often describes something that lacks decoration, pattern, or extra features, such as “plain paper” or “a plain carpet.” As an adverb, it means “truly, completely,” as in “it’s just plain wrong.” The noun plain refers to a large expanse of flat land without trees or other natural objects.

Plane most often functions as a noun referring to an airplane or to a flat surface. In mathematics, plane geometry refers to the measurement and analysis of two-dimensional figures. In carpentry, it refers to a special tool that when pushed forward shears off small pieces of wood, making a large piece of wood flatter.

Prosecute and Persecute

Prosecute is a verb which means to take legal action against someone typically in a court of law. Less often, it can mean to pursue an undertaking.

Persecute is also a verb which means to oppress, harass, or intimidate a person or group usually because of their race, religion, or political beliefs.

It would be quite plausible to use each word pair in the same composition or even the same sentence.

The old table was nothing more than a plain square plane of wood with four legs.

The tyrant persecuted the dissidents by prosecuting them for crimes they didn’t commit.

The thick brown envelope completely enveloped the encrypted message.

The audience was incredulous when told that the concert had to be cancelled due to an incredible series of accidents.

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, it is almost to count all the commonly confused pairs of words in our language. But I’ll devote one more blog to this topic. And among other word pairs, I’ll take on one that often causes experienced writers to stumble: affect and effect.