Commonly Confused
Listed here are pairings of people, animals, words and things that are commonly confused. This list first came about years ago when I was working with a writer named John Sweeney and we planned on making a book of them, along with explanations differentiating them. That book idea was rejected by numerous publishers so the manuscript sat around, like so many others, and collected dust. So I am dusting a portion of it off here. For a different take on this idea, take a look at the separate page in this website called What’s the Difference? These below are listed in no particular order. Do you have your own suggestions? Please send them to me using the Contact page and I will be happy to add them here.
Animals and Insects
Armadillo and Aardvark
Crow and Raven
Turtle and Tortoise
Frog and Toad
Pig and Hog
Donkey and Mule and Jackass
Asian and African Elephant
Alligator and Crocodile
White and Black Rhinoceros
Mammoth and Mastodon
Bumble Bee and Yellowjacket
Leopard and Cheetah
Cricket and Grasshopper and Locust
Cicada and Katydid
Hornet and Wasp
Flea and Gnat and Tick
Macaque and Monkey
Gorilla and Ape
Baboon and Orangutan
Sheep and Lamb
Dolphin and Porpoise
Marlin and Swordfish
Coyote and Wolf
Chameleon and Gecko
Iguana and Lizard
Ferret and Weasel
Gerbil and Hamster
Groundhog and Hedgehog
Hawk and Falcon
Rabbit and Hare
Coyote and Wolf and Fox
Stork and Crane
Ibis and Flamingo
Tick and Mite and Flea
Bison and Buffalo
Seal and Sea Lion
People (Real and Fictional)
Socrates and Plato and Aristotle
Vandal and Visigoth
Satin and Lucifer
Attila the Hun and Genghis Khan
Galileo Galilee and Leonardo Di Vinci
Chief Pontiac and Chief Tecumseh
Thomas Paine and Patrick Henry
Rasputin and Svengali
Poncho Villa and Emiliano Zapata
Jessie James and Bill the Kid
Buffalo Bill and Wild Bill Hickok
Dimitri Shostakovitch and Sergei Rachmaninoff
John Rockefeller and Cornelius Vanderbuilt
Andrew Carnegie and J. Pierpont Morgan
Icarus and Sisyphus
Vladimir Lenin and Leon Trotsky
Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers
Emily and Charlotte Bronte
James Baldwin and Ralph Ellison
Duke Ellington and Count Basie
David Copperfield and Oliver Twist
Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn
Davey Crockett and Daniel Boone
Sinclair Lewis and Upton Sinclair
Harriett Taubman and Harriett Beecher Stowe
George Sands and George Elliott
Roy Rogers and Gene Autry
John Updike and Phillip Roth
Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich
Maureen Sullivan and Maureen O’Hara
Betty Grable and Betty Hutton
Sam Spade and Phillip Marlowe
Little Richard and James Brown
Leslie Caron films Gigi and Lili
Puritans and Pilgrims
Drag Queen and Transvestite
Seventh Day Adventists and Christian Scientists
Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses
Amish and Mennonite
Quaker and Anabaptist
Slovenes and Slovaks
Con-Man and Ex-Con
Ice Cube and Ice T
Jane Goddall and Diane Fossey
Chicano and Latino
Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett
Hercules and Ulysses
The Falcon and The Saint and The Shadow
Arctic Explorers Scott and Byrd and Parry
Beau Geste and Beau Brummel
Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor
Ghoul and Zombie
Macbeth and Hamlet
Dear Abbey and Ann Landers
Sarah Jessica Parker and Mary Louise Parker
Jennifer Connelly and Jennifer Garner
John Coltrane and Charlie Parker
Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons
Casanova and Don Juan
Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee
Sir Walter Scott and Sir Walter Raleigh
Aztecs and Incas and Mayas and Toltecs
Bigfoot and Yeti and Sasquatch
Samurai and Ninja
Ralph Ellison and James Baldwin
Bobby Darin and Bobby Vinton
Toni Morrison and Alice Walker
Charlie Mingus and Thelonius Monk
Fats Domino and Chubby Checker
George Clinton and Bootsy Collins
Abigail Van Buren and Ann Landers
Matt Damon and Mark Wahlberg
Transiberian Orchestra and Mannheim Steamroller
Words
Conscience and Conscious
Asphyxiate and Suffocate
Ego and Libido
Abstinence and Celibacy and Chastity
Crypto and Proto
College and University
Empathy and Sympathy
Bronze and Brass
Ligament and Tendon
Midget and Dwarf
Affect and Effect
Psychopath and Sociopath
Amp and Volt and Watt
Isotopic and Isometric
Pituitary and Thyroid Glands
Meiosis and Mitosis
Caviar and Roe and Beluga
Typhoid and Tuberculosis
Homogenization and Pasteurization
Barrister and Solicitor
Transparent and Translucent
Sorcery and Wizardry
Libel and Slander
Gender and Sex
Attorney and Lawyer
Misanthrope and Misogynist
Proceed and Precede
Neurosis and Psychosis
Agronomy and Agriculture and Horticulture
Psychology and Psychiatry
Tariff and Duty
Stutter and Stammer
Cathedral and Basilica
Coffin and Casket
Hay and Straw
Pale and Peaked
Snare and Snag
Mucus and Phlegm
Botox and Collogen
Ethos and Pathos
Clemency and Amnesty
Allusion and Delusion and Illusion
Psychopath and Sociopath
Communism and Socialism
Artifact and Relic
Marsh and Swamp
Hebrew and Yiddish
Molest and Grope
Analytics and Metrics
Jargon and Vernacular
Slang and Profanity
Maxim and Proverb
Adage and Aphorism
Farce and Satire
Boycott and Embargo
Dandruff and Eczema
Cum Laude and Magna Cum Laude and Summa Cum Laude
Sedition and Treason
Duke and and Count and Viscount and Baron and Marquis
Ethos and Pathos
Esophagus and Trachea
Doppelganger and Poltergeist
Things
Asteroid and Comet
Meteor and Meteorite
DNA and RNA
A-Bomb and H-Bomb
U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence
Solar and Luna Eclipses
Memorial Day and Veteran’s Day
Glaucoma and Cataract
Mango and Papaya
Big intestine and colon
Cannabis and Hemp
Ale and Lager
Algae and Kelp
Plankton and Lichen
Bee Pollen and Honey
SOS and Mayday
Standby and Understudy
Baking Powder and Baking Soda
Tonic and Soda Water
Butter and Margarine
Concerto and Sonata
Angora and Cashmere
Karate and Kung-Fu
Sumo and Judo
Jujitsu and Tae-Kwon Do
Sassafras and Sarsaparilla
Blimp and Zeppelin
Curtains and Drapes
Rapture and Tribulation
International Monetary Fund and World Bank
Trumpet and Coronet
Violin and Viola
Elm and Oak
Cha Cha and Salsa
Samba and Rumba
Tango and Meringue
Foxtrot and Charleston
Jitterbug and Lindy Hop
Levee and Dike
Memorial and Monument
Opal and Onyx
Monastery and Seminary
Mushroom and Toadstool
Measles and Chickenpox
Multiple Sclerosis and Musical Dystrophy
Huntington’s and Parkinson’s Diseases
Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon
Wigwam and Teepee
Jam and Jelly
Star Wars and Star Trek
Cement and Concrete
Sweet Potato and Yam
Burglary and Robbery
Fig and Date
Truce and Ceasefire
Monsoon and Typhoon
Hurricane and Cyclone and Tornado
Butterfinger and Clark Bar
Three Musketeer and Milky Way
Federal Debt and Federal Deficit
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Gross National Product (GNP)
Pool and Billiards
Silk and Satin
Hip-Hop and Rap
Monetary Policy and Fiscal Policy
Speakeasy and Blind Pig
Fever and Influenza
Linguistics and Semantics
Plague and Pestilence
Cataract and Glaucoma
Face the Nation (CBS) and Meet the Press (NBC)
Bog and Marsh and Swamp
Teepee and Wigwam
Seratonin and Melatonin
Tylenol and Advil
NAACP and NCAA
Places
Acropolis and Parthenon
Disneyland and Disney World
Luxembourg and Lichtenstein
Iran and Iraq
Abu Dhabi and Dubai
Bulgaria and Romania
Cannes and Nice
Zambia and Zimbabwe
Ethiopia and Somalia
Shangri-La and Nirvana
Alcatraz and San Quentin and Sing Sing
Cape of Good Hope and Cape of Horn
Oxford and Cambridge
Klondike and Yukon
Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard
The Alps and The Himalayas
The Rhine and the Rhone
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
Turkmenistan and Tajikistan
Limbo and Purgatory
Xanadu and Elysium