list of commonly confused terms used in english

8/3/2019 List of Commonly Confused Terms Used in English

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Below is a list of commonly confused terms used in Legal English.

accede to adhere to an agreement; become party to a contract

exceed to go beyond; surpass

accept to receiveexcept to exclude

accord to agree; an agreement

according in accordance with

accounting maintaining and auditing financial records and reports

bookkeeping recording of transactions

adherence compliance with

adhesion (contracts) one-sided agreement

administrator

person distributing assets of an estate appointed by a

court

executor person distributing assets of an estate named in a will

adverse contrary to

averse disinclined; unwilling

advise verb

advice noun

affect to influence, to change

effect to accomplish (verb); a result (noun)

allege declaring something to be true before provencontend state of position

allot to give out

a lot many

all ready entirely ready or finished

already something has occurred

all right the correct form

alright no such spelling

all together forming a group

altogether entirely

allude to suggest indirectly

elude avoid or escape

allusion indirect mentionillusion a deception


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alternately in turn; one after the other

alternatively on the other hand; option

amend to add to or modify

emend to make corrections

amount the total referring to number

number refers to things counted

quantity refers to things measured

ascent climb

assent agreement

attain accomplish

obtain to acquire

benefactor one providing a giftbeneficiary one who receives a gift

beside next to something

besides in addition to

biannual twice a year, semi-annual

biennial every two years

capital the seat of government, money invested in a business

capitol a building in which a legislative body meets

casual by chance/informal

causal relating to cause

cede to give upsecede withdrawal from

censure criticisecensor forbid public distribution

cession to give up

session a meeting

cite to summon, to quote, to refer

sight a view; something seen

site a place

collaborate co-operate withcorroborate to confirm

complement to completecompliment to praise


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condemn pass judgment

contemn show contempt

confident to be assured

confidant a person in whom one confides

connote suggestsdenotes means

contemporary belonging to the presentcontemporaneous occurring at the same time

continual recurring

continuous On-going

counsel advisorcouncil an organisation

device noun

devise verb

discrete a separate part

discreet modest or restrained

disinterested neutral

uninterested not interested

disqualify exclude; to render unfit

unqualified without qualifications

disperse scatter

disburse pay out

economic pertaining to money

economical good value for ones money; inexpensive

emerge to rise from; to come into viewimmerge to plunge into; to immerse

emigration moving from a countryimmigration moving into a country

eminent famous or respected

immanent inherent or intrinsic

imminent about to take place

envelop (v)to put a covering about; surround

envelope (n)a wrapper


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evoke call forth

invoke cite as an authority or ask for help

explicit detailed

implicit in the nature of something

forbear to refrain

forebear ancestor

forgo to waive

forego to go before

guarantor person liable upon the default of the principal

surety person liable on par with the principal

hypothesise forming hypothesis

hypothecate pledge

immoral evil

amoral without morals

imply to mean or suggest (a speaker implies)

infer to conclude or assume (a hearer infers)

incidence rate of occurrence

incident event

ingenious inventive; clever

ingenuous trusting; frank, nave

instance a case or example of something

instants moments of time

interment burial

internment confinement

lay to set down

lie to recline

libel printed falsehood

slander spoken falsehood

malfeasance wrongful

misfeasance incorrect

observation perception

observance adherence to

ordinance a lawordnance military supplies


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overdo to do too much

overdue past due; late

partially to some degree

partly in part

personal Individual; private

personnel the staff of an organization

persecute oppress

prosecute bring criminal charges

practical convenient; sensible, not theoretical

practicable capable of being done

precede to go before or in front ofproceed to begin

precedent guidance

precedence priority

prescribe to order

proscribe to forbid

regardless without regard

irregardless not a word

stationary not moving

stationery writing material

tantamount equivalent to value, meaning, or effect

paramount highest in rank

unquestionable undeniable

unquestioned that which has not been questioned

waiver to give up a claim or rightwaver to hesitat

subsequent merely indicates something that follows an event or occurs at a later

time. Consequent, however, indicates something which follows as a resultof the earlier

event.

A counterpartis a duplicate or copy of a legal document. If a contract is entered into by two

parties, for example, two originals are often signed so that each party has in its possession

one original, signed version of the contract:

This agreement has been signed in two original, identicalcounterparts of which each party

has received one.


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A counterparty, on the other hand, is one of the parties to a contract, transaction, trade, etc.

In the above example, therefore, there are two counterparties:

Both of the counterparties are required to sign the contract in order for it to be valid.Disburse is used to refer to the distribution of money or other assets, e.g. The Board of

Directors resolved to disbursedividends to the shareholders. Disperse is used in reference to

the distribution, scattering or spreading of other things, often people, e.g. The police officers

attempted to disperse the crowd that had gathered.

Immunity relates to protection from punishment, duty, liability or illness.

Telecommunications companies have been granted legalimmunityfor cooperating in

warrantless domestic wiretapping because it was ordered by the president.

Impunity is narrower and refers only to protection from punishment.

For decades, the cartels operated with impunity, unchallenged by corrupt cops.

To compare to is to point out or imply resemblances between objects regarded as essentiallyof a different order;

to compare with is mainly to point out differences between objects regarded as essentially of

the same order.

Thus, life has been compared to a pilgrimage, to a drama, to a battle; Congress may be

compared with the British Parliament. Paris has been compared to ancient Athens; it may be

compared with modern London.

AP Stylebook

Use compared to when the intent is to assert, without the need for elaboration, that two or

more items are similar: She compared her work for womens rights to Susan B Anthonyscampaign for womens suffrage.

Use compared with when juxtaposing two or more items to illustrate similarities and/or

differences:His time was 2:11:10 compared with 2:14 for his closest competitor.

pernicious having a harmful effect

pertinent relevant or applicable to particular matter

vindictive having a strong desire for revenge

obscure hard to make out

disparity a great difference

promulgate promote or make widely known

asperity harshness of tone

ardous difficult

refrain a regularly occuring melody

pedant a person who is excessively concerned about the minor details

prissily excessively prim and proper

ominous giving the impression that something bad is going to happen


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indictments formal charge or accusition of

list of commonly confused terms used in english

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