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Has someone ever told you that you used a wrong word? Well, you're not alone. Many people confuse terms without even knowing it. You might think that it's usually the English language learners who get the names of concepts or objects all mixed up, but it's not unusual for native speakers to get tangled up in misconceptions too.

The truth is, some terms seem so synonymous that people don't even bother to look them up. So, if you ever find yourself in an argument whether muffins have icing or whether tofu and panner are the same thing, it might mean that you need to do some research. But no worries. This time we've got you covered. Inspired by a Scoop Whoop post we dug around and collected some of the most confusing words to explain the differences between them.

Check out if you've made any of these mistakes and let us know in the comments.

(h/t)

#4

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

PublicDomainPictures , Foto-Rabe Report

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athornedrose
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

or as we were taught, poisonous: hurts if you bite it, venomous: hurts if it bites you.

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#8

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Pexels , pen_ash Report

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Lucida
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In my language (Swedish) both have the same name but with "land" and "water" at the beginning of the word, like "waterturtle" and "landturtle".

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#10

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Alaska Fisheries Science Center , GFDL&CC Report

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Marlene Riethmüller
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

had been told 'shrimp' is used more in American English, while 'prawn' is favoured in British English

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CultOfBambi
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Not to be confused with the fookin' prawns from District 9!

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Don Lawson
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is not correct. The terms shrimp and prawn are common names, not scientific names. Prawn is generally used for any large variety of edible decapods, shrimp for the smaller varieties.

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Wyndmere
Community Member
3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

“Hold still and let me count your claws so I’ll know what to call you.”

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Nikki🦄
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

in Australia, we say prawn...didn't know what a shrimp was till now 🤣

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Shirin Kamer
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I didn't know that they were different..i thought it was American English and British English.

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Ryan Yan
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Given the picture w/o the description, i thought one refers to the cooked ones while the other raw...

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Sarah White
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is the only one that I actually did think was the same, guess I'm not caught up on my seafood XD

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Suzanne Haigh
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I will have to remember this next time I see these creatures swimming

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Tom Kennedy
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Who else thought they were just 2 different names for the exact same thing?

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Bored Monkei
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Son: Daddy, is this shrimp or prawn? Daddy: You hold on, Son. I have to check the claws on its legs.

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Xiaoli Hu
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Thought a prawn is the bigger version of schrimp, therefore costs more 😂😂

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London Nep
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought shrimps were smaller? And term normally used by Americans.

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Teleri Nyfain
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There are places that call all such creatures prawns...others where all such creatures are called shrimp. I realize they are being incorrect, but one of said places also calls all carbonated drinks 'coke'....

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Suzi Gauthier
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sounds like the southern U.S. We called everything Coke. Coca Cola was called Co-cola.

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Lisa Ru
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Even more confusing if shrimp and prawn translate to the same German word according to a popular online dictionary. Same goes for venomous and toxic

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Josie Jones
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Prawns are bigger than shrimp shrimp are teeny prawns are big when peeled and cooked roughly the size of a £2 coin or 50p or silver dollar in USA

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Manyin Tom
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

oh...now my restaurant is going to be sued for fales advertisement, its Prawns fried Rice! not shrimps...

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Daniel (ShadowDrakken)
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is actually not accurate. There is no lexical difference between the two words. Only regional preference.

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#20

Commonly Misused Words

adege , Hans Report

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Lizard Queen
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5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once." - Terry Pratchett

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#22

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Luctheo , Annca Report

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Hans
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This does not really belong here, does it? A champagne is still a sparkling wine, so technically it is a specialisation, not two thing that are confused but essentially are different.

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#23

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Stanze , Skeeze Report

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Neeraj Jha
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Their expression say that they are disappointed in you that you didn't know this.

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#25

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Linda De Volder , Dmitry Dzhus Report

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Hans
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Do not tell this to all this alternative right movements who claim that there are certain "people" native to places, and that their intermingling with other "races" will weaken the national identity. We may form nations and e may come from different ethnicies, but we are all humans!

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#26

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

seagul , mareke Report

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Rue Granger
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"I never know... What's the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?" "Stalagmite has an 'm' in it"

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#27

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

earth247woman , Illuvis Report

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Cactuar Jon
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How do people not know the difference between a butterfly and a moth???

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#28

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

willems_87 , Nahal08 Report

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N G
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What do you call a Gorilla that has a Banana stuck in each ear ? Answer: Anything you like..... because he can't hear you

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#30

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Ben_Kerckx , fsHH Report

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Rue Granger
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm not sure about everyone else, but I'm pretty sure people know this. Right? Or is it just me?

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#31

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

BubbleJuice , kathydetweiler Report

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Dian Ella Lillie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I did a Masters and a PhD in anurans. The distinction between 'frogs' and 'toads is arbitary. Not all dryish anurans are short-leggedish, or smoothish, or stringy-eggedish, and not all mucussy anurans are the obverse in one or more of those characteristics. The notion of frogs versus toads is simply a gradient of perceptions with no biological significance. And the teeth thing that another commernter claimed is a nonsense...

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#32

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

NickRivers , webandi Report

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Dian Ella Lillie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wasps can be pollinators - there are many species of orchids whose flower structures are predicated on exactly this fact. Look it up.

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#33

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Liz Mochrie , George Wesley & Bonita Dannells Report

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Vivek Mhatre
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Paneer is awesome. Especially when coated with a layer of spiced corn flour or spiced bread.

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#34

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

GLady , Dennis Candy Report

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Neeraj Jha
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I am not sure about this.. The one on the right is also eaten as a fruit in my natives.. It's more like a different variety of Banana..

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#35

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Wounds_and_Cracks , Couleur Report

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Mary-Jane Scharnick
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

in S.A the tangerines are called naartjies. pronounced 'nar-chies' . think it comes from the Afrikaans language.

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#36

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

SofieZborilova , MartinStr Report

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Dian Ella Lillie
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Like other differences on this list, the distinctions are arbitrary and not consistent. There is not biological difference between kangaroos and wallabies, save size, and small kangaroos and be smaller than large wallabies. Some wallaby species are distinctly plain in colour. My bona fides? I'm a biologist, with three species of macropod that that come out to graze on my paddocks every night.

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#37

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

Alexas_Fotos , Glavo Report

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Cactuar Jon
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Rats are amazing, intelligent creatures and it's about time people stopped being scarred of them and start educating themselves about them. They deserve respect.

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#39

Commonly-Misused-Words-Pairs-Different-Meaning

RitaE , Mooss Report

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Neeraj Jha
Community Member
5 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I thought it's more of US/UK thing. UK calls it biscuits while US cookies.. no?

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