Quiz-Tree

Lookalikes and Soundalikes

Ever write the wrong word just because it looked almost like the one you meant? These quizzes take on the lookalikes and soundalikes that fool even careful writers.

Words That Look and Sound Alike

You will sort out pairs and trios that sit a letter or a syllable apart, such as adapt (to change to fit a situation) and adopt (to take something on as your own), adverse (harmful or unfavorable) and averse (strongly disliking), or allusion (an indirect reference) and illusion (a false impression). Each sentence gives you enough context to pick the word that truly belongs.

Most of these sets are aimed at intermediate learners, since the meanings are close enough to reward careful thinking. They are a great way to clean up the small slips that spellcheck often misses.

Soundalike Words with Audio Pronunciation

Some of these pairs sound nearly the same out loud, so hearing them matters. Every quiz includes audio pronunciation of the words and sentences, which helps you catch the small differences in sound and tie them to the right spelling.

Did You Know?

One of these words leads a double life in math class. Obtuse does not only describe a person who is slow to catch on; it is also the name for any angle wider than 90 degrees.

Another pair hides a grammar rule. Criterion means a single standard, while criteria is its plural, and the unusual ending comes from Greek, which is why it does not simply add an s.

How the Quizzes Work

Each set runs about five minutes, and replaying the trickiest of the 11 quizzes is what makes the lookalikes stop catching you out. A few repeats on the closest pairs go a long way. Want your writing to look more polished? Try the free interactive English quizzes and start untangling the soundalikes.

1. Abstruse vs Obtuse

This abstruse vs obtuse quiz gives you 10 fill-in-the-blank sentences to test whether you can tell these two tricky words apart. You will read clues like "The Science Friday talk show is not ___; it is quite easy to understand" and "How do we help ___ people to develop their thinking?" and pick the word that fits. Aimed at intermediate students, since both words are a little advanced and easy to mix up. Here is something many people miss: obtuse is not only a word for someone slow to understand, it is also the name for an angle wider than 90 degrees.

score: 81% (everyone)

2. Accept vs Except vs Expect

Three words, one quiz, and 14 sentences to sort them out. Accept means to receive or agree to something, except means leaving something out, and expect means to anticipate. You decide which one fills each blank, with prompts such as "Most businesses in this country ___ credit cards" and "What do you ___ more from a good friend: honesty or understanding?" With three lookalikes in play, it is best saved for intermediate students rather than beginners. A handy thing to notice while you practice is that except can even shift into a verb, excepted, when you single something out.

score: 79% (everyone)

5. Adapt vs Adopt

With 9 fill-in-the-blank sentences, this quiz works on the difference between adapt and adopt. To adapt is to change so you fit a new situation, and to adopt is to take something on as your own. You will weigh sentences like "If you can ___ to change easily, you will have a more successful and happy life" and "Why not ___ the greyhound dog after its race career is over?" Because the spelling is so close, it works best for intermediate students. Notice how your eyes adapt to darkness by widening, one of the example sentences here.

score: 80% (everyone)

6. Adverse vs Averse

This set of 9 sentences focuses on adverse and averse, a pair that even strong writers slip up on. Adverse describes something harmful or unfavorable, while averse describes a feeling of strong dislike. You match the right word to lines such as "A vaccination can cause the ___ reaction of fever" and "Cats are usually ___ to baths and showers." A good pick for intermediate students, since the meanings are related but not the same. A simple memory trick that comes through in the questions: you are averse to something, but a situation has an adverse effect.

score: 81% (everyone)

9. Afterward vs Afterword

Just one letter separates afterward from afterword, and these 9 sentences make you prove you know which is which. Afterward means later in time, while an afterword is the closing section at the back of a book. You choose between them in prompts like "Work hard and smart, and then, celebrate with a party ___" and "After my basketball story ends, there's an ___ with sports tips." Beginner-friendly, since the pattern is clear. The thing to lock in: if you can swap in the word later, you want afterward, not the book section.

score: 75% (everyone)

13. Allude vs Elude

With 7 sentences, this is a shorter quiz, and it pits allude against elude. To allude is to hint at something without naming it directly, and to elude is to escape or avoid. You sort them in prompts like "Stories about hard work ___ to reasons for being tired" and "The thief ___d the police by cutting across the street." Best suited to intermediate students, since the words look and sound so similar. A small clue baked into the quiz: elude and escape both start with e, which makes the avoiding word easier to remember.

score: 0% (everyone)

14. Allusion vs Illusion

These 9 sentences help you tell an allusion from an illusion. An allusion is an indirect reference to something, often a book or a story, while an illusion is a false impression or something that is not really there. You pick the right word for prompts like "The teachers use ___s in instruction to tap our background knowledge" and "Add mirrors to the room to give the ___ of lots of space." Recommended level: intermediate. A point the questions make nicely: an allusion points outward to another idea, while an illusion only fools the eye or the mind.

score: 75% (everyone)

18. Ascent vs Assent

These two words sound almost identical, and this 8-question quiz helps you keep them separate: ascent and assent. Each sentence has a gap to fill, such as "___" is the opposite of disagreement. where you supply the missing word. The good news is that the meanings have nothing in common. Ascent is a climb or a move upward, while assent means agreement. Picturing someone climbing a mountain versus someone nodding yes is usually enough to keep the two from blurring together on you. Recommended level: intermediate.

score: 0% (everyone)

31. Confidant vs Confident

A trusted friend or a feeling of self-assurance? Confidant and confident are easy to swap by accident, and these 8 questions fix that. You pick the right word for sentences like A private diary might be a better ___ than a human. or A ___ person will look you in the eyes when talking. Worth remembering: confidant is a noun for a person you trust with secrets, while confident is an adjective describing someone sure of themselves. Same root, different parts of speech. Recommended level: intermediate.

score: 100% (everyone)

32. Conscience vs Conscious

Spelled within a couple of letters of each other, conscience and conscious are a common mix-up, and these 9 questions help you keep them straight. Complete lines like A good ___ will help you make right decisions. or I was painfully ___ of people staring at me during my speech. The idea the quiz reinforces: conscience is your inner sense of right and wrong, the voice that makes you feel guilty, while conscious simply means awake or aware of what is happening around you. Recommended level: intermediate to advanced.

score: 90% (everyone)

36. Criterion vs Criteria

One standard or several? Criterion and criteria are a classic singular-plural mix-up, and these 10 questions make the rule second nature. You pick the correct form for prompts like What is the most important ___ for getting a college scholarship? or Learn the ___ you will be judged by. The detail many people never learned: criterion is the singular for one standard, while criteria is the plural for more than one. The unusual ending comes from Greek, which is why it does not simply add an s. Recommended level: intermediate to advanced.

score: 75% (everyone)