Commonly confused words

  literal (basic or original meaning, not figurative) The literal meaning of the word ‘individual’ is ‘something that cannot be divided. She always takes everything you say in its literal sense.   littoral (of or relating to a coastal or shore region) The city is located in a littoral area and …

  levy (a sum of money, usually paid as a tax) The government imposed a levy on oil imports. They will put a 10 percent levy on all pay.   levee (to embankment along a river) The levee was washed out by heavy thunderstorms. They sandbagged the levee in order to prevent …

  knotty (very difficult to solve or understand) We have faced a lot of knotty problems. That is obviously a knotty question.   naughty (badly behaved; not willing to obey) You naughty boy, stop pulling your sister’s hair. The boss treats us all like naughty schoolchildren. envocabulary.com

  tool (a thing that you use with your hands to do a particular job) Hummer is the only tool I need. I don’t have the right tools to fix this. (a thing that you use in order to perform a job or to achieve an aim) The internet can be used as …

  in the end (eventually, finally) If you work hard, you will succeed in the end. In the end, the army surrendered. This river, in the end, flows to the sea.   at the end (final part) We were drunk at the end of the party. I pay the bills at the end of each …