Commonly confused words

  yoke (a wooden bar fastened across the necks of two oxen and attached to the plow) I had to borrow a yoke and two oxen to plow the field. literary (a situation or an experience that limits your freedom and makes your life very difficult to bear) The country is still …

  balmy  air, weather, etc. (warm and pleasant) A balmy breeze was blowing across the river. It’s a balmy evening, isn’t it?   barmy (crazy, foolish) I’ll go barmy if I stay here any longer. I think this is a barmy idea.   envocabulary.com

  inflict (to make suffer something unpleasant or painful) Years of war inflicted serious damage on the economy. The fences fitted with razor blades inflicted serious injuries to refugees fleeing war.   afflict (cause suffering; distress) The disease has afflicted hundreds of people in the region. He was afflicted by the death of his …

  venal (willing to do anything in return for money, corrupt) The venal court official accepted the bribe. He was involved in several venal practices.   venial  formal (a minor sin or offence that can be forgiven) It’s a venial sin to steal a pen and a mortal sin to steal a …

  disinterested (impartial, unbiased) My advice was quite disinterested. I didn’t expect you to be so calm and disinterested.   uninterested (not interested) I am really uninterested in politics. He was completely uninterested in my career.   envocabulary.com