Commonly confused words

induce vs. deduce induce (make someone do something) Nothing would induce me to vote for him. No one can induce her to travel by sea.   deduce (reach an answer) We can deduce that the fish died due to water pollution. From the clues left at the scene, the detectives …

isle vs. aisle   isle (island) Our ship finally dropped anchor at a beautiful isle. He spent years mapping the Isle of Anglesey.   aisle (walkway (between rows of seats)) Would you like an aisle seat or a window seat? Coffee and tea are in the first aisle.     …

incident vs. accident   incident (an unusual or unpleasant event or occurrence) When did the incident occur? The incident was recorded on CCTV.   accident (event or occurrence that happens unexpectedly, typically resulting in damage or injury) Our meeting was just an accident. She was injured in the accident.   …

insure vs. ensure   insure (to provide compensation for loss or injury) They declined to insure him due to his heart condition. (American spelling of ensure) They took measures to insure the safety of their staff.   ensure (make certain that something happens or is definite) Please ensure that you …

immigrate vs. emigrate   immigrate (come to a foreign country to live there permanently) We immigrated to the United States when I was 10 years old. When did you immigrate to Australia?   emigrate (leave your own country to live permanently in another country) We had to emigrate from our …