Commonly confused words

allay vs. alley allay (to reduce an unpleasant feeling) The president is keen to allay the public’s fears. I did what I could to allay her worries. alley (a narrow street) When he saw the police arrive, he bolted into a dark alley. They have lived in the same alley for …

allusion vs. illusion allusion (indirect reference) She made no allusion to her first marriage. He left without any allusion to the date of his return.   illusion (a false belief or idea) All these mirrors on the walls give the illusion of space. What we saw in the sky was …

all ways vs. always all ways (every way, every method) This is the best summer in all ways. We tried all possible ways to fix the oil spill.   always (all the time, at all times) You are always on time. Mike always locks his bicycle to something secure.   …

  allude (to speak of, or mention indirectly) I didn’t allude to her ex-husband. She alluded to the problem but did not mention it.   elude (to avoid, or escape from) They managed to elude the police for two months. (to fail to understand or remember) The cause of the accident has eluded them so …

align vs. alien align (arrange in a straight line) They aligned the desks perfectly. You have to align the bottles on the shelf.   alien (not familiar, strange) He’ll get used to the alien environment over time. She was speaking a language that was totally alien to me.   align …