Confusables
Choose the right word or phrase by comparing the job each does in a sentence.
147 source-checked guides
- Output / Outcome / ImpactOutputs are what the work produces; outcomes are the resulting changes or benefits; impacts are broader or longer-term effects.Open guide
- Effectiveness / EfficiencyEffectiveness asks whether the work achieved the intended result; efficiency asks how well it used time, money and other resources.Open guide
- Must / Need to / Should / MayUse must for obligations, need to for necessary process steps, should for recommendations and may for permission or options.Open guide
- Review / ReviseReview means examine or assess; revise means make changes. A reviewer may recommend revisions, but a review does not itself promise an edit.Open guide
- Biannual / BiennialBiannual means twice a year; biennial means every two years. For schedules, writing the frequency explicitly is often clearest.Open guide
- Personal / PersonnelPersonal relates to an individual or private matter; personnel means employees or staff collectively.Open guide
- Set up / SetupSet up is the verb; setup is the noun or adjective. If you can put “to” before it, use two words.Open guide
- Back up / BackupBack up is the verb; backup is the noun or adjective.Open guide
- Roll out / RolloutRoll out is the verb; rollout is the noun or adjective.Open guide
- Adapt / AdoptAdapt means modify to fit; adopt means take up or begin using. A team can adopt a framework and then adapt it to local needs.Open guide
- Adverse / AverseAdverse describes an unfavourable thing or effect; averse describes someone's attitude and is usually followed by to.Open guide
- Economic / EconomicalEconomic relates to the economy; economical means thrifty, efficient in cost or not wasteful.Open guide
- Prospective / PerspectiveProspective looks forward to a possible future status; perspective is a viewpoint or way of seeing something.Open guide
- Prescribe / ProscribePrescribe sets or recommends what should be done; proscribe forbids what must not be done.Open guide
- Waive / WaveWaive means give up or refrain from enforcing; wave refers to a movement, signal or surge.Open guide
- Allude to / Refer toAllude to means hint at indirectly; refer to means mention or point to directly.Open guide
- Compare to / Compare withCompare to often draws an analogy; compare with often examines similarities and differences. In everyday usage they overlap, so prioritise clarity over enforcing a rigid rule.Open guide
- Already / All readyAlready relates to time; all ready means fully prepared.Open guide
- Altogether / All togetherAltogether means completely or in total; all together means collectively or in one place.Open guide
- Forgo / ForegoForgo means do without; forego traditionally means go before, as in foregoing. Forego is also an accepted variant spelling of forgo, but the distinction can improve clarity.Open guide
- Verify / ValidateIn systems and assurance work, verification asks whether the solution meets its specifications; validation asks whether it serves the intended use.Open guide
- Access / AssessAccess means enter, retrieve or use; assess means evaluate or judge. You can access a system in order to assess its performance.Open guide
- Estimate / Forecast / ProjectionAn estimate infers a population value from sample data for a previous reference period; a forecast states an expected future value; a projection shows a conditional future value under stated assumptions.Open guide
- Follow up (verb) / Follow-up (noun or adjective)Follow up is the verb; follow-up is the noun or adjective.Open guide
- Disburse / Reimburse / RefundDisburse means pay out approved funds; reimburse means repay an expense already incurred; refund means return money previously paid or collected.Open guide
- Rationale / RationalRationale is a noun meaning the underlying reasons; rational is an adjective meaning based on reason. Explain the rationale for a rational decision.Open guide
- Confidentiality / SensitivityConfidentiality concerns authorised access and disclosure; sensitivity is the broader judgement about how much protection information needs.Open guide
- Cost savings / Cost avoidanceCost savings reduce an existing or budgeted cost; cost avoidance prevents a new or higher future cost.Open guide
- OKR / Key result / KPIAn OKR is the goal-setting framework; a key result is one measurable outcome within it; a KPI monitors performance over time.Open guide
- Financial year / Year of Assessment / Basis periodThe financial year is the accounting period; the basis period is the income period assigned to a tax assessment; the Year of Assessment is the tax year label.Open guide
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