Confusing Words in English

Confusing Words: Despite (noun) and In-Spite (noun)
Meaning:
Despite (without being affected by)
In-Spite (in disregard or defiance of)
Despite vs In-spite Clarification: Despite dates back to 1200 A.D while In-spite is a modern preposition. Both words carry the same meaning and can be used interchangeably.

Despite Vs In-Spite – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

The prepositions Despite and in-spite vary in the syntax as well as in the meaning. It depends upon the context in which both the prepositions are to be used. The question arises in ones mind that is both the words interchangeable?

The answer is yes! If one is intending to write a brief explanation, use of despite will be more feasible. If the writer has to give elaborated details, use of  In-spite will be more accurate.

The first difference appears at the phonetic level; In-spite has two vowel sounds while Despite has three vowel sounds. The difference lies in the connotation and not in the denotation.

Both the prepositions have common meaning i.e. Candid action. The difference lies in the context in which both the prepositions are used.

In-Spite

In-spite is more casually used. Its literal meaning is ‘regardless of’. It is usually used with noun or a gerund.

1. She failed the linguistics exam in-spite of all her dedication.
2. We won the baseball match inspite of miserable practice.
3. We do not go for using prepositions like that with inspite of.

Inspite is mostly used with of making it a three-syllabic word.
Inspite usually denotes the contradiction e.g she went to the exam inspite of the probation.

Despite

Despite means an unaffected behavior or action. It makes the expression formal and more brief.

1. She failed the linguistic exam despite all her dedication.
2. Despite miserable practice, we won the match.

Remember, we do not use ‘of’ with despite. Despite is a two-syllabic word making it easier for the readers to pronounce. Despite is mostly used to denote neutral contradiction. E.g. Despite the probation, she went for the exam.

Check Out: The Difference Between Accept and Except.

What Did You Learn?

Both Inspite and Despite are similar in the meaning. The only ways they differ are in the:

• Pronunciation
• The context
• Degree of contradiction
• Casualty and formality
• Connotation and denotation

Moreover, despite came before in-spite of. In-spite came afterwards and has its origin in the urban dictionary. Despite dates back to 1200 A.D while In-spite is a modern preposition.

Confusing Words: Device (noun) and Devise (verb)
Meaning:
Device (a thing made or adapted for a particular purpose, especially a piece of mechanical or electronic equipment.)
Devise (plan or invent (a complex procedure, system, or mechanism) by careful thought.)
Device vs Devise Clarification: The two words carry completely different meanings. They can not be used interchangeably although they are pronounced in a similar manner.

Device vs Devise – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

I come across with many people who made embarrassing mistake with these two words.

As you can see that there is only one-letter difference between device and devise. This is the reason for the confusion between them. Otherwise, both of these words are totally different from each other in terms of meanings as well as in function. Let me define them one by one.

Device

Device is used as a noun within a sentence. It is used to refer to a thing or a plan that is made for a specific purpose. Device is mainly used to refer to an electronic instrument i.e. phones, laptops, etc.

1. Before entering the examination hall, please switch off your all electronic devices.

2. We do need a device to connect Wi-Fi at home.

3. The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient. (Warren Buffett)

Devise

Devise is used as a verb within a sentence. It means to form or to invent an idea or a plan after a considerable thought.

1. We should devise an idea to get rid of this horrible place.

2. Architecture was the last of the major professions to devise a formal ‘cursus honorum’ before its practice could be undertaken. (Martin Filler)

Check Out: The Difference Between Disc and Disk.

Quiz

Get out of this confusion between device and devise by fill in the following blanks with the appropriate word.

1. Where are all the __________? (devices/devises)

2. No internet? There might be some problem in the _________. (device/devise)

3. They are about to ___________ their final project. (device/devise)

4. Any __________ that you want to declare? (devices/devises)

Answers at the end!

What Did You Learn?

It is concluded that device and devise are just one-letter apart. They are not interchangeable. So, you have to be careful with word choice. Device is a noun which is used to refer to something that is made for a specific purpose. Devise, on the other hand, is a verb which means to carefully invent an idea or a plan.

Answers: 1) devices. 2) device. 3) devise. 4) devises.

Confusing Words: Whoa (interjection) or Woah (interjection)
Meaning: Both words are used to describe “surprise, interest, or alarm, or to command attention.”
Clarification: Woah is the incorrect alternative of Whoa although there has been an uptick in its use recently.

Whoa or Woah – What Is The Difference, Definition and Meaning?

How do you spell a “sound” made in excitement? Although English language has more than one way of doing that such as Whoa or Woah, not both of them are considered correct in Standard writing. Yes, they both are popular exclamation but which one should you use when there’s no room for mistake?

Whoa

Defined as an interjection

“Whoa” is used in different ways in English writing. Most commonly you would see it as exclamation of surprise or excitement similar to the word “wow”. In some cases, its use is repeated in a single sentence to emphasize on the excitement or show urgency of a task.

Furthermore, Whoa is used as a command to stop. In fact, as per history, this word originates from “ho” which was used in the 16s to draw or slow down a horse.

1. Whoa, did you just see the card that passed us by?

2. Whoa, whoa, whoa you need to be more careful with shooting!

Woah

Also defined as an interjection

“Woah” is a popular alternative to “Whoa” which has the same meaning. You would also see it in a sentence to show excitement, amazement or surprise.

1. Woah (read as Whoa), when did you learn to dance so well?

2. Woah (read as Whoa), it looks like a thunderstorm is coming!

Check out: Difference between Unorganized and Disorganized

“Woah” vs “Whoa” – What’s The Confusion?

There has been an uptick in the use of of “woah” in place of “whoa” in the recent years. To our surprise, even most prominent publications have made this mistake is some of the recent content.

For example, The Washington post had published “The realization that I could have easily died – that was like woah, I’m 16, that’s crazy to think about”.

However, it would be wrong to say that incorrect alternative “Woah” is anywhere close to replacing the original word. Analysts have concluded that the reason we see it more often now is because there has been a general increase in the use of both words.

It is more common to see the alternative spellings at places which do not have strict editorial requirements. Interviews made part of newspapers, memes on the internal, blogs, and social media posts are more prone to spelling errors like these.

What Did You Learn?

Looking at the history of these words, we see that Whoa is much older spelling and thus it is considered standard for writing. Although Woah is often used as alternate spelling, it is informal and non-standard. Nonetheless, they carry the same meaning. If you see “woah” when going through informal contexts such as memes, it is more likely to be a mistake.

Whoa: interjection, shows excitement, amazement or surprise, also used for command to stop.
Woah: interjection, carries the same meaning as “Whoa” but it is not supported as the correct spellings.