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Jun 12, 2021 · confuse (v.) If you confuse two things, you get them mixed up, so that you think one of them is the other one. I always confuse my left with my right. Collins. To mix up in the mind, to fail to distinguish, erroneously regard as identical, mistake one for another.
- Spoonerism
- Malapropism
- Other Ways We Play with English Words
A ‘spoonerism’ is when a speaker accidentally mixes up the initial sounds or letters of two words in a phrase. The result is usually humorous.
A ‘malapropism’ is when an incorrect word is used in a sentence that sounds like the correct word but means something completely different.
Blends
One of the easiest ways to get words mixed up is to think of one word while trying to say another. This is how blends end up happening. These mistakes happen regularly in all languages and are usually easy to notice. One famous example in pop culture is from the 2004 film Mean Girls, where the main character Cady gets nervous and accidentally creates the word grool.
Portmanteaus
Sometimes, though, these blends are intentional and become official words of their own. These new words are called portmanteaus and are quite common in English. Don’t believe me? Well, think about the last time you listened to a podcast (iPod + broadcast), breathed in smog (smoke + fog), on met friends for brunch (breakfast + lunch). A relatively new blended word is for a type of food from Louisiana that has increased in popularity in recent years, especially around American Thanksgiving. Do...
If you accidentally switch two people’s names when introducing them, you have mixed them up. If you add salt instead of sugar to your baking recipe by mistake, you have mixed up the ingredients. If someone gives you incorrect directions and you end up getting lost, they have mixed you up.
If you mix up two things or people, you confuse them, so that you think that one of them is the other one. 2. If you mix up a number of things, you put things of different kinds together or place things so that they are not in order.
It occurs when two idioms are mixed together and create a new phrase or saying. Most of the time, malaphors don’t make sense – but that’s okay. They’re not supposed to. Remember – everyone, even native English speakers, mix up idioms sometimes!
Dec 30, 2023 · Sometimes, even native English speakers get confused by some of the words in their own language! Read on for 49 of the most common word pairs that people usually mix up, what they mean, how to use them and tips on how not to confuse them.
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Mess up means to make a mistake or do something incorrectly, while mix up means to confuse two or more things or people with each other.
