Affect or effect, then or than, borrow or lend. Each pair explained with real examples and a trick to remember it.
One means to agree or receive, the other means to exclude.
'Actually' does NOT mean 'at the present time'. That is 'currently'.
One is the recommendation (noun), the other is to recommend (verb).
One is the action, the other is the result.
One describes being without company, the other describes feeling sad about it.
One letter apart, but one indicates location and the other means 'in addition'.
One is used with two elements, the other with three or more.
Both mean 'grande', but 'big' is more informal and emotional, 'large' is more formal and about size.
One describes how you feel, the other describes what causes that feeling.
One is to take temporarily, the other is to give temporarily.
One moves something toward you, the other moves it away from you.
Both are 'reloj' in Spanish, but one is fixed in place and the other you wear.
One moves toward the speaker, the other moves away from the speaker.
One completes or enhances, the other praises.
One is an arid landscape, the other is a sweet treat.
Both can translate as 'discutir', but one is neutral and the other implies conflict.
One is followed by a noun, the other is followed by a full clause.
One highlights something above all else, the other indicates a specific purpose.
One means many people know you, the other means many people like or choose you.
One is for things you can count, the other is for things you cannot count.
Both mean 'quedar bien', but one is about size and the other about style or what looks good on you.
Both can translate to 'olvidar', but they point to very different things.
One describes something enjoyable, the other describes something that makes you laugh.
One is for physical distance, the other for figurative extension.
One is about your ears, the other is about a place.
One is an event that made history, the other simply belongs to the past.
One desires something possible, the other desires something impossible or contrary to reality.
One suggests something indirectly, the other deduces something from clues.
One shows possession, the other contracts 'it is' or 'it has'.
One always needs a direct object, the other never does.
One reduces uncountable things, the other reduces countable things.
The Spanish 'librería' is NOT the English 'library'. They are false friends.
One is actively paying attention to a sound, the other is perceiving it without effort.
They look similar but mean very different things and are pronounced differently.
Both can mean 'parecer', but one is based on visual appearance and the other on general impression.
One means to misplace or not win, the other means not tight.
Both translate to 'hacer' in Spanish, but each has its own role in English.
Both can translate as 'conocer', but one is the first encounter and the other is ongoing familiarity.
Spanish uses 'perder' for both, but English distinguishes between not catching something and being defeated.
Both can mean 'antiguo', but one is relative in age and the other implies thousands of years.
One is always a verb form, the other can be almost anything.
'Pretend' does NOT mean to try or aim for something. That is 'intend'.
One is the head or the most important, the other is a fundamental rule.
One means silence or calm, the other means fairly or rather.
Both can mean 'darse cuenta', but one implies mental understanding and the other sensory perception.
One is recalling something yourself, the other is making someone else recall it.
One rises by itself, the other you raise with your own effort.
Both mean 'to steal', but one targets the person or place, the other targets the item.
Both mean 'to say', but 'tell' always needs to know who receives the message.
One is perceiving visually without effort, the other is looking at something attentively.
'Sensible' in English does not mean what 'sensible' means in Spanish.
Both mean 'hablar', but one is more formal and one-directional, the other more conversational.
One spends or invests, the other squanders or wastes.
'Sympathetic' does NOT mean friendly or likeable. That is 'nice'.
Both translate as 'alto', but one is for people and vertical objects, the other for altitude and levels.
One compares, the other marks time or sequence.
One is the general activity of traveling, the other is a specific, countable journey.
One is the climate, the other introduces alternatives.
Both translate as 'ganar', but one means to win a competition and the other means to defeat an opponent.
Both translate to 'ganar' in Spanish, but each wins in a very different way.
One is possessive, the other is short for 'you are'.