Confusing Words from Abbe to Acclimation

Would a nun live in an abbe or an abbey? Is the mother superior an abbess or an abyss? When you go faster, so you accelerate or exhilarate? Does a kidnapper abduct or adduct his victim?


abbe, abbey
Abbe is a term of respect for a member of the clergy, especially in France.
Abbe Joseph, may I talk to you privately, please?
An abbey is a monastery, a place where monks live, or a convent, a place where nuns live.
Daniel's dream was to join the abbey and spend his life serving God.

abbess, abyss
An abbess is the mother superior at a convent.
Sister Mary Beth was chosen to be the new abbess.
An abyss is a deep chasm.
The abbess was thrown into the abyss by an angry nun.

abduce, adduce, educe
Abduce means to abduct or to draw or pull away.
The criminal's plan to abduce the child failed miserably.
Adduce means to introduce as evidence in an argument or trial.
The lawyer planned to adduce the bloody knife before the judge.
Educe means to draw forth or bring out.
Miss Marple will try to educe the truth from the guilty schoolgirl.

abduct, adduct
Abduct means to kidnap or take by force a person.
Abigail, afraid that the masked man would abduct her, refused to jog through the park.
Adduct means to bring together.
The doctor asked Jilly to adduct her fingers on her sore hand.

abduction, adduction
Abduction is the act of moving away from.
When the arm is pulled away from the axis of the body, it is in a state of abduction.
Adduction is the act of moving towards something.
When the arm is pulled toward the toward the axis of the body, it is in a state of adduction.

abjure, adjure
Abjure means to renounce or to give up.
The martyrs refused to abjure their belief in Jesus Christ.
Adjure means to ask, usually under oath or threat of penalty.
It is time for the defense lawyer to adjure the star witness about the supposed crime.

absorption, adsorption
Absorption is the act of absorbing.
The absorption of the puddle on the floor by the sponge mop was secretly done before their mother returned home.
Adsorption is a chemical term that means to gather a gas, a liquid, or a dissolved substance on the surface in a condensed layer.
Peter studied the adsorption of gases by charcoal for his science project.

Acadian, Arcadian
An Acadian is from Acadia, a region in northeastern North America that extends on into Canada. It is also a French dialect.
As an Acadian, Marie was discriminated against because of her language and heritage.
An Arcadian is someone from Arcadia, Greece. It is also one who lives a quiet, simple life.
Even though Jenny's abode was right in the middle of New York City, her arcadian life brought her peace and contentment.

accede, exceed
Accede means to consent or agree.
The government does not plan to accede to the terrorists' demands.
Exeed means to go beyond.
If you don't pay attention while you are driving, you may exceed the speed limit.

accelerate, exhilarate
Accelerate means to move at a faster rate.
If you push on the gas pedal, your speed will accelerate.
Exhilarate means to stimulate or enliven, to give new life to.
The cold weather should exhilarate my still sleepy mind as I walk.

accent, ascent, assent
An accent is the unique way people from a certain region speak and pronounce their words.
Richard's accent left no one in doubt that he was from New York.
An ascent is an upward slope or movement.
The long ascent up the mountain left the group tired and hungry.
Assent means to agree or to give in.
The belligerent child discovered that life was much easier once she decided to assent to her parents' wishes.

accept, except
Accept means to take or receive something that is offered, to agree or consent to.
“Do you really think I will accept your hypocritical apology?” Melinda calmly asked.
The word except, when used as a preposition, means with the exclusion of or but.
Except for Marcus, the entire class was present at the graduation.

access, excess
Access is the right or permission to approach or use.
Her security clearance did not give her the legal right to access the files.
And excess is a surplus or abundance.
Margie's excess store of food in her pantry allowed her to help those who were not nearly as fortunate during the famine.

accidence, accidents
Accidence is a grammatical term that deals with the inflection or change in words.
The study of accidence is giving Sarah a better understanding of how words are formed.
Accidents are undesirable events that often result in physical injury.
Antonio's car insurance was outrageously high because of the many car accidents he had been in.

acclamation, acclimation
Acclamation is applause or shouts of approval.
Her speech was received with much acclamation.
Acclimation is the process of adapting to a new environment or situation.
Destiny's forced acclimation into the Amish society by her kidnappers was painful.