One of the hardest parts of learning a second language is telling the difference between similar words. Words may sound almost the same or look almost the same, but have very different meanings. Mistaking words on the TOEFL can hurt your score. This is why Lucas did a really helpful post on some common words that sound the same and have close spellings.
Lucas focused on the word pairs discrete/discrete, principal/principle, proceed/precede. I’ve made a set of comic strips below to help you understand these words and remember the differences between them. Enjoy!
David is a Test Prep Expert for Magoosh TOEFL and IELTS. Additionally, he's helped students with TOEIC, PET, FCE, BULATS, Eiken, SAT, ACT, GRE, and GMAT.
David has a BS from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and an MA from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. His work at Magoosh has been cited in many scholarly articles, his Master's Thesis is featured on the Reading with Pictures website, and he's presented at the WITESOL (link to PDF) and NAFSA conferences. David has taught K-12 ESL in South Korea as well as undergraduate English and MBA-level business English at American universities. He has also trained English teachers in America, Italy, and Peru.
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