PSAT: Commonly Confused Words: List 3

Learn the correct meanings and usages of these commonly confused words you may encounter on the PSAT exam.
10 words 151 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. disillusion
    the act of freeing from false belief
    It is possible that I was mistaken and I do not willfully invite any disillusions at this point in my life. Nine Stories
    To see more usage examples of "disillusion," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "disillusion" and "dissolution," click here.
  2. dissolution
    separation into component parts
    Immediately upon it came the thunder: a high, tearing noise, as though some huge thing were being ripped to pieces close above, which deepened and turned to enormous blows of dissolution. Watership Down: A Novel
    To see more usage examples of "dissolution," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "disillusion" and "dissolution," click here.
  3. gorilla
    largest anthropoid ape
    Our closest living relatives include chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
    To see more usage examples of "gorilla," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "gorilla" and "guerrilla," click here.
  4. guerrilla
    a member of an irregular army that fights a stronger force
    Some of the guerrillas were actual North Korean soldiers who crossed over to recruit, mostly kidnap, young South Korean men. Finding Junie Kim
    To see more usage examples of "guerrilla," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "gorilla" and "guerrilla," click here.
  5. hero
    a person distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility
    Campbell said that a hero is an ordinary human being who does "the best of things in the worst of times." The Boy on the Wooden Box
    To see more usage examples of "hero," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "hero" and "protagonist," click here.
  6. protagonist
    the principal character in a work of fiction
    I think my students will be able to identify with the teen protagonists in all of the books I’ve selected. The Freedom Writers Diary
    To see more usage examples of "protagonist," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "hero" and "protagonist," click here.
  7. marital
    of or relating to the state of marriage
    Some wives were happier at the prospect of marital relations than others. The Underground Railroad: A Novel
    To see more usage examples of "marital," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "marital" and "martial," click here.
  8. martial
    suggesting war or military life
    As Calixte had bemoaned, most of the theories were martial ones, involving conquest, weapons, and defense. Strange the Dreamer
    To see more usage examples of "martial," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "marital" and "martial," click here.
  9. paradox
    a statement that contradicts itself
    “So a Socratic paradox is about something that probably isn’t true, but you make it sound true?” Ask the Passengers
    To see more usage examples of "paradox," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "paradox" and "oxymoron," click here.
  10. oxymoron
    conjoined contradictory terms
    Healthful candy might sound like an oxymoron, but in this case it’s a delicious reality. Washington Post
    To see more usage examples of "oxymoron," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "paradox" and "oxymoron," click here.
Created on Thu Jun 05 11:30:10 EDT 2025 (updated Thu Jun 05 11:30:33 EDT 2025)

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