Tricky Twelfth Grade Word Pairs: List 6

Learn the correct meanings and usages of these commonly confused words for twelfth-grade students.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. ascent
    a movement upward
    None of the boys had ever ridden an elevator more than a few floors in a hotel, and the rapid ascent both thrilled and frightened them. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
    To see more usage examples of "ascent," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "ascent" and "assent," click here.
  2. assent
    agreement with a statement or proposal to do something
    When I ask if I can serve myself, he nods assent. The Hunger Games
    To see more usage examples of "assent," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "ascent" and "assent," click here.
  3. cannon
    a large artillery gun that is usually on wheels
    Drums beat and fifes blew and beneath everything was the steady clockwork blast of the British cannons firing at the troops stationed north of us. Chains
    To see more usage examples of "cannon," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "cannon" and "canon," click here.
  4. canon
    a set group of works thought to be representative of a field
    By then I’d read Chancellor Williams, J. A. Rogers, and John Jackson—writers central to the canon of our new noble history. Between the World and Me
    To see more usage examples of "canon," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "cannon" and "canon," click here.
  5. climactic
    consisting of or causing a decisive moment
    The movie’s climactic moment features a dark-cloaked hero chasing a villain in white on horseback, finally toppling him from his horse in front of a church. Salon
    To see more usage examples of "climactic," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "climactic" and "climatic," click here.
  6. climatic
    of or relating to weather in some location over time
    If these climatic and geological disasters occurred throughout the Norte Chico, they could have brought to an end the civilization that began in the area two millennia before. 1491
    To see more usage examples of "climatic," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "climactic" and "climatic," click here.
  7. disinterested
    unaffected by concern for one's own welfare
    So Theseus became King of Athens, a most wise and disinterested king. Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
    To see more usage examples of "disinterested," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "disinterested" and "uninterested," click here.
  8. uninterested
    not having or showing a sense of concern or curiosity
    But when she tried to engage him in conversation he seemed uninterested, taking my hand and backing away, his gestures saying, “Thanks, but no thanks.” The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother
    To see more usage examples of "uninterested," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "disinterested" and "uninterested," click here.
  9. elusive
    skillful at evading capture
    New beekeepers are told that the way to find the elusive queen is by first locating her circle of attendants. The Secret Life of Bees
    To see more usage examples of "elusive," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "elusive" and "illusive," click here.
  10. illusive
    based on or having the nature of a fantasy
    There were no shadows under the trees but everywhere a pearly stillness, so that what was real seemed illusive and without definition. Lord of the Flies
    To see more usage examples of "illusive," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "elusive" and "illusive," click here.
  11. endemic
    of a disease constantly present in a particular locality
    The virus had been endemic in Europe for centuries, which meant that most Europeans were exposed to it before adulthood. 1491
    To see more usage examples of "endemic," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "endemic" and "epidemic," click here.
  12. epidemic
    a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease
    A smallpox epidemic in 1713 was the biggest single step in the destruction of South Africa’s native San people by European settlers. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
    To see more usage examples of "epidemic," click here.
    To learn more about the commonly confused words "endemic" and "epidemic," click here.
Created on Wed Jun 25 10:11:03 EDT 2025 (updated Wed Jun 25 10:12:09 EDT 2025)

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