The word I’m after is
Abuse, misuse or disabuse? They all seem alike but have very different meanings, and are commonly misused.
To abuse something means to treat it so badly that you damage it. To misuse something means to use it wrongly or incorrectly. And to disabuse someone or something means to show them that their thinking is wrong.
Difference between affect and effect
The word affect is a verb and effect is both a verb and a noun. You can affect something by having an effect on it or make a difference to something or someone.
Less commonly known is its second meaning (affect is a homograph): pretend to feel something or have something; to make an impression on others.
Effect as a noun means, ‘a change which is a result or consequence of an action or other cause; become operative; an impression etc. As a verb, it means ‘to cause (something) to happen; bring about.
Useful Mnemonic
RAVEN: Remember, Affect, Verb (and noun), Effect, Noun.
Among or Between
Use the word between for two things; among for more than two. E.g. Between you and me, there’s no way we can divide these five loaves and two fishes; among our five thousand guests, there could be a winner.
Useful Mnemonic
- between: two
- among: many
Source: Oxford English Dictionary