你应该 accept 还是 except 一个邀请？你在饭后吃的是 dessert 还是 desert？英语中有很多令人困惑的单词，它们在拼写和发音上可能非常相似，但含义却截然不同。以下是10组常见的混淆单词，以及如何在适当的时候使用正确的词。

'Dessert' or 'Desert'

Dessert 是一道甜点，而 desert 是炎热干燥的沙漠。例句：

• After dinner, I had a delicious dessert.

• The Sahara is a vast desert.

'Accept' or 'Except'

Accept 意思是接受或同意某事，而 except 的意思是 "excluding"（排除）。例句：

• She accepted the invitation to the party.

• Everyone was invited except John.

'There' or 'Their'

There 是指地方副词，而 their 是物主代词，表示“他们的”。例句：

• Their house is over there.

'Principle' or 'Principal'

Principles 是指信仰、价值观或基本事实，而 principal 的意思是学校的领导者或主要的事物。例句：

• He believes in the principles of honesty.

• The principal of the school is very kind.

'Advice' or 'Advise'

Advice 是一个名词，而 advise 是动词。因此你可以通过给某人 advice 来 advise 此人。例句：

• She gave me some great advice.

• I advise you to stay home if you're feeling sick.

'Borrow' or 'Lend'

Borrow 是借进，而 lend 是借出。例句：

• Can I borrow your car?

• Sorry, I can't lend it to you today.

'Despite' or 'Although'

这两个词有相似的意思但用法不同。Despite 是一个介词，而 although 是一个连词。例句：

• He won the race despite his injury.

• He won the race although he had an injury.

'Affect' or 'Effect'

Affect 是一个动词，表示“影响”，而 effect 是名词，表示“影响或结果”。例句：

• The effect of the war is enormous; it has affected all sectors of the economy.

'Personal' or 'Personnel'

Personal 是指个人的，例如个人信息，而 personnel 的意思是公司的员工。例句：

• Your personal information includes your name, age, and nationality.

• The personnel of the company are very skilled.

'Assure' or 'Ensure'

Assure 某人就是去除他们的疑虑或使其安心，而 ensure 的意思是确保某事的发生。例句：

• I assured him that you would be there.

• Please ensure that you get to the meeting on time.

小贴士： 这些词汇虽然拼写相似，但在语法和意义上有明显的不同。理解这些差异，能够帮助你在日常交流中避免常见错误。