On Misused words, We all love to sound sophisticated when we communicate interpersonally. Hence, our use of big words that we sometimes pick up from friends, blogs, that we never bother to look through a dictionary to vet.

Well, today we want to bring to light some those words commonly misused, their meaning and their correct usage.

These words are:

1. DICHOTOMY: It means two mutually exclusive alternatives and does not mean difference or discrepancy

Correct Use: The conference focused on the dichotomy of public and private education.

2. NOISOME: It means Smelly and does not mean Noisy

Correct Use: They made wry faces at the Noisome smell of mortifying flesh that came from the wound.

3. HUNG: It means Suspended and does not mean Suspended from the neck until dead.

Correct Use: The Keys hung on the wall beside the door.

4. DISINTERESTED: It means Unbiased and does not mean uninterested.

Correct Use: In his view of disinterested actions,…

5. INTERN: It means to detain or to imprison and does not mean to inter or to bury.

Correct Use: The Attorney-General was authorized by the President to intern dangerous enemy aliens and by an Act of Congress.

6. LITERALLY: It means in actual fact and does not mean figuratively as widely used.

Correct Use: Time Literally ticked as he read the blog post.

7. NEW AGE: It means spirituality, holistic and does not mean Modern or futuristic.

Correct Use: There is a real new age.

8. PROTAGONIST: It means active character and does not mean proponent.

Correct Use: Alice in the story, Alice in Wonderland is the Protagonist.

9. PROSCRIBE: It means to condemn or forbid and does not mean to prescribe, recommend and direct.

Correct Use: My Religion proscribe eating meat on sabbath days.

10. DATA: This is a plural count or a mass noun so to say. Datum is singular.