Crucial or Critical — While the two might be used interchangeably, critical works best for extreme danger and crucial for something very important. It may be crucial to pay bills on time, but when the debtor is about to be sued, his condition has become critical.
Healthy or Healthful — Use healthful when the intended meaning is “promoting good health.” Healthy applies to anything in good health. A healthful snack will keep us healthy.
Aggravate or Annoy — Aggravate means to worsen or intensify. Annoy means to be disturb or bother someone. People may be annoyed by the aggravated air quality.
Farther or Further — Farther refers to physical distance, which is easy to remember if you notice that the word contains “far.” Further applies to distance in the metaphorical or figurative sense. If we need to drive farther down the road, we’ll need further instruction.
Instance or Instant — An instance is an occurrence, a moment in time. Instant refers to something sudden or quick, marking the speed of time. After three instances of failure, he was looking for instant success. A moment can be an instance, but not an instant. Example: For an insane instant moment, she wanted him to kiss her.
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