Irish Language/Commonly Confused Words

Below is a list of words commonly confused by Irish language students.

Similar Words

Tips on dealing with commonly confused words:

Focus on pronunciation

Often these words look similar on the page but sound very different.

Respect your fadas

Don't ignore fadas, even though tools like Duolingo might let you get away with it.

Drill sentences, not just words

Include sample sentences in your flash card "answers" to get you used to seeing a word in its proper context.

Concentrate on the most common word

If you can quickly recognize and produce the most common word in the group, it will be easier to recognize the others

áirithe

áirigh means to count
áirithe means "certain, particular"

aithin

aithin means to know or identify
aithne means acquaintance or recognition
aithris means to recite or imitate

áit

air is the masculine singular compound prepositional form of "ar" ("on him")
áit means "place"
ait means "likeable" or "funny, queer"

beagnach

beagnach means "almost"
bealach means "trip", "route", or "way"

buíocan

buíocán means "yolk"
buíochas means "gratitude"

cathair

cathaoir means "chair".
cathair means "city".
ceathair means "four".

cathain means "when".
cabhair means "help".
comhair menas "count".

ceann

ceann means "head", "roof", "end" or "one".
céanna means "same".
cheana means "already" or "previously".

ceannaigh

ceannaigh means "buy"
coinnigh means "keep"

cíor

cíor means comb
cíos means rent

comh-

The prefix comh- means mutual, joint, or common, and words with this prefix can be hard for English speakers to distinguish:

comhairle means advice or a (town, city) council
comhaltas (comh + altas, foster-sibling) means a body of persons, a brotherhood (usually an organization), or a membership
comhartha means a sign or symbol
comhlacht (comh + lucht, cargo or crowd) means a company

cos

caol means slender
cos means foot or leg
col means sin, incest, or something prohibited

clog

clog means bell or clock
cloch means stone

deis

deas means "(to the) south" or "nice"
deir is the present tense of abair ("say")
deis means "right (side)"
déag is used in numbers between 10 and 20 ("-teen")

fear/fuar

fear means "man".
féar means "grass".
fearr means "better".

fuar means "cold". fuair means "got".

feil

fuil is the dependent form of "bí", usually seen eclipsed as "bhfuil"; it also means "blood"
feil means "suit, be suitable for"

ge

ga means spear, dart, or ray
gá means need
gé means goose

imir

imir means to play (a game)
imigh means to leave

labhair

labhair means "speak"
leabhar means "book"
leaba means "bed"
leanbh means "baby"

lámh means "hand"
léamh means "reading"
leannán means "lover"
léirigh means "explain"

leathuair

leathuair means half an hour
leathreas means toilet (literally derived from "leithleachas," separateness)

muintir

muinteoir means "teacher".
muintir means "people".

nó

nó means "or".
ná means "nor", "neither".
na is the article in the plural and feminine singular genitive.

post

post means "job" or "post".
pós means to marry.
pósta means "married".

siúl

sáil means "heel"
saol means "life"
seol means "send" or "sail"
saor means "free" or "cheap"

siúl means "walk".
súil means "eye".

seo

seo means "this"
seó means "show"
só means "joy"

timpeall

timpeall means "circuit"
timpeallacht means "environment"
timpeallán means "roundabout" or "carousel"

trá

trá means "beach"
tráth means hour or occasion
trácht means beach, base, or journey

Words with Multiple Meanings

Another source of confusion is words with multiple meanings. A word like "a" can be hard to distill into a simple flash card, and if your flash cards only have one meaning of a word like "ann" on them, it can be hard to recognize when context calls for a different meaning.

a

a is used before a noun (e.g., a name) to address someone or something.

  A Sheáin...        Seán,...
  A chara...         (Dear) Friend,...
  Féach, a Mhamaí!   Look, Ma! 

a is also used before a noun to indicate possession.

  a chara   his friend
  a cara    her friend
  a gcara   their friend

a is also used before a number when counting.

  a haon, a dó, a trí...   one, two, three...

a is also used before a verbal noun when the direct object precedes it.

  Tá mé sásta míle a shiúl.   I am willing to walk a mile.

a is also used before a verb in a relative clause.

  Feicim an fear a bhí sásta.                 I see the man who was satisfied.
  Feicim an bord a bhfuil an leabhar air.   I see the table which the book is on.

an

an can mean "the".

  Feicim an sagart.   I see the priest.

an is also used to form a question.

  An bhfuil sí anseo?   Is she here?

an- is a prefix meaning "very", "excellent", or "great".

  Tá Máirtin an-mhór.       Máirtin is very big.
  Tá an-charr ag Máirtin.   Máirtin has an excellent car.

ann

ann can mean "there" or "in it", or simply to complete a sentence with the verb tá.

  Tá teach ann.       There is a house (there).
  Tá sé seomra ann.   There are six rooms in it.

ann can also mean "able".

  Tá an crann in ann fás.   The tree is able to grow.

aon

aon can mean "one" or "any".

  Tá aon charr amháin ag Cáit.     Cáit has one car.
  Níl aon charr ag Cáit.   Cáit hasn't any car.

dá

dá (dhá) is used in the conditional mood to mean "if".

  Dá mbeadh Máirtín anseo...   If Máirtín were here...

dá (dhá) can also mean "to/for his/her/its/their".

  Thug sé dá cháirde iad.   He gave them to his friends.
  Thug sé dá cáirde iad.    He gave them to her friends.
  Thug sé dá gcáirde iad.   He gave them to their friends.

dhá can also mean "two", when followed by a noun.

  dhá chapall   two horses

do

do can mean "your".

  do chóta   your coat

do is also used to "to" or "for".

  Tá mé ag scríobh litir do Cháit.   I am writing a letter for Cáit.

dó can also mean "to/for him/it".

  Tabhair an leitir seo dó.   Give this letter to him.

dó can also mean "two" (without a noun, e.g., when counting).

  a haon, a dó, a trí...   one, two, three...

dó also means "burning".

is

is means "is", "am", "are".

  Is mé an dochtúr.   I am the doctor.

is can also be a contraction for agus("and").

sé

sé can mean he, it, or six.

  Tá sé láidir.           He is strong.
  Tá sé chapall anseo.   There are six horses here.