~ The 21 Most Misused English Words ~

[MysteRy]

16. Fortuitous

What they think it means: Lucky.

What it actually means: By chance.

 
A fortuitous event differs from an event of luck by being neutral. If you find a winning lottery ticket on the street, that is lucky. If you then slip and fall, losing the ticket, that is fortuitous.

[MysteRy]

17. Can

What they think it means: What is permissible.
What it actually means: What is possible.
 

If you were to ask me: “Can I have a drink?”, you’re not asking me if you are allowed to have a drink, but rather, if you are actually capable of drinking.

[MysteRy]

18. Literally

What they think it means: Figuratively.

What it actually means: Actually.
 

What you use “Literally”, you’re saying that something happened in the literal sense of the word and not as a figure of speech. If you were to say “There were literally a million cars on the road” then it means that the number of cars on the road was exactly one million, no more, no less.

[MysteRy]

19. Total

Total means exactly what people think it means but it is used unnecessarily on a frequent basis. When there is a total of 50 people, the total is 50 whether or not you use the word “total”. You might hear someone say that they were totally surprised. Surprise is not a conditional emotion - You were either surprised, or you were not. The use of total doesn't add anything of value to the sentence.

[MysteRy]

20. Conversate

What they think it means: To have a conversation.

What it actually means: Nothing.

 
It comes from a mix of “Converse” and “Conversation”, but it's simply not a real word and it doesn't have meaning.

[MysteRy]

21. Irregardless

What they think it means: Without regard.

What it actually means: Nothing.
 

Like conversate above, irregardless isn’t actually a word. When people say irregardless, they actually mean to say regardless.

[LoShiNi]

[MysteRy]