confuse
gb/kənfjˈuz/ us/kənfjˈuz/
B1
English
~ 2900
Senses
0 senses
Verb
B1
action
1
Make someone unable to think clearly
To make someone not understand something or think in a clear way.
Usage pattern:
to confuse [someone]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'confuse' with 'confuse with', which has a different meaning (mixing up two things).
Synonyms
puzzle (Often suggests causing curiosity or bafflement rather than mental clarity loss.)
|
bewilder (Stronger sense of making someone completely unsure or lost.)
Antonyms
clarify (Means to make something clear and easy to understand.)
Collocations
confuse the reader
|confuse the listener
|confuse the audience
|confuse the issue
Themes
emotions
|communication
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
|education
Examples
- The complicated instructions confused everyone in the room.
- Her strange answer confused me even more.
- The map's symbols confused the tourists.
- He tried to explain, but only confused her further.
Learner examples
- The story confused me.
- This math problem confuses many students.
- The teacher's words confused the class.
- Your question confuses me.
Verb
B1
action
2
Mistake one thing for another
To think that one person or thing is a different person or thing.
Usage pattern:
to confuse [someone/something] with [someone/something else]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes forget to use 'with' after 'confuse' in this sense.
Synonyms
mix up (Informal equivalent, often used in everyday conversation.)
Antonyms
distinguish (Means to see or show the difference between things.)
Collocations
easily confuse A with B
|confuse names
|confuse facts
Themes
daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- I always confuse her with her twin sister.
- He confused the salt with the sugar when baking.
- People often confuse me with my older brother.
Learner examples
- I confuse my neighbor with his brother.
- She confused John with Peter.
- He confused the two words.
Verb
B2
action
3
Make something unclear or difficult to follow
To make something harder to understand.
Usage pattern:
to confuse [the issue/topic/matter]
Synonyms
obscure (More formal; often used in writing or academic contexts.)
Antonyms
clarify (Means to make a statement or situation easier to understand.)
Collocations
confuse the issue
|confuse the facts
|confuse the message
Themes
communication
|education
Examples
- Adding too many details will only confuse the main point.
- The politician's speech confused the issue further.
- Mixing unrelated topics can confuse the discussion.
Learner examples
- Too many ideas confuse the topic.
- Extra information confused my report.
- His answer confused the question.
Grammar
Dictionary form
confuse
IPA
GB/kənfjˈuz/
US/kənfjˈuz/
Syllables & stress
con - fuse (2 syllables)
Stress on 2nd syllable (fuse)
Word forms
Verb
- Base: confuse
- 3rd Person Singular: confuses
- Present Participle: confusing
- Past: confused
Word family
Forms
confuses
verb
confusing
verb
confused
verb
Core family
confusion
noun B1
Related words
confusingly
adverb
Advanced or less common
confusable
adjective
Expressions
confuse someone with someone else
1/kənfjˈuz sˈʌmwˌʌn wˈɪθ sˈʌmwˌʌn ˈɛls/
fixed phrase
Mistake one person for another
To think that one person is another person by mistake.
Examples
- I think you’ve confused me with my cousin.
- She confused the actor with his brother.
confuse the issue
1/kənfjˈuz ðə ˈɪʃu/
fixed phrase
Make a topic harder to understand
To make a subject harder to understand by adding things that are not important or are unclear.
Examples
- Bringing up old arguments will only confuse the issue.
- The witness's vague statements confused the issue in court.