Confuse

How to spell confuse

7 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce confuse

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does confuse mean?

1. verbTo make someone unable to think clearly, or to mistake one thing for another.

Confuse in a sentence

• The vague instructions only seemed to confuse the new staff.

• People often confuse the two brothers because they look so alike.

Where does confuse come from?

Language of origin: Latin

The word traces back to the Latin verb confundere, formed from con- meaning 'together' and fundere meaning 'to pour'. Literally, then, it described liquids being poured together until they merged into an indistinguishable mass, and from that physical image grew the figurative sense of mixing things up in the mind. The past participle confusus carried the idea of being thrown into disorder, and English took the word in through Old French confondre during the medieval period. For a long time 'confound' and 'confuse' were close partners, since both descend from the same Latin root, which is why they still feel related today. Knowing that the heart of the word is the 'fus' from 'pour' (the same element seen in 'fusion' and 'infuse') helps explain why it is spelled with an s rather than a z.

How the word is built

• con- (together)
• fus (from Latin fundere, to pour)
• -e (verb)