More commonly confused words.

Fawn/faun

Used as a noun, fawn means a young deer in its first year. As a verb, fawn, for example to fawn over someone, means to show too much respect, hoping to get personal advantage as a result. A faun is a creature from mythology, half human and half goat. In Thai English when the word fawn is meant, we sometimes see it spelled wrong as faun.

Interested/ interesting

To be interested in something or someone means to be concerned, to experience a feeling of interest. The adjective interested can mean to be curious or keen about something. The adjective interesting means to draw the attention of others. Something that is interesting is exciting or fascinating. In Thai English people often make the mistake of saying:

I am interesting in that.

This is wrong, because the person who says this is really claiming to be exciting or fascinating. Instead, the correct way of saying the same thing would be:

I am interested in that.

Other examples:

Bangkok museums offer even more interesting, interactive exhibits to spark young imaginations and foster a love of learning.

Could you recommend a place to stay in an interesting part of Chiang Mai at a price not exceeding Bt2000?

I have jotted down the interesting things from the discussion with the Thai experts in the seven key areas.

Singaporean casino operator interested in investing in Thailand.

Thais getting more interested in cashless society.

Interested candidates may apply in person on Wednesday or Thursday from 9am to 5pm or send in an application.

After speaking with interested parties, the research group was able to divide the facilities category into two group.

Uninterested/disinterested.

These two words have very different meanings, but unfortunately are often confused. Someone who is uninterested feels no interest in something, and is bored. To be disinterested is usually a good thing, since it means you have no personal investment in what happens, so you are objective. A judge should be disinterested during a court case. A judge should never be uninterested. Since few people are truly disinterested, the word uninterested is used far more often than disinterested. This mistake occurs often even in English-language newspapers such as The Nation which usually have a good standard of English usage.

After graduating with law degrees, students must answer for their conduct to disinterested, impartial prosecutors, and impartial, disinterested judges.

Founding the Thai Children’s Trust charity as an assistance program was an act of disinterested generosity.

The court case in Pattaya was notable for unrestricted and disinterested testimony.

A disinterested, unbiased third party was called to testify as part of the trial.

Uninterested in fighting, Mekhala turns and runs away.

More Thais are avoiding direct contacts with people around them when their mobile phones are within reach. Phubbing, or snubbing someone by looking at your phone instead of paying attention, makes people feel frustrated, or like the person is uninterested in them or the conversation.

The Thai media is generally uninterested and oblivious to the issue.

People who are charitable by nature tend to be uninterested in making vast personal fortunes.

Currant/current

A currant is a small seedless raisin used in cooking. Current can either refer to a flow of electrical charge or what is happening right now. To avoid making the mistake of spelling one of the words with the letter a or the letter e when you mean the other word, try to tell yourself a little story about the word. For example, the phrase current events features two words which contain the letters ent. If you remember the ent, you will be less likely to spell the word wrong as currant when you really mean to be writing either about electricity or something belonging to the present moment.

Green Tea has a lovely aftertaste of black currant and caramel.

The moisturizing lotion nourishes with lace violet, iridescent currant and sheer sandalwood.

The wine had the aromas of fresh red summer berries – strawberry, raspberry and red currant with a peppery hint.

The Education Ministry is planning to cancel the current assessment criteria prescribed by the Office for National Education Standards and Quality Assessment.

Current is a flow of electrical charge carriers, usually electrons or electron-deficient atoms.

The current ratio is a liquidity ratio that measures a company’s ability to pay short-term obligations, calculated as a company’s total current assets divided by its total current liabilities.

Sceptic or skeptic/ septic

A sceptic or skeptic is a person who feels doubt. Skeptic is the way the word is spelled in American usage, while in rest of the world, it is usually seen as sceptic. A sceptic is sceptical by nature, always questioning if what other people say is true or not. Reacting with doubt may be described as scepticism. When used to describe a person’s medical condition, septic means infected with bacteria. If it refers to the drainage system of a house, including a septic tank, the word septic can have a more general term of bad elements that must be disposed of.

Sceptics, clinging to more traditional approaches, say that science has been corrupted by the billions of dollars in government funding for climate-change research and agencies and industries that claim to be fighting climate change.

I’d just like to go on record as saying, as a true sceptic, that I disagree with exaggeration, no matter which side of the fence it emanates from.

Police may have spoken their last word on the murder investigation, but sceptics and amateur detectives still have plenty to say online.

I was interested in the article about those kids in Chiang Mai with salmonella infection and especially that girl with severe septic shock.

We have come up with a solar septic tank that can produce up to 1.5 liters of methane per day.

Industrial polluters can turn rivers septic and transform fertile regions into wastelands.

(all images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).