to confuse

Examples

• All

• I'm a little confused by your tactics.

  Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)

• Please do not confuse this with the rates.

• Then you come along and confuse me even more.

  Lost Horizon (1973)

• So first of all, let's not confuse truth with information.

• Do not allow the casual nature of e-mail to confuse you; this is still a business letter.

  Academic text (2011)

• You're trying to confuse me.

  Brick (2006)

• As teachers, our choice of words can wound and confuse or reassure and instruct.

  Academic text (2012)

• When he is stressed or confused, he will twirl his hair, flap his hands, or begin to cry.

  Academic text (2015)

• The instructions can often confuse users who are not familiar with the system.

• Do not confuse the symptoms of a cold with those of the flu.

Synonyms

T

to throw

vsto confuse

321 7.8

To make someone feel confused or unsure

causes inability to think clearly but often without emotional disturbance

O

to obscure

vsto confuse

86 7.0

Make something hard to see or understand

creates lack of clear thought but does not always imply hiding

P

to puzzle

vsto confuse

73 4.9

To make someone feel confused when something is hard to understand

creates general unclear thinking but can also apply to clear puzzling facts

B

to baffle

vsto confuse

65 5.3

To make someone very confused and unable to understand

creates unclear thinking but may not imply a lasting mystery

M

to mix up

vsto confuse

• Informal

65 2.7

To make people confused and things messy

causes inability to think clearly but may not imply physical disorder

B

to blur

vsto confuse

61 3.6

To make something hard to see or understand

causes difficulty understanding but can also affect a person's thought process

P

to perplex

vsto confuse

35 6.3

To make someone confused and unable to understand

creates difficulty understanding but can be more general and mild

M

to muddle

vsto confuse

33 4.8

Mix things up so they are unclear

produces difficulty understanding but can be more about mental state

B

to bewilder

vsto confuse

29 5.3

Make someone very confused and unable to think clearly

means the same loss of clarity but can be less extreme

M

to mystify

vsto confuse

28 6.5

To make someone confused by making something seem mysterious

causes lack of clear thought without necessarily making things mysterious

C

to confound

vsto confuse

22 7.0

Make someone unable to think clearly

produces confusion but often without surprise or astonishment

D

to disorient

vsto confuse

22 5.2

To make a person feel confused about where they are or what to do

produces confused thinking generally rather than a spatial disorientation

M

to muddy

vsto confuse

18 4.4

Make something less clear or more confusing

affects clarity of ideas but can also directly affect a person's thinking

B

to befuddle

vsto confuse

11 7.8

To make someone very confused so they cannot think clearly

causes loss of clear thinking but often less overwhelming

B

to bemuse

vsto confuse

11 7.5

To make someone feel confused or unable to understand

creates inability to think clearly but can be less passive in tone

F

to flummox

vsto confuse

7 8.6

To confuse someone so they do not know what to do or think

creates unclear thought but sometimes less complete bewilderment

A

to addle

vsto confuse

6 8.9

To make a person confused and unable to think clearly

causes unclear thought but can also refer to becoming muddled

D

to discombobulate

vsto confuse

• Informal

6 9.9

To confuse someone so they cannot think clearly

produces confusion too but can be milder or temporary

B

to bedevil

vsto confuse

2 8.2

Cause ongoing trouble and confusion for people or things

makes someone unable to think clearly but usually as a single event

V

to vex

vsto confuse

1 7.7

To confuse someone by making something hard to understand

focuses on creating unclear thought without the annoyance element

F

to fuddle

vsto confuse

1 9.4

To confuse someone and make them unable to think clearly

creates unclear thought but can be less intense or more informal

F

to fox

vsto confuse

8.9

To confuse someone so they cannot think clearly

makes thinking unclear without relying on trickery or surprise

M

to muddy up

vsto confuse

• Informal

6.7

To make an idea or situation unclear and confusing

makes someone unable to think clearly without necessarily complicating things

O

to obnubilate

vsto confuse

• Archaic

9.9

Make something unclear or hard to understand

causes unclear thinking but often stresses visual or conceptual clouding

D

to disorientate

vsto confuse

• UK

5.7

To make someone lose their sense of direction or feel confused

affects general clarity of thought rather than mainly spatial sense

Antonyms

E

to explain

∞ 1.0

To make something clear by describing it in simple words

C

to clarify

248 3.3

To make something clear so others can understand it

How Confusing

to flummox

7 8.6

to baffle

65 5.3

to bewilder

29 5.3

to confuse

266 1.9

to puzzle

29 3.9

Surface Forms

Morphology

Etymology