Misuse of these two words is rare, but they’re worth a second look.<\/p>\n
Problem:<\/strong> Explanation:<\/strong> The challenge with these two words is that they sound fairly alike, especially when speakers are careless with pronunciation. Careless pronunciation by speakers seems to lead to misuse by those listeners who are ignorant that these are two distinct words.<\/p>\n Solution:<\/strong> Misuse of these two words is rare, but they’re worth a second look. Problem: The words “elicit” and “illicit” are not synonyms. Explanation: The primary definition of the verb “elicit” is to evoke or draw out. For example,\u00a0elicited a response with a huge lie\u00a0would be an\u00a0appropriate use of the verb. The popular definition of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,3,4,14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adjectives","category-common-english-blunders","category-verbs","category-versus"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nThe words “elicit” and “illicit” are not<\/em> synonyms.<\/p>\n
\nThe primary definition of the verb “elicit” is to evoke or draw out<\/em>. For example,\u00a0elicited a response with a huge lie<\/em>\u00a0would be an\u00a0appropriate use of the verb. The popular definition of the adjective “illicit” is disapproved for moral reasons<\/em>. For example,\u00a0an illicit association with her student<\/em>\u00a0would be an appropriate use of the adjective.<\/p>\n
\nUse “elicit” when you want to refer to evoking or drawing out; use “illicit” when you want to label something as immoral or unlawful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"