Allusive? Elusive? Illude? Something Else
- holly wogan
- Apr 9
- 3 min read
Homophones are two or more words that are pronounced alike, but mean different things are and are spelled in slightly different ways, like allude allude, elude, and Illude.
To Allude to means to refer to indirectly, to hint at something. Synonyms to Allude include
refer to
suggest
imply
mention
touch on
mention in passing
cite
Lucy alluded to her interest in James, hoping it would get back to him and he'd ask her out. If he didn't, well, that was fine. She had never said she liked him directly and could deny it to save face.
Thomas was always alluding to his great job and ample bank account, but he wasn't bragging... The more Thomas alluded to his wealth, I rolled my eyes. It seemed to me, if he was loaded with cash, he could afford a better hairpiece.
To elude means to escape notice of, or evade as in;
a) ...The police suspect hid so well that he eluded the police as they swept through the warehouse searching for him.
b) ...The elusive crypto-creature called Big Foot has been sighted several times along the same stretch of highway.
Avoid, get away from, dodge, flee, escape from, run away from, and lose are some of the synonyms for Elude.
Then comes the word Illude, meaning to trick or mock. Something that tricks "illudes", the act of trickery becomes "Illuding". This relates more to the word "Illuse" or "ill-use" meaning to treat someone badly using trickery or deception. Of course, the word Illuse, in this way, isn't used very much, it does exist and deserves to be recognized. Illusive means creating an illusion, something that's not real, that tricks or deceives the senses.
If you want to avoid the word Illude or Illuse, you can try beguile, betray, bluff, cheat, con, counterfeit, defraud, double-cross, ensnare, entangle, entice, flim - flam, fool, feign, hoodwink, maneuver, manipulate, misdirect, misinform, mislead, misrepresent, scam, sham, swindle, and many more. Not only will these words add some spice, if appropriate, but they also sound less formal and come across more clearly than Illude. To be honest, the only place Illude is used is in academic writing.
It can help to understand the origins and roots of the words too, not only with these words, but with other related words or words that share those origins and roots.
Allude comes from the Latin word Alludere or Alluse, meaning to "play with"
Prefix Ad - towards with the root word Ludere, to play (to play towards)
Origins in the 1500's, Middle English Alluden (Modern English, Allusion)
Elude comes from the Latin word Eludere, meaning to finish play, to escape from, or mock.
Prefix Ex - Out or Away with the root word Ludere, to play
Origins in the 1500's
Illude comes from the Latin word Illudere or Illuse, and joined late Middle English as Illude.
Prefix In - in, into with the root word Ludere, to play
Origin in the 1500's, Middle English Illuden (Modern English, Illusion)
The biggest problem is that I have, now having an understanding of what they mean and how to use them is remembering the Allude and Illude has two L's and elude only has one.
Many words are rooted in Lud/Lus were used as interchangeable root words
Ludicrous, meaning amusing or laughable
Allude (Allusion, Allusive), meaning "to hint at"
Elude (Elusion, Elusive), meaning "to evade"
Illude/Illuse (Illusion, Illusive), meaning "to deceive"
Collude (Collusion, Collusive), meaning to conspire together against in secret
Delude (Delusion), meaning to mislead or deceive
Prelude, which is an introduction performance or event
Interlude, which is a brief break in between long shows or performances
Conclude, to end (f.e. a performance, show, or event) doesn't follow the pattern even if it looks like it should. Conclude comes from the Latin word Concludere, meaning to shut up, close, or end.
Con- is a prefix means together or completely and Claudere is the root word meaning to close.
In Middle English, it became Concluden, which led to Conclude...
So, in conclusion, English can be a confusing language, but the more we use it and understand it, and dig into its roots, the more sense it begins to make. Choosing the right word is important, and if you're unsure of that word, look it up, or find a different one, depending on what your writing and why.
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