Commonly Confused Words

Waive vs. Wave

1 min read

Waive and wave sound exactly the same, but their meanings couldn’t be more different. One is about giving something up, and the other is about movement or the ocean — easy to mix up if you're not careful!

Waive

Waive means to give up a right, claim, rule, or requirement. You “waive” something when you decide it won't apply.

The bank agreed to waive the fees.
You can waive your right to a lawyer.
They waived the registration requirement this year.

Wave

Wave has two common meanings: moving your hand back and forth, or the large moving water you see at the beach.

She waved at me from across the street.
The waves were huge during the storm.
He gave a quick wave before leaving.

💡 Tip

Wave = hand movement or ocean → imagine a hand “waving like a wave.”
Waive = to give something up → contains “ai” like in “claim,” which you might choose to waive.

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Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

The company agreed to ___ the late payment charge.

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Commonly Confused Words

Waive vs. Wave

1 min read

Waive

Waive means to give up a right, claim, rule, or requirement. You “waive” something when you decide it won't apply.

The bank agreed to waive the fees.
You can waive your right to a lawyer.
They waived the registration requirement this year.

Wave

Wave has two common meanings: moving your hand back and forth, or the large moving water you see at the beach.

She waved at me from across the street.
The waves were huge during the storm.
He gave a quick wave before leaving.

💡 Tip

Wave = hand movement or ocean → imagine a hand “waving like a wave.”
Waive = to give something up → contains “ai” like in “claim,” which you might choose to waive.

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

The company agreed to ___ the late payment charge.

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

Other similar rules

Common confusions

Like vs. Such as

Agreement rules

Omission of Auxiliary Verbs in Questions/Negatives (e.g. He not go)

Common confusions

Your vs. You're

Common mistakes

Since vs. For

Common confusions

Past vs. Passed

Conjugation

Gerund vs. Infinitive (e.g. enjoy doing vs. want to do)

Common confusions

“Different from” vs. “Different than”

Conjugation