day 15: when a word just “eludes” you (or is that “alludes” you?)

Another Wacky Word pair that is commonly confused is that of “elude” and “allude.” Here is another time when roots and spin-offs of a word come in handy.

1. Elude
1. Related to elusive—“The word was so elusive. It just wouldn’t come to me.”
2. I think of elude with exclude—I excluded the word from the program because its spelling eluded me. (That may or may not help you!)

2. Allude
1. Related to ludicrous: Hint—“What he alluded to was ludicrous!”
2. Related to allusion—“He made an allusion to our previous conversation.”

Tricky Tricks to Help It Stick:

1. What he alluded to was ludicrous (allud/lud).
2. The word was excluded from the program because its spelling eluded me (exclude/elude).