2023-03-26 ศัพท์ น่าสับสน ชุด I – Illegible – unreadable

Revision I

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Dictionary.com

ออกเสียง Illegible = ‘ih-LEJ-uh-buhl’

ออกเสียง unreadable = ‘uhn-REE-fuh-buhl’

 

Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embre

illegible

impossible or hard to read because of 

poor handwriting or faded print: 

an illegible document

Not to be confused with:

eligible – worthy of choice; desirable: 

an eligible bachelor; 

meeting the requirement: 

eligible for parole; 

legally qualified to be elected to office: 

eligible for the presidency; 

suitable, fitting

illegible

impossible or hard to read: The handwriting was illegible.

Not to be confused with:

unreadable – not interesting; not worth reading: 

The book was unreadable.

 

Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Illegible & Unreadable

In one important way both of these words 

mean the same thing; 

they both carry the meaning of 

“not legible; indecipherable.” 

 

However, unreadable has a wider semantic breadth, 

and can also mean “impossible to interpret” 

or “not enjoyable or interesting enough to engage the reader.” 

 

A face that is devoid of expression 

might be said to be unreadable, 

as would a book that truly stinks. 

 

In neither of these cases 

would you typically use the word illegible.

 

Dictionary of Problem Words and Expression

Illegible & unreadable

These words have a shared meaning of 

“difficult to read,” “

hard to make out or decipher”: 

“Your handwriting is illegible (or unreadable)” 

“The manuscript was so faded and worn that it was unreadable (or illegible).” 

 

Unreadable has additional meaning of 

“dull” “tedious” “not interesting”: 

“I quickly became bored with what seemed to me an unreadable book.” 

“The professor handed me an unreadable treatise on metaphysics.”