14. Distinct/distinctive

Distinct is clear: a distinct difference, distinct outline, distinct advantage. Distinctive means being different from something else. You may need a distinctive trademark, distinctive design, distinctive slogan, i.e. something that stands out, something that people recognize because it is striking. Combining the two, you could say that a signpost can be made more distinctive by using more distinct lettering.

15. Eatable/edible

Eatable means that something is of a quality suitable for eating. As comment on somebody's standard of cooking it expresses a very low degree of enthusiasm:

16. How did you like her dinner? Well, it was eatable…

Edible means suitable for human consumption, because the food contains nothing that will poison you. Illustrated books will enlighten you on edible and inedible mushrooms, for example. Negative form of eatable: uneatable.

17. Economic/economical

Economic refers to the science of economics. You can have economic factors, an economic return on investment, an economic business. People can never be called economic. Economical is the opposite of wasteful and can be applied to people and objects. If money is involved, economical is simply money-saving. He is very economical in his buying habits = spends little. The new engine is highly economical = uses little fuel. In a court case someone once admitted that he had been economical with the truth, a very elegant way of saying that he was not telling the whole truth.

18. Efficient/proficient

Efficient is competent, well organized. It can be applied to people or things: She is incredibly efficient. Proficient means qualified, skilled, an expert at something. It can be applied to people only: They are proficient in (at) braille. It is quite possible that someone proficient (who knows his special field) can at the same time be inefficient, if he forgets to answer letters or has a messy workshop. e.g. /i.e. These two abbreviations are often confused. An example, a limited selection is introduced by e.g. This is short for "exempli gratia". When reading it aloud, say for example, for instance or, if you insist, 'ee-gee': They manufacture medical appliances, e.g. syringes, catheters, surgical instruments, etc. An explanation, a definition is introduced by i.e. (id est). Say 'eye-ee", 'namely', 'that is 'or 'that is to say' when reading it aloud: They have three major product lines, i.e. chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics.

19. Egoist/egotist

The extra 't' makes a considerable difference, although both people are not wildly attractive characters. An egoist is the same kind of person you have in other languages; someone who thinks only of himself; someone who is selfish. An egotist (remember that 't' to denote talking) is a person who talks a lot about himself. An egotist is probably also an egoist, but an egoist is often no egotist. (He keeps very quiet while he is gobbling that pound of chocolates when nobody is looking.)

20. Electric/electrical

Electric describes individual products that are in some way actuated by electricity: electric light, electric train, electric motor, and so on. It includes electric eel and electric shock. Electrical describes anything else connected with electricity, also the collective nouns of electricity-powered products: electrical engineer, electrical science, electrical appliances, electrical phenomenon, and so forth. Using the two adjectives in one sentence you would be quite correct in saying: Our electric toaster is an electrical appliance.