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Prepositions after verbs

Confuse with, about, or by?

Confuse with is used for mixing one thing up with another. Confused about describes uncertainty about a topic. Confused by describes the cause of confusion.

Quick answer

Which preposition goes with confuse?

Use confuse with when one thing is mistaken for another. Use confused about for uncertainty about a subject or situation. Use confused by for the thing causing confusion.

People often confuse twins with each other.
I am confused about the new policy.
Students were confused by the instructions.

Choose the pattern by meaning

These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.

1
confuse A with B

Mixing up two people or things

Use confuse with when someone mistakes one thing for another.

She confused the actor with his brother.
Do not confuse price with value.
2
be confused about + topic

Being uncertain about something

Use confused about for lack of understanding about a subject, plan, or situation.

Many voters are confused about the new rules.
I am still confused about the schedule.
3
be confused by + cause

Showing what causes confusion

Use confused by for the thing that creates confusion.

Visitors were confused by the unclear signs.
He seemed confused by her reaction.

See the difference in context

The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.

Construction
Example
Meaning
confuse with
People confuse Mars with Venus.
mistake one thing for another
confused about
She is confused about the instructions.
uncertain about a topic or situation
confused by
We were confused by the technical language.
affected by something that causes confusion
confuse about
The sentence confused me about the timeline.
possible when about introduces the topic affected, but less common than confused about

Common mistakes

Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.

Using confuse with for uncertainty

Use confused about when talking about uncertainty or lack of understanding.

✕ I am confused with the homework. ✓ I am confused about the homework.

Using by instead of with for mistaken identity

Use confuse A with B when one thing is mistaken for another.

✕ She confused Anna by Elsa. ✓ She confused Anna with Elsa.

Missing the object after confuse with

Confuse with normally needs two things to compare.

✕ People confuse with easily. ✓ People confuse the two brands with each other.

Quick practice

Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.

1. I sometimes ___ my passwords with each other.
2. The children were confused ___ the complicated map.
3. She is confused ___ what to do next.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I say confused with a topic?

Usually no. For uncertainty about a topic, use confused about.

Is confuse by correct?

Confused by is common. Plain confuse by is much less common and usually appears in passive structures such as be confused by.

What is the difference between confused by and confused about?

Confused by names the cause of confusion, while confused about names the subject or issue.

calculate, by, calculate, in, calculate, from "call for" or "call on"? "campaign for" or "campaign against"? cancel by, due, at, in or for? capitulate to, in, like, by or after? captivate by, for, with, from or in? "capture by" or "capture in"? "care about" or "care for"? carry with, by, in, to or into? carve into, out, in, on or with? cast in, into, for, by or on? "catch in", "catch by" or "catch on"?

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