Ingenuous vs Ingenious
ingenuous
naive/innocent
ingenious
clever/inventive
How to tell them apart
ingenUOUS = a naive YOUth (the U-U = wide, innocent eyes). ingeniOUS hides GENIUS (ingeni-US), so it means clever.
Test yourself
Which word fits from context? Pick one, then reveal the answer. This is exactly how the GRE tests these pairs.
Question 1
So was the young intern that she believed every flattering promise, never suspecting the executives intended to exploit her trust.
Choose: ingenuous or ingenious
Show answer
Answer: ingenuous
"believed every flattering promise" and "never suspecting... exploit her trust" force ingenuous (naive); ingenious (clever) contradicts.
Question 2
The engineer devised an mechanism that folded flat for storage yet deployed instantly, solving a problem others had abandoned as impossible.
Choose: ingenuous or ingenious
Show answer
Answer: ingenious
"devised... solving a problem others abandoned as impossible" forces ingenious (clever/inventive); ingenuous does not fit.
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