“Undo” or “Undue”—Which to use?

“Undo” or “Undue”

Overview

undo / undue are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term. 👇

Definitions

undo: (verb) cancel, annul, or reverse an action or its effect. (verb) cause the ruin or downfall of.

undue: (adjective) not yet payable. (adjective) not appropriate or proper (or even legal) in the circumstances. (adjective) lacking justification or authorization.

Pronunciation

undo: ah·n·d·UW

undue: ah·n·d·UW

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Examples in Context

Examples of “undo”

…format allows the concept of Undo Changes: when enabled, all changes…
…exorcisms and white magic to undo curses and black magic.
…President’s Federal Pay Hike," to undo Obama's blanket federal pay hike.
…project has been undertaken to undo damage caused by the earthquake…
The semifinals saw Milano undo Brindisi 76-65, having led the…
The player can undo a wrong move and swap…
…menu and in-game hint and undo buttons at the bottom of…
He had to undo his bed each morning since…
…foundations and, every night, would undo the construction work and magically…
…within such a block will undo these changes.

Examples of “undue”

…selfishness has caused them all undue grief.
…to what they felt was undue attention being focused on Ireland…
…there was no evidence of undue influence.
…Courts should sternly repress any undue license in such criticisms or
…he had exerted inappropriate and undue influence to derail an investigation…
…alcoholism, accusations of his using undue influence on a patient for…
…since 1927 without delay or undue expense, and the first servicing…
…effectively use the equipment without undue delay.
…in English contract law on undue influence (Lloyds Bank Ltd v
…24-hour waiting period could cause undue burden on women, especially those…

(Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions drawn from WordNet.)

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