Here’s another installment of Word Knots, where we discuss common instances of words and phrases that are often confused or misused. In this installment we’ll look at two words that are widely confused. We always try to point out examples of semantic confusion and this one is clearly a very common case. 

Our source for this installment is The Dictionary of Disagreeable English by Robert Hartwell Fiske (Chicago: Writer’s Digest Books). This is a great book to browse: I highly recommend it.

From Fiske:

flounder

Misused for founder.

As Fiske says (excerpted):

To flounder is to move clumsily or thrash about; to struggle confusedly. To founder is to fill with water and sink; to cave in; to fail or collapse.

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Let’s look at the most relevant Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary definitions (excerpted):

flounder

intransitive verb

2 a : to fling the limbs and body (as in making efforts to move) : struggle to move or obtain footing

   b  : to proceed clumsily and often self-consciously : muddle

founder

intransitive verb

1  :  to become disabled: such as

   a : to break down or go lame 

   b : to become stuck 

   c : to become stiff or sick from overeating 

2 a : to give away : collapse 

   b : to sink or slip sideways 

3 : to sink below the surface of the water 

4 a : to come to grief : fail 

   b : to break down because of an immaterial obstacle 

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The confusion over these two words is somewhat understandable. But the key distinction is the flounder involves the struggle, while founder involves the eventual failure.

Here’s an example that uses a form of both words in the same sentence:

After years of floundering to obtain a share of the market, in its final year the company foundered and ultimately closed.

As always, word choice is critical, which is why checking your work is an important step toward ensuring that your intended meaning is clear.

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