"Supine" and "Prone"

Levels of Distractibility: Who cares? = *. Some people will be distracted from your meaning; = **. Many people will be distracted from your meaning: = ***.

Question: Any other words that might be confused that you never heard of?

Answer: Yes. How about "Supine," which means lying on the ground face up; "prone" means lying on the ground face down. Once again, thanks to the NYT Manual of Style and Usage. I did not know the distinction existed. I do remember that in the army, "Assume the prone position" meant "Hit the dirt with your rifle ready to fire."

Rating of Distraction: *. These words, "supine" and "prone" don't confuse. They have distinctively different meanings. I don't know if anyone besides the NYT Manual of Style and Usage ever heard of the word "supine," but whether it's "supine" or "prone," "face up" or "face down" is the picture readers will have.