Certain sets of words in the English language tend to confuse people. I have found the following to be among them:
GOURMAND / GOURMET
As nouns, these words both relate to someone who likes good food and drink, but the specific definitions, as well as the connotations, are different.
A gourmand is someone who is overly fond of eating and drinking and, consequently, tends to do so to excess. A gourmet is a connoisseur of food and drink who is interested in the taste and quality of these and appreciates delicacies and the finer points of good cuisine.
INCORRECT: Wally is such a gourmet. He loves buffets and always takes some of everything, often going back for seconds and thirds.
CORRECT: Wally is such a gourmand. He loves buffets and always takes some of everything, often going back for seconds and thirds.
INCORRECT: Kevin is a true gourmand. For him, to substitute margarine for butter in a recipe is pure sacrilege.
CORRECT: Kevin is a true gourmet. For him, to substitute margarine for butter in a recipe is pure sacrilege.
NOTE: While gourmet tends to have a positive connotation, gourmand tends to have a negative one.
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