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 two 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: Mary is a true gourmand. For her, to substitute margarine for butter in a recipe is pure sacrilege.
CORRECT: Mary is a true gourmet. For her, to substitute margarine for butter in a recipe is pure sacrilege.
INCORRECT: Shirley is such a gourmet. She loves buffets and always takes some of everything, often even going back for seconds.
CORRECT: Shirley is such a gourmand. She loves buffets and always takes some of everything, often even going back for seconds.
NOTE: While gourmet tends to have a positive connotation, gourmand tends to have a negative one.
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