Words easily confused win (sth) - to achieve first position in a game, competition etc e.g. Jane won first prize in the story competition. beat (sb) - to defeat sb e.g. The team managed to beat their opponents by scoring the last goal. gain (sth) - go get / acquire sth (gain weight / gain knowledge / gain strength ) e.g. I need to go on a diet because I gained a lot of weight on my holidays. earn (sth) - to gain sth because you worked hard for it. e.g They earned a lot of money last year from having two jobs, so they managed to buy a new house.