Tip 38. Distinguishing similar words: collaboration, collusion, cooperation
Which word is NOT correct here?
In spite of hiccups early on, the project was a great success, mainly thanks to the close .................... between the investors and their advisers.
Wrong answer, try again!
Correct answer!
Comment:
Collusion
(Verb: to collude) refers to secret cooperation, usually to achieve an immoral or illegal objective (e.g. "The two market leaders colluded to prevent any other companies from gaining any significant share of the market.")
Collaboration
Working closely together, especially in order to make something (e.g. "This breakthrough is the result of collaboration between scientists from four continents.")
Important note: 'collaborate' does also mean 'to cooperate with an enemy', but in business it does not automatically have that negative connotation!
Cooperation
Sometimes also written 'co-operation'. Both versions are correct, though it is not really necessary to separate the first two syllables with a hyphen ('-').
Wrong answer, try again!
