admit acknowledge confess
意都含“承认”的意思。
admit 通常指因外界压力、良心或判断而承认某事的存在或真实性, 含“不情愿”之意, 如:
I admit that she is right.
我承认她是对的。
acknowledge 指“公开承认”, 常用于过去隐瞒或否认之事,如:
With so much evidence against him he had to acknowledge his error.
在这么多的证据面前, 他不得不承认错误。
confess 着重承认自己的过错或罪恶, 因此有“忏悔”、“坦白”的含意, 如:
He has confessed his crime.
他承认了自己的罪行(含坦白之意)。
参考资料：http://www.iciba.com/acknowledge/