When the usage panel for the 1985 edition of the Harper Dictionary of Contemporary Usage was asked whether they chose to distinguish in meaning between disinterested and uninterested, they responded with gusto. Isaac Asimov declared “I’m very proud of knowing the distinction and insist on it, correcting others freely." Not to be outdone, Anthony Burgess announced that “This is one of the worst of all American solecisms and it makes me boil."
In modern English, "disinterested" and "uninterested" are easy to confuse because both meanings relate to having no interest. However, their meanings are different.
Disinterested means impartial, not taking sides, or not biased.
Jury members must be disinterested in the case.
Uninterested means not interested.
The students are uninterested in the new curriculum.
Interestingly enough (pun intended), when these words entered the language, uninterested meant "not biased; free from selfish motives" and disinterested meant "not interested."
Having said that, while disinterested may often be found used in the sense of either “lacking bias” or “lacking interest", uninterested has pretty much found a single meaning and stuck with it. You are unlikely to encounter uninterested being used to mean “lacking bias."
Do you have a favorite pair of confusing words? Leave them in the comment.