While describing the mental states of the parties involved in awkward social exchanges, I started collecting good words for confusion. Here’s how to use them, according to me:
awestruck: this is positive, if someone leaves you awestruck you are definitely impressed.
befuddle: this is more like “stumped”, in that if I befuddle you, you don’t think less of me. It’s more of a personal confusion.
bewilder: similar only more discombobulated. Bewilderment has an element of non-awe inspiring amazement involved, but also builds in an element of surprise.
dumbfound: I like this as a more powerful “confound.” This is less positive than awestruck, typically someone does something ridiculous to leave another dumbfounded, but it’s not so negative as to condemn the one who dumbfounds another.
dumbstruck: dumbfound is more positive than dumbstruck, however. If I’m rendered mute by your idiocy, I’m dumbstruck.
flummox: a personal favorite and one time word of the week, flummox is my catch-all for confusion. I will, for instance, be flummoxed if I can’t figure out how to remove the water tray from the dehumidifier. I’ll be flummoxed if something you say is a little too wonderful or a little too stupid for me to understand. It’s a fancy word that rests on the tip of my tongue, ready for those pesky occasions when I’d like to appear intelligent but have no couth. Stripped of my couth. Uncouthed.
Words 
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