I don’t know if there’s exceptions, however I generally use the rule of thumb that す ending verbs are transitive, and the other pair is an intransitive verb. You still need to remember both of the verb pairs, however you won’t have a hard time differentiating which is transitive and which is not.
求人 (きゅうじん）keeps getting me. For 人 ones I try to make up mnemonics with jeans or genes or ninjas. Sometimes it works, but not for this one. From now on I’m gonna try to remember 進撃の求人 (…y’know, like Shingeki No Kyojin, Attack on Titan? I don’t even watch/read it). I know it doesn’t make any grammatical sense, but hey, it phonetically connects something I know with something I can’t otherwise remember.
On a similar note, for 芸人（げいにん）, I think about a comedian telling jokes about gainin’ weight.
At level 32 you will learn “giant” kanji which is used in 進撃の巨人. It’s reading is きょ, not きゅう, so relying on this right now is less than optimal.
Just think that all people who are hired by “Help wanted” sign at the shop door are probably not wearing business suits, but rather jeans.
As for 求 reading, it is phonetic marker, so 球 is read the same way, and one more kanji in coming levels. So remembering it’s reading gives you triple reward.
The two vocabulary in question are: 朝日 and 明日. Well… it’s actually only 朝日, I always end up answering with “tomorrow” and “あした”; and it’s not because I don’t know the meaning or reading, it’s because 朝日 triggers a Japanese reading disorder, I answer too fast and get them wrong.
Worst thing, I have an add-on that allows me to override incorrect answers as a weapon against brain-farts like this. I’m just too stubborn to use it with 朝日.
I will get it right… and the morning sun shall greet me with its tender rays.
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I’m really hating 交ぜる、交わる、交じる… Pronunciation is easy-sih but between mix, mingle, be mixed, I cannot stand it anymore. I always confused them all.
I don’t get why I can’t remember those one in particular but they’ve been cluttering in my reviews since Level 8. 
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Have you done anything to beat the leeches, my list is really similar to yours. I’m considering resetting back to level 1 or quitting WK because I’m so sick of leeches I always solo them out and try to figure out my own mnemonic to try to get them right but it never works because I have to be seeing the one I’m confusing it with to see which one is the one I’m being asked. also there’s definitely a lot more I just can’t remember
LEECHES:
Mix up meaning:
喉頭,叩頭
栄光,光栄
地域,領土,領域
理論,論理
会議,議会
科,料
余計,余裕,残余
転ぶ,転がす,転がる
存在する,存じる
混ざる, 混ぜる,交ぜる,交じる,交わる
警察署, 警察官, 警察, 交番, 警官,
予想, 想定, 予定
用事, 用意, 作用
存在する,存じる
anything with this 事
禁句,文句
取り分け, 取り決め, 切り取る
総理,結局,総体的,総合
人里,村人,町民,町,里,村
anything with 人
紀元後,紀元前
確率,正確,比率
報道,報告,予告,警告
説明書,証明書
人類,人種
非難する,批判する,批判
犯罪,有罪
研究,究明
争う,競う
勝敗 i had trouble with this and another one can’t remember the second one
写す,写る
anything to with this 伝
any intransitive and transitive verb
Just confuse:
社会,会社
紙,氏,低,底,
団,困
増,層,僧
在,存
鏡親
猫狼
裕容谷
伝転
初級,初歩,一歩
get reading wrong:
世界,世紀,世辞 I got a new mnemonic for
存在する,存じる these two hopefully they work next review
名字
明日
Took a long break for another few months, and when I came back, the leeches that have been haunting me…continue to do so. /tableflip
I’m getting fed up with 義理, I keep entering “Sense of Obligation” when it’s Social Obligation or Sense of Duty. It’s become an automatic thing for me, instead of relying on mnemonics, the leech has been around for that long. I need to slow down a bit for this particular word, but gut feel has also gotten me past some burns I might have missed otherwise. /shrug
Another is 商売 but at least this year around I’m no longer automatically answering “Sales”. It’s one small victory; I was ranting about it last year: https://community.wanikani.com/t/complaining-is-still-a-must/35475/5554
And a pair that I (STILL) keep confusing is 位置 and 順位. Both of their English meanings are too similar: place/standing/position (like in a leaderboard?) vs ranking/standing (ALSO like in a leaderboard???). Help? T__T
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I got lucky with that one.Giri/Haji (Duty/Shame) had just come out and was being advertised heavily around the time I learned it. Maybe this poster will help:
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