I partly blame the confusion on the labeling of fusion by mainstream science. I think it was an effort to make science more friendly to the general public. You know what physicists call fusion? They call it burning. So, hydrogen fusion would be "hydrogen burning" and helium fusion would be "helium burning".
Those of us who have been properly educated know the difference between "hydrogen burning" and hydrogen combustion. Unfortunately, most of the public aren't properly educated, so the misunderstanding that "hydrogen burning" is actually hydrogen combustion lingers.
Go ahead and do a google search for "hydrogen burning".
If you say the word "gullible" slowly, it sounds like oranges. Go ahead and try it.