*This is an updated version of my old post. I
will continue to add more words/phrases to this collection, so please check
back from time to time.*
This post is a compilation of the commonly confused and misused English terms.
Much too often, I see writers making very basic mistakes without realizing it.
Either they didn't know the definition, or they made a simple typo. These days,
writers rely on spellcheckers on Word or grammar software to fix all the
errors. But do you know what? The spellchecker will only highlight the
misspelled words, not fix the incorrect usage of the words. Yes, this job is
for the humans. Writers and editors. I hope this helps~
Accept/Except accept:
to take or receive except: but, excluding
Adapt/Adopt adapt:
adjust adopt: choose, take
Advise/Advice advise:
verb (I advised him.) advice: noun (I gave him an advice.)
Affect/Effect affect:
produce an effect, verb (She affected him) effect: noun,
(Headache is the effect of stress.)
Aid/Aide aid: help, assistance
(verb, adjective, noun) aide: assistant (the person who
is giving the aid/help)
All ready/already all ready:
completely prepared (Dinner is all ready.) already:
by or before stated time (You’re done already?)
Altogether/All
together altogether: entirely all
together: everything in one place, gathered
A lot/Alot a lot: right
alot: wrong
All right/Alright all
right: right alright: wrong
Among/Between among:
surrounded by between: in the space separating two points
Anyway/Anyways anyway:
right anyways: wrong (never ‘s’ ending)
Bare/Bear bare: without, unconcealed, undisguised
bear: to hold up, support
Brake/Break brake: a
device to stop a moving vehicle break: separate into pieces or
interrupt
Breath/Breathe breath:
noun- inhaled/exhaled air breathe: verb-to inhale/exhale
Can I/May I can: it denotes ability
may: used in asking for permission
(Example: "Can I drink coke?"
"You can since you have the physical ability to drink it, but you may not
drink it since you didn't ask properly." "Fine. May I drink
coke?" "Yes, you may.")
Canceled/Cancelled (canceling
/cancelling) It angers me
whenever I see some TV news (by journalists and editors) and airports misusing
it so much! In America, use American English. Canceled is American English, and
cancelled isn't (use in Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) Same
goes for travel. It's traveling/traveled, not travelling/travelled.
Cite/Site cite: to
quote, to summon site: position or location of a town, building,
etc.
Compliment/Complement compliment: an expression of praise
complement: something that completes
Conscious/Conscience conscious:
awake conscience: inner guide to right or wrong
Could care less/Couldn’t care less The
right way is “couldn’t.”
Council/Counsel council:
a group that advises counsel: to advise
Dessert/Desert dessert:
food served after the main meal desert: arid, dry land
Discreet/Discrete discreet: showing prudence, circumspection
discrete: consisting of or characterized by distinct or
individual parts
ELICIT/Illicit elicit: to
draw or bring out illicit: illegal
Farther/Further farther:
physical distance (It’s farther than xxxx.) further:
metaphorical distance (This requires further consideration.)
Few/Less few: countable (fewer
people) less: uncountable (Less harmful)
Forward/forwards forward: right
forwards: wrong (never ‘s’ ending)
I/Me I: subject of a verb (Sam and I are studying.) me: object of a verb (It’s between you and
me.)
It’s/Its it’s: contraction for it
is or it has its: indicates possessive like his or
theirs
i.e./e.g. i.e.:
therefore, that is e.g.: for example
Imply/Infer imply:
suggest, state indirectly, hint infer: deduce, make an educated
guess, conclude (Give & Take: One person gives an implication, and the
other takes it and then infers it.)
Incite/Insight incite:
to stir up, to stimulate (Your bad attitude will only incite more negative feedback.)
insight: deep understanding, awareness (It offers insight to
the minds of the writers.)
Intend/Intent intend:
verb, to plan or want to do intent: noun, the thing that you plan
to do
Interrupt/Interject interrupt: break the continuity
interject: say, insert something abruptly
And for the love of everything cuddly and fluffy like a new born puppy, IRREGARDLESS is not a word!!
Okay. Let’s continue...
Good/Well good: adjective (Your singing is good.)
well: adverb (You sing well.)
Lightening/Lightning lightening: illuminate, brightening
lightning: accompany thunder
Lose/Loose lose: no
longer have (lost) loose: not tight, careless (My belt is loose.)
Loath/Loathe loath:
reluctant, unwilling loathe: intense hate, disgust
(I'm loath to join a gym, but that doesn't mean that I loathe
exercising.)
Moral/Morale moral: lesson
(noun-the moral of the story is...) or righteous (adjective-he has the moral of
a saint) morale: enthusiasm, confidence (Flowers sent by
strangers increased the morale of the patient.
Nauseous/Nauseated Nauseous
is what causes one to feel nauseated. Saying "I'm nauseous" is like
saying "I'm gross." Correct way is "I feel nauseated because of
that nauseous smell."
Necessary/Necessity necessary: adjective- being essential
necessity: noun- the fact of being necessary
Passed/Past passed:
verb in past tense past: can be adjective, adverb, preposition,
noun, but never verb
Peak/Peek peak: pointed top of anything
peek: a quick look
Poor/Pore/Pour poor:
low quality, unfortunate, impoverished pore: tiny opening in a surface or
think intently, scrutinize pour: transfer liquid
Principle/Principal principle:
doctrine, truth principal: first, main
Riffle/Rifle riffle:
rapidly flip or shuffle through rifle: flip/shuffle though or
ransack with intent to steal
Role/Roll role:
function or position, characteristic of a person, portrayal of an actor, etc.
roll: to move forward on a surface, to travel (Elvis played a big role in the
history of rock and roll.)
Site/Sight site: position
or location of a town, building, etc. sight: vision,
view
Staring/Starring staring: looking starring: have
someone as a performer in a movie, play, etc.
Stationary/Stationery stationary: not moving
stationery: writing paper
Suppose to be/Supposed to be It’s
always supposed with a “d.”
Than/Then than:
comparative (I’m bigger than you.) then: refers to time (I’ll see
you before then.)
There/Their there:
in or at that place (It’s right there.) their: possessive of they
(It’s their TV.)
Toward/Towards toward: right towards:
wrong (never ‘s’ ending, maybe in U.K.)
To/Too/Two to: in a
direction toward too: also two:
2
Use to be/Used to be It’s
always used with a “d.”
Vain/Vane/Vein vain:
conceited vane: a thin, rigid, flat, or sometimes
curved surfaces radially mounted along an axis vein:
blood vessel
Waist/Waste waist:
middle of a body around the tummy waste: to use,
consume, spend, or trash
Was/Were was(singular):
could be true Example: If he was here, he'd be controlling the TV as usual.
were(plural): hypothetical or fantasy
Example: If I were God, I'd get rid of snow.
Weather/Wether/Whether weather: climate, temperature, etc.
wether: a castrated ram whether:
used to introduce alternative possibilities (We don't care whether you eat or
not.)
Who/Whom who: subject
whom: object
Example: The easiest way is by looking at the
answer. Is the answer a subject or an object? Who is that? I did. (The answer
is I, subject) To whom are you speaking? I’m speaking to him. (The answer is
him, object)
Who/Which/That who: people which: never for
people that: okay for a group of people
Which/That which: non-restrictive Example: A comma comes before
it. The phrase can be taken out without changing the meaning of the sentence.
that: restrictive Example: No Comma. If the
phrase that follows is taken out, the meaning changes.
Your/You're I can't
believe I have to explain this, but I've seen it so many times just on Twitter
alone. I detest it. your: possessive form of you, belonging to,
etc. you're: contraction of you are ("You're not
your mother!")
There are more, and it's very difficult to remember all of them. Do yourself a
favor and hire an editor.
Thanks for visiting my blog. Happy writing~
WARNING: This blog contains editing and writing tips that are "actually" helpful (even useful). Posts are written in plain English with absolute minimum usage of technical or pretentious terms. It will always remain a casual, conversational, and imperfect blog. Tip #1 - Write, read, revise, read (anything but your own), rewrite, get critiqued, revise, get edited (preferably by an editor), and repeat. Now, a managing editor at www.moranpress.com
For the complete list of my professional editing services, click here. I offer free, no obligation, 3-page sample edits of your MS.

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Excellent compilation of words that give me trouble. I'll certainly refer to this list and your other post. Thank you, Su.
ReplyDeleteWow. This is an amazing list and very useful. Thanks for positing it.
ReplyDeleteWow. This is an amazing list and very useful. Thanks for positing it.
ReplyDeleteOuch, guilty of using alright.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this useful list! These words are often misused but if you want to write a good essay, you have to use them in a proper way. I'd like to advise this essay writing service, which can offer a help in writing essays: Professional-essay-writing.
ReplyDeleteCould I bear to be eaten by a bear?
ReplyDelete