homonyms and commonly misspelled words. commonly confused words here are some words whose meanings...

Commonly Confused Words

Homonyms and Commonly Misspelled Words


Here are some words whose meanings are commonly confused:

accept/except accept means to take or agree.She accepted the gift.except means something different.Everyone except John went to the party.

Commonly Confused Wordsaffect/effect

affect means to change something.The weather affects her sinuseseffect means the result.The effect of the weather is sinus congestion.

The word affect is a verb. It is used only to show action on something.

The word effect is primarily used as a noun (person, place, thing).

Commonly Confused WordsAlthough the word effect is actually also a

verb, it is not usually used as a verb. As a verb, it means to bring about:She effected a proper response in writing.

The safest way to avoid an affect/effect error is simple to use affect as a verb (action) and effect as a noun (person, place, thing).

Commonly Confused Words cite/site/sight

cite means to refer to or name someone or something.

She cited the rule for commas.site is a noun meaning place or location.The construction site was fenced off.sight refers to what is seen.The accident was a terrible sight.


everyday/every day everyday is an adjective.She wore her everyday shoes to the dance.every day is a combination of an adjective and

a noun used when you mean each and every day.

I go to school every day. (I go to school each day.)


its/it’sits shows possession (his, hers, yours, ours,

theirs, its).The cat licked its paw.it’s is a contraction (it is = it’s; it has = it’s).It’s a good day.It’s been a good day.

Commonly Confused Wordslose/loose

Lose is a verb meaning misplace.I always lose my keys.loose is an adjective.The belt was loose. (Think of moose.)


principle/principal principle is a noun or an adjective meaning

central idea.The principle idea was to cut costs.principal is a noun meaning head of a school.The principal had a meeting with the teachers.


soul/sole soul is a noun meaning spirit.Many believe that the human soul is immortal.sole is an adjective meaning the only one.She was the sole beneficiary under the will.


stationary/stationery stationery is writing paper.He wrote on a note on his personal stationery.stationary means stable and unmoving.She attached the bookshelf to the wall in order

to make the bookshelf stationary.

Commonly Confused Words then/than

then refers to a sequence in time.He went to the store then to the gym.than is used for comparison.He would rather go to the store than to the

gym.


they’re/there/their they’re is the contraction for they are.They’re going to the store. (They are going to

the store.)there refers to a place.Put it over there.Their is a possessive pronoun.They forgot their coats.


to/too to is a preposition denoting towards

something.She went to the store.too is an word meaning in addition to or also.He went to the store too.

Commonly Confused Wordsuntil/till

until – a word referring to a time.She waited until he came home.till – a noun meaning money box or a verb

referring to getting the soil ready for planting.The farmers till the soil

Note: The proper abbreviation for until is ’til. See how an apostrophe replaces the omitted letters un.


weather/whether weather refers to the climate outside.The weather was cold and rainy.whether is a word showing an alternative.She will run whether or not it is raining.

Commonly Confused Wordswhere/were

where means in what place.The chairs are where the table is.were is the past plural form of the verb to be.They were in the corner.


whose/who’s whose is a relative pronoun referring to a

person or thing.Whose bike is this?The father whose daughter was suspended

went to school to see the principal.who’s is the contraction for who is.Who’s the owner of this bike?

Commonly Misspelled Words:

nonetheless – not none the lessall right – not alrightcannot – not can noteach other – not eachotherthrough – not thrucongratulations – not congradulationskindergarten – not kindergarden’til is the abbreviation for until – not til’ or ’till

(the ’ goes in the place of the omitted letters)

Words with More than One Spelling:

There are some words that have more than one acceptable spelling. However, you should use the spelling that is listed first in the dictionary and use that spelling consistently throughout.gray – grey. Gray is the standard usage in

America while grey is the British spelling.judgment – judgement. Judgment is the

standard American usage.color – colour. Color is the standard American

usage.

Foreign wordsQuoted material in another language must

have the accents and any other marks from the original quote.

While many words from foreign languages have been incorporated into and are commonly used in Standard English:ad hoclaissez-faireetc.bayoucantina

Foreign Words

Other foreign words and phrases not commonly used are still considered foreign and should be in italics.bambina (baby girl)mon dieux (my God) poco a poco (little by little)A favorite expression in New Orleans is Laissez

les bon temps rouler.Always consult a dictionary when you are not

sure.

homonyms and commonly misspelled words. commonly confused words here are some words whose meanings...

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