Often Confused Words
Learning the
differences between these often-confused words will help you overcome many of
your spelling problems.
a,
an Use
an before a word that begins with a
vowel sound (a, e, i, and o, plus u when it sounds like uh) or silent h. Note that it’s not the
letter but the sound of the letter
that matters.
an
apple, an essay, an inch, an onion
an
umpire, an ugly design (the u’s sound
like uh)
an
hour, an honest person (silent h)
Use
a before a word that begins with a
consonant sound (all the sounds except the vowels, plus u or eu when they sound
like you).
a
chart, a pie, a history book (the h
is not silent in history)
a
union, a uniform, a unit (the u’s
sound like you)
a
European vacation, a euphemism (eu sounds
like you)
accept,
except Accept means “to receive willingly.”
I
accept your apology.
Except means
“excluding” or “but.”
Everyone
arrived on time except him.
affect,
effect Affect is a verb and
means “to alter or influence.”
All
quizzes will affect the final grade.
Effect is most
commonly used as a noun and means “a result.”
If a, an, or the is in the
front of the word, then you will know it isn’t a verb, and you should use effect.
We
studied the effects of sleep
deprivation in my psychology class.
all ready, If you can leave out the all and the sentence still makes sense,
then all
already ready is the form to use. (In that form, all is a separate word and could be left out.)
We
are all ready for the trip. (We are ready for the trip makes sense.)
The
banquet is all ready. (The banquet is ready makes sense.)
But
if you can’t leave out the all and
still have the sentence make sense, then use already (the form in which the al
has to stay in the word).
They
have already eaten. (They
have ready eaten doesn’t make sense.)
are, our Are is a verb.
We
are going to
Our is a pronooun
indicating possession.
We
painted our fence to match the house.
choose,
chose The
difference here is one of time. Use choose for present and future; use chose for past.
I
will choose a new major this
semester.
We
chose the wrong time of year to get
married.
coarse, course Coarse
describes a rough texture.
I
used coarse sandpaper to smooth the
surface of the board.
Course is used for
all other meanings.
Of
course we saw the golf course when we went to
complement, Complement
means to complete something or bring it to perfection.
compliment Use a color wheel to find a complement for purple.
Juliet’s
personality complements Romeo’s; she
is practical, and he is a dreamer.
Compliment refers to
praise. Remember “I like compliments,” and you will remember to use the i spelling when you mean praise.
My
evaluation included nice compliments
from my coworkers.
We
complimented them on their new home.
conscious, Conscious means “aware.”
conscience They
weren’t conscious of any problems
before the accident.
Conscience
means that inner voice of right and wrong.
The extra n in conscience should remind you of No, which is what your conscience often says to you.
My
conscience told me to turn in the
expensive watch I found.
dessert,
desert Dessert is the sweet one, the one you like two
helpings of. So give it two helpings of s.
We
had a whole chocolate cheesecake for dessert.
The
other one, desert, is used for all
other meanings and has two pronunciations.
I
promised that I won’t desert you.
The
snake slithered slowly across the desert.
do,
due Do is a verb, an
action. You do something.
I
always do my best work at night.
But
payment or an assignment is due; it
is scheduled for a certain time.
Our
first essay is due tomorrow.
Due can also be
used before to in a phrase that means
because of.
The
outdoor concert was canceled due to
rain.
have,
of Have is a verb. Sometimes, in a contraction, it sounds like of.
When you say could’ve, the have may sound like of, but it is not written that way.
Always write could have, would have, should have, might have.
We
should have planned our vacation
sooner.
Then
we could have used our coupon for a
free one-way ticket.
Use
of only in a prepositional phrase.
She
sent me a box of chocolates for my
birthday.
hear,
here The
last three letters of hear spell
“ear.” You hear with your ear.
When
I listen to a sea shell, I hear ocean
sounds.
The
other spelling here tells
“where.” Note that the three words indicating
a place or pointing out something all have here
in them: here, there, where.
I’ll
be here for three more weeks.
it’s, its It’s is a contraction and means “it is” or “it has.”
It’s hot. (It is hot.)
It’s been hot all
week. (It has been hot all week.)
Its is a
possessive. (Possessives such as its, yours, hers, ours, theirs, whose
are already possessive and never need an apostrophe.)
The
jury had made its decision.
knew,
new Knew has to do with knowledge (both
start with k).
New means “not
old.”
They
knew that she wanted a new bike.
know, no Know has to do with knowledge (both start with k).
By
Friday, I must know all the state
capitals.
No means “not any” or
the opposite of “yes.”
My
boss has no patience.
No, I need to work late.
loose,
lose Loose means “not
tight.” Note how l o o s e that word is. It
has plenty of room for two o’s.
My
dog’s tooth is loose.
Lose is the
opposite of win.
If
we lose this game, we will be out for
the season.
passed,
past The
past form of the verb “to pass” is passed.
She
easily passed her math class.
We
passed your house twice before we saw
the address.
Use
past when it’s not a verb.
We
drove past your house. (the same as “We drove by your house”)
In
the past, he had to borrow his
brother’s car.
personal, Pronounce
these two correctly, and you won’t confuse them- personal,
personnel personnel.
She
shared her personal views as a
parent.
Personnel means
“a group of employees.”
I
had an appointment in the personnel
office.
piece,
peace Remember
“piece of pie.” The one meaning “a piece of something” always begins with pie.
One
child asked for an extra piece of
candy.
The
other one, peace, is the opposite of
war.
The
two gangs discussed the possibility of a peace
treaty.
principal, Principal means ”main.” Both words have a in them: principal, main.
principle The
principal concern is safety. (main concern)
He
lost both principal and
interest. (main amount of money)
Also,
think of a school’s “principal” as your “pal.”
An
elementary school principal must be
kind. (main administrator)
A
principle is a “rule.” Both words end in le: principle, rule.
I
am proud of my high principles. (rules of conduct)
We
value the principle of truth in
advertising. (rule)
quiet,
quite Pronounce
these two correctly, and you won’t confuse them.
Quiet means “free
from noise” and rhymes with diet.
Tennis
players need quiet in order to
concentrate.
Quite means “very”
and rhymes with bite.
It
was quite hot in the auditorium.
right,
write Right means “correct”
or “proper.”
You
will find your keys if you look in the right
place.
It
also means in the exact location, position, or moment.
Your
keys are right where you left them.
Write means to
compose sentences, poems, essays, and so forth.
I
asked my teacher to write a letter of
recommendation for me.
than,
then Than compares two things.
I
am taller than my sister.
Then tells when (then and when rhyme, and both have e
in them.)
I
always write a rough draft of a paper first; then I revise it.
their, there Their
is a possessive, meaning belonging to them.
they’re Their cars have
always been red.
There points out
something. (Remember that the three
words indicating a place or pointing out something all have here in them: here,
there, where.)
I
know that I haven’t been there
before.
There was a rainbow
in the sky.
They’re is a
contraction and means “they are.”
They’re living
in
threw,
through Threw is the past form of “to throw.”
We
threw snowballs at each other.
I
threw away my chance at a scholarship.
If
you don’t mean “to throw something,” use through.
We
could see our beautiful view through
the new curtains.
two,
too, to Two is a number.
We
have written two papers so far in my
English class.
Too means “extra”
or “also,” and so it has an extra o.
The
movie was too long and too violent. (extra)
They
are enrolled in that biology class too.
(also)
Use
to for all other meanings.
They
like to ski. They’re going to the mountains.
who’s,
whose Who’s is a contraction and means “who
is” or “who has.”
Who’s responsible
for signing the checks? (Who is responsible?)
Who’s been reading my
journal? (Who has been...?)
Whose is a
possessive. (Possessives such as whose, its, yours, hers, ours, theirs are
already possessive and never take an apostrophe.)
Whose keys are
these?
you’re,
your You’re is a contraction and means “you are.”
You’re as smart as I
am. (You
are as smart as I am.)
Your is a
possessive meaning belonging to you.
I borrowed your lab book.
Glazier, Teresa Ferster and Paige Wilson. The Least You Should Know About English
Writing Skills.