Commonly Confused Words

In standard English, there are many words that are often confused because of similar spellings or pronunciation. Here’s a list to help you with editing. Each time you see any of these words in your writing, check to see if you used the right one.

accept / except

• accept v. to receive; to approve of
  • example: I will accept late work if you are absent due to illness.
• except prep. other than; but
  • example: Everyone went to the game except Jordan because she wasn’t feeling well.

advice / advise

• advice n. a recommendation
  • example: Brittney was known for giving out good advice about relationships.
• advise v. to give advice
  • example: A career counselor can advise you on which classes to take.

affect / effect

• affect v. to influence
  • example: The gloomy weather affected Zac’s mood.
• effect n. result; consequence
  • example: Giving rewards for behavior had no effect on those who already did what was expected.

all ready / already

• all ready adj. all prepared
  • example: We finished packing, so we we are all ready to leave.
• already adv. previously
  • example: Steven stayed with Katie even though he had already eaten lunch.

all right

(“alright” is not standard English)

• all right adj. satisfactory; adv. satisfactorily
  • examples:
    • Luckily, Ronald was still all right after falling off his skateboard.
    • Tony did all right on his math test.

altar / alter

• altar n. a table for a religious ceremony
  • example: Albert and Ashley were married in front of a beautiful altar.
• alter v. to change
  • example: Ben’s pants were too long so he had them altered.

all together / altogether

• all together adj. in the same place; adv. at the same time
  • examples:
    • Jacob didn’t know which part his brother had taken until he put the model all together.
    • Usually Alex, Dustin, and Nathan tap on their desks at different times, but when they wanted to vex the teacher they would tap all together.
• altogether adv. entirely; completely
  • example: Erin was altogether relieved to find out that the test wasn’t today.

brake / break

• brake n. a device to stop a machine
  • example: Brad used the brake on his car to slow down before reaching the stop sign.
• break v. to fracture; to shatter
  • example: Desiree hated it when her pencil lead would break.

capital / capitol

• capital n. a city
  • example: Sacramento is the capital of California.
• capitol n. building
  • example: We took a field trip to visit the capitol in Austin.

choose / chose

• choose v. to select
  • note: rhymes with “ooze”
  • example: Will you choose the cake or the pie for dessert?
• chose v. selected (past tense of choose)
  • note: rhymes with “owes”
  • example: Byron chose to wear the green shirt instead of the blue one.

clothes / cloths

• clothes n. what you wear (shirts, shorts, etc.)
  • example: In the morning, Matthew put on his clothes and went to eat breakfast.
• cloths n. pieces of fabric
  • example: In the garage Shelby uses old cloths to wipe grease off her hands.

coarse / course

• coarse adj. rough; crude
  • examples:
    • The surface of sandpaper is coarse, but silk is smooth.
    • Coarse language is not allowed in the hallways.
• course n. path; route; unit of study
  • examples:
    • The navigator plotted a course to safely get through the shallow water.
    • Amy’s favorite course is always social studies.

complement / compliment

• complement n. something that completes; v. to complete or make perfect
  • example:
    • The house painter had a full complement of brushes, so he could use the right size and shape for any surface.
    • Rachel’s earrings complement her blouse because her outfit would look too plain without them.
• compliment n. a remark that expresses praise; v. to praise
  • examples:
    • Jill gave Joe a compliment, saying his shoes looked nice.
    • The players compliment each other when they win a game.

consul / council / counsel

• consul n. a representative from a foreign government
  • example: The president met with the German consul at the German consulate in New York.
• council n. a group of people who meet together
  • example: The student council discussed a proposition to put up signs to name each hallway.
• counsel n. advice; v. to give advice
  • examples:
    • Seek counsel from a doctor even if you think you know what is wrong.
    • My dad counseled me about my decision.

councilor / counselor

• councilor n. member of a council
  • example: The councilors from the Council on Environmental Quality work on nation wide environmental problems.
• counselor n. one who advises
  • example: Tyler met with the counselor, so he could get help deciding what classes to take.

desert / dessert

• desert n. a dry, sandy region
  • example: The Mojave is a beautiful desert in California.
• desert v. to abandon
  • example: An true friend would never desert you when you need her.
• dessert n. the sweet, final course of a meal
  • example: I chose strawberry shortcake because it’s my favorite dessert.

formally / formerly

• formally adv. with dignity; according to strict rules and procedures
  • example: Lauren and Hunter dressed formally when going to the prom.
• formerly adv. previously; in the past
  • example: Yvette was formerly a basketball player, but now she plays volleyball.

hear / here

• hear v. to receive sounds through the ears
  • example: Melissa could hear David whispering.
• here adv. in this place
  • example: We are all anxious for Josh to get here with the food.

its / it’s

• its possessive form of it. belonging to it
  • example: The lawn had a brown spot in its center.
• it’s contraction of it is or it has
• examples:
  • I’m opening the package because it’s [it is] finally here.
  • I was so excited because it’s [it has] been such a long time since I ordered the book.

lead / led / lead

• lead v. to go first; to be a leader
  • Note: rhymes with “feed”
  • example: The engine leads the rest of the train cars.
• led v. went first (past tense of lead)
  • example: When the friends got lost, Conrad led the way home.
• lead n. a heavy metal; graphite in a pencil
  • Note: rhymes with “red”
  • examples:
    • Lead is not used as much as in the past because we now know it is a poisonous substance.
    • Is #2 pencil lead the same in wood pencils and mechanical pencils?

loose / lose

• loose adj. not securely attached; not fitting tightly
  • note: rhymes with “moose”
  • example: The handlebars on on Cole’s bike were loose, so it was difficult to steer.
• lose v. to suffer loss
  • note: rhymes with “ooze”
  • examples:
    • Mariah did not want to lose the competition, so she tried her hardest.

passed / past

• passed v. went by (past tense of pass)
  • example:
    • Aaron greeted Lexi as he passed her in the hallway.
• past n. that which has gone by; prep. beyond; adj. ended
  • examples:
    • The dodo bird became extinct in the recent past.
    • Anna drove past the beltway to get to the countryside.
    • Chris’s reputation was based on his past victories.

peace / piece

• peace n. quiet order and security
  • example: We hope there will be lasting peace when the war is over.
• piece n. a part of something
  • example: Cameron ate the last piece of pie.

plain / plane

• plain adj. simple, common; n. a flat area of land
  • examples:
    • The taco was too plain, only meat and cheese, so Silvia added some hot sauce.
    • Settlers decided to farm on the plains because they didn’t have to travel over hills to sell their crops.
• plane n. a woodworking tool; an airplane; a flat surface (math)
  • examples:
    • In tech class, Tristan used a plane to smooth out the flat parts of his CO₂-powered car.
    • Sam always dreamed of piloting a plane some day.
    • The intersection of two planes results in a straight line.

principal / principle

• principal n. the head of a school; adj. main or most important
  • examples:
    • Mr. Dale worked with the principal to encourage students to turn work in on time.
    • The principal reason students read is for enjoyment.
• principle n. a rule of conduct; a main fact or law
  • examples:
    • Kevin’s principles kept him from copying answers off of Brett’s homework.
    • One principle of science it that hypotheses should be testable.

quiet / quite

• quiet adj. without noise; low volume; still and peaceful
  • example: Ms. Torres appreciated when the students were quiet while they worked.
• quite adv. wholly or entirely; to a great extent
  • example: Summer in Houston is quite hot and humid.

shone / shown

• shone v. gleamed; glowed (past tense of shine)
  • note: many people use the word shined instead
  • example: The sun shone very brightly this afternoon.
• shown v. revealed (past participle of show)
  • example: Mr. Rogers expected Justin to do well on the test because he had shown him how to do this kind of problem already.

stationary / stationery

• stationary adj. in a fixed position
  • example: You can’t ride stationary to the store because it is just for exercise.
• stationery n. writing paper
  • example: Barbara bought pink Hello Kitty stationery at Target.

than / then

• than conjunction used for comparisons
  • examples:
    • Cody wants to go to school rather than stay home.
    • Ben likes playing video games more than Ryan.
    • A mansion is bigger than a shack.
• then adv. at that time
  • example: We will finish the project, then we will go to the movies.

their / there / they’re

• their possessive form of they. belonging to them
  • example: They were late because of their habit of socializing during the passing period.
• there adv. at or in that place
  • example: Madison left her jacket over there.
  • note: can also begin a sentence
    • There is no other option.
      
• they’re contraction of they are.
  • example: They’re hoping to finish soon.

threw / through

• threw v. tossed, pitched (past tense of throw)
  • example: Abby threw the crumpled paper into the trash can.
• through prep. across, in one side and out the other side
  • example: Lauren made it through the doorway before the bell rang, narrowly avoiding a tardy.

to / too / two

• to prep. in the direction of; toward
  • examples:
    • David went to the office.
  • note: also part of the infinitive part of a verb (to be, to see, to hold)
    • Melinda had permission to go home.
• too adv. also; more than enough
  • examples:
    • Mr. Heyer has lived in California, Oregon, and Texas, too.
    • It is too late for Megan to call Amanda.
• two n. cardinal number between one and three; adj. one more than one
  • examples:
    • Sarah took two of the slices of pizza at lunch.
    • Kevin had two pens, so he was able to lend one to Chad.

waist / waste

• waist n. the middle part of the body
  • example: Michelle had to get a change of clothes because her outfit did not cover her waist.
• waste n. unused material, trash; v. to get rid of
  • examples:
    • Tyler took the yard waste to the compost heap.
    • It is a waste of ink to color using a highlighter.

weak / week

• weak adj. not strong
  • example: Nicole’s broken arm was too weak to carry all her books.
• week n. seven days
  • example: Spring break is one week long.

weather / whether

• weather n. atmospheric conditions
  • example: Samantha loved the warm weather because it meant she could go swimming.
• whether conj. if
  • example: Stephen had to decide whether he would give away his extra note cards.

who’s / whose

• who’s contraction of who is or who has
  • examples:
    • Who’s [who is] giving his or her speech next?
    • Who’s [who has] eaten dinner already?
• whose possessive form of who. belonging to whom
  • example: Arthur wondered whose paper he had found in the hallway.

your / you’re

• your possessive form of you. belonging to you
  • example: Scott is passing back your quiz from yesterday.
• you’re contraction of you are
  • example: Class will begin when you’re seated and quiet.