Homonyms are words that are pronouned the same but which are spelled differently and have different meanings. There are some homonyms which are commonly confused. There are other words which are not really homonyms because they are not pronounced the same but are pronounced in a similar way. 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.
affect/effect
affect means to change something.
The weather affects her sinuses
effect 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). Although it 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).
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’s
its 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.
lose/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.
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.
until/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.
where/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 less
all right – not alright
cannot – not can not
each other – not eachother
through – not thru
congratulations – not congradulations
kindergarten – 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 words
Quoted 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 hoc
laissez-faire
etc.
bayou
cantina
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.