Commonly Misspelled/Misused Words

[Sullivan Marsh]

From The Internet Accuracy Project http://www.accuracyproject.org/confusedwords.html

Commonly Confused Words - Frequently Misspelled Words
Here is a compilation of some of the most frequently misspelled, commonly confused and easily misused words around. Some are just words that are highly susceptible to misspelling. Others are homonyms that look or sound similar to one another but have different meanings.

In an era of email, instant messaging, pagers, and cell phone text messaging, correct spelling and grammar, proper capitalization and use of complete sentences has become a thing of the past. The increasing use of Internet and IM acronyms makes it increasingly important for us to recognize the proper use and spelling of many of the most commonly mangled and misused words around.

Far too many people blindly accept correction from spell checker software while failing to recognize that they must differentiate between the similar words. With homonyms, since both examples are valid words, your spell checker will not pick up the mistake.


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ACCEPT - to receive
Internet Accuracy Project gratefully accepts all donations.

EXCEPT - apart from; excluding; to take or leave out
We welcome donations of all books, except romance novels and other fiction.


ADVICE - recommendation; guidance
The police officer offered advice on how best to secure the business.

ADVISE - to offer guidance or wisdom
The former President advised the Senator to stop lying to voters.


ALL READY - complete; prepared
He was certain it was all ready for scrutiny, but soon discovered it was still full of errors.

ALREADY - by this time; previously
His book was already in print when they discovered it wasn't factual.


ALLOWED - permitted; acceptable
The politician said dead voters would be allowed to vote in general elections, but not primaries.

ALOUD - audibly; out loud
Only one person had the nerve to say aloud what we were all thinking about the corrupt politician.


ALLUSION - an indirect reference
The scholar made an allusion to William Faulkner's work.

ILLUSION - a false perception; a magic trick
The illusion was not convincing, as the cards were visible up his sleeve.


ALTOGETHER - completely; entirely; all in all
The study was full of inaccuracies, but its conclusions weren't altogether wrong.

ALL TOGETHER - in unison; gathered, with everyone in one place
We were all together at the book club when we discovered all the typographical errors.


ASCENT - climb
His rapid ascent in the scientific world was quickly reversed when they discovered he lied in the book.

ASSENT - agreement; consent; concur
The scientist assented to the scientific review after admitting he falsified the study results.


BARE - exposed; naked; stripped
Once the carpeting was torn up, the room looked bare.

BEAR - to endure; to tolerate; a large, heavy mammal
He had to bear the burden alone as the bear attacked him, since onlookers thought it was all part of the show.


BOARDER - paying guest in a house
He was going to take in more boarders until the severed head of a missing boarder was found in his yard.

BORDER - boundary or edge, particularly of a geographical region.
Illegal aliens continue to stream across the border in record numbers.


BRAKE - a mechanical device that causes a vehicle to slow or stop
Most drivers brake for children, pets and stoplights, but not lawyers and politicians.

BREAK - to shatter; destroy
He would have to break all the rules to get elected after he was caught in the barn with that hooker.


BREATH - noun, air inhaled or exhaled
His honesty was a breath of fresh air.

BREATHE - verb, to inhale or exhale
I will breathe a sigh of relief when errors in reference books are eliminated.


CAPITAL - an upper case letter; seat of government; assets, funds or financial resources.
His company had sufficient capital to open new facilities in the state capital of Topeka.

CAPITOL - the actual building in which the legislature of a country or state meets
The governor announced she would outlaw stupidity in a speech given today at the capitol.


CITE - refer to; to quote; document
The research paper would ultimately cite twelve sources that were later proven not to exist.

SIGHT - vision; spectacle
The snow-covered peaks surrounding Mammoth Mountain are a sight to behold.

SITE - location; position; place
The site of the new bank was abandoned when it was discovered to be haunted by the ghost of Jesse James.


COMPLEMENT - something that completes; brings to perfection; is in harmony with
The wine complemented the lavish feast.

COMPLIMENT - an expression of praise or flattery
She received many compliments on her new book until they discovered it was all plagiarized.


CONSCIENCE - principles; a sense of right and wrong; ethics
The politician claimed his conscience kept him from cheating on his wife.

CONSCIOUS - awake; aware; cognizant
Both passengers remained conscious following the auto accident.


COUNCIL - a group that consults or advises
The city council voted unanimously to impose the death penalty on all smokers.

COUNSEL - to advise
The student was counseled before deciding to take the popular course in zombie resurrection.


DAM - a barrier built to hold back water
The entire valley flooded when the dam collapsed.

DAMN - to condemn; to not care at all
Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn.


DESERT - arid region; abandon
Contrary to popular belief, many deserts are teeming with plant and animal life.

DESSERT - a sweet course served at the end of a meal
The easiest way to differentiate the spelling of these two words, is to remember that you always want two servings of that scrumptious dessert. The scorching desert is spelled with just one "s", but that delicious dessert is spelled with two.


ELICIT - to draw out; to bring out
The police officer tried to elicit the truth from the unresponsive suspect.

ILLICIT - illegal
The disgraced mayor refused to admit his part in the illicit activities.


EMINENT - famous; renowned; respected
The eminent surgeon was fired after he removed the kidney from the wrong patient.

IMMANENT - inherent; intrinsic; present everywhere
The meaning of the sonnet was immanent, but not easily recognized.

IMMINENT - about to happen; ready to take place
A fight between the talk show guests was imminent from the moment they walked out on stage.


FLAIR - style; stylishness; panache
The room was decorated with great flair.

FLARE - a burst of light; an outward curve to a shape
They placed a flare in the road to warn approaching motorists of the alien spacecraft crash.


FORMALLY - officially; in a polite, mannered fashion
The Governor formally signed into law a new ordinance which imposes the death penalty on jaywalking.

FORMERLY - previously; in the past
The new Joan Crawford Day Care Center, formerly the Bette Davis Stop Smoking Clinic, opened today.


HEAR - to perceive sound
He could hear the footsteps of the approaching zombies, but it was too late to escape.

HERE - at this place; at this point in time
It was right here at this very spot that they filmed the ABC television series Call to Glory.


INTERMENT - burial
His interment at the local cemetery was interrupted when his casket was found to be filled with gold.

INTERNMENT - imprisonment; confinement
In times of war, individuals classified as "enemy aliens" have occasionally been placed in internment camps by some countries.


ITS - of, or belonging to
The book and its author were both found to be lacking in credibility.

IT'S - contraction for "it is"
It's going to take months before all the errors are documented.


LEAD - (noun) a type of metal
He had lead poisoning from all the old paint he consumed.

LEAD - (verb) guide; show the way
The outdoorsman will lead the hikers from Lake Mary, up to Duck Lake.

LED - (verb) past tense of the verb "to lead"
The criminal led his victims into the woods before forcing them at gunpoint to clean his cabin.


LOSE - to misplace; be defeated; not win
He was certain to lose the election because of the infamous video.

LOOSE - not tight; baggy
The lawyer's pants were so loose that they actually fell to his ankles, causing him to trip and fall. (He sued)


PASSED - to go by; to have moved
He was killed as he passed the truck on a blind curve.

PAST - belonging to a earlier time; long-ago
In the past he had always been a respectable attorney, but was disbarred after he tried to bribe a judge.


PEAK - mountaintop; summit
It was at the peak of his political career that he accepted the bride from Tony Soprano.

PEEK - glance; sneak a quick look
The video clearly showed the 3-term Senator peeking into the women's restroom at the strip club.

PIQUE - (Noun) offend; resentment; (Verb) to arouse curiosity
His curiosity was piqued when he saw the photo of the aliens and their landing craft.


PRECEDE - to come before
The King always precedes his entourage.

PROCEED - to go forward; carry on
He would proceed with the task, though he knew it was a lost cause.


PRINCIPAL - a person who has authority; primary; most important
The school principal resigned when it was discovered he was actually a bank robber.

PRINCIPLE - a fundamental truth; the original source; integrity
He was a man of principle.


RAIN - precipitation in the form of water
The mosquitoes will soon be out in force as a result of all the rain we've had lately.

REIGN - period of a monarch's rule; the act of presiding over a country or group
The King's reign ended abruptly when Lord Killsalot lopped His Majesty's head off.

REIN - the strap used to control a horse (usually plural)
He frantically pulled the reins to stop the mare, but that horse just galloped right off the edge of the cliff.


ROLE - one's position; a part in the theatre, movies or television
Google played a role in helping improve the accuracy of Web searches.

ROLL - revolve; turn over
The car rolled several times before coming to rest on its roof.


STATIONARY - motionless; standing still
Contrary to the Senator's testimony, the police report his car was stationary at the time of the accident.

STATIONERY - writing paper and envelopes
After purchasing office supplies at the stationery store downtown, the Senator was abducted by aliens.


THAN - used with comparisons
I'd rather hear the truth, no matter how unpleasant, than some preposterous lie.

THEN - at that time; after that
He signed the ethics bill, then went and spent the night with his mistress.


THEIR - possessive form of they
Their scientific study was full of inaccuracies and falsified data.

THERE - indicates location; in attendance
He went there to do some research on Preston Sturges.

THEY'RE - contraction for "they are"
They're going to fire him because he faked patient data in the medical study.


THROUGH - from side to side; into or out of
Passing through the tunnel is quicker than ever, now that time warp technology is utilized to move traffic.

THRU - abbreviated slang for through; NOT appropriate in standard writing
When is Professor Dronesonforever going to be thru with this endless lecture?

THREW - past tense of throw
The politician threw a punch at the reporter when informed his marital indiscretion had been caught on tape.

THOROUGH - methodical; careful; complete
The doctor claimed he was thorough in all aspects of his research, but he actually falsified the entire study.

THOUGH - however; nevertheless
The mayor was caught repeatedly lying, though his constituents still reelected him to two additional terms.


TO - toward; in the direction of; on the way to
He went to the Internet Accuracy Project site to do some research.

TOO - also; in addition; excessively
There are far too many errors on the Web.

TWO - the number 2
He removed two more errors before it was published.


WHO'S - contraction of "who is"; contraction of "who has"
Who's that guy that married actress Sharon Tate?

WHOSE - belonging to
Does anyone know whose car that is with the dead body in the trunk?


YOU'RE - contraction of you are
You're barking up the wrong tree if you think you're and your are interchangeable.

YOUR - belonging to; done by you
Our records indicate that your father died 23 years ago, yet has voted in each of the last five elections.






Always keep the following in mind:

I before E
Except after C
Or when it sounds like "A" as in neighbor and weigh
Or when it sounds like "I" as in Einstein

There are many exceptions, but it's still a valuable rule to memorize.






A few of the more difficult "ie" and "ei" words

Agencies, ancient, believe, conscience, deficiencies, efficient, efficiencies, field, friend, policies, priest, science, shield, siege, sufficient, yield.

Being, caffeine, ceiling, conceited, conceited, conceive, deceit, Eileen, Einstein, einsteinium, either, foreign, foreigner, forfeit, forfeiture, heifer, height, heir, leisure, neighbor, neither, perceive, protein, receive, receipt, seize, seizure, sheikh, sleigh, sleight, stein, their, transceiver, vein, weigh, weight, weir, weird, weirdo, zeitgeist.


Other commonly misspelled words

A - absence, abundance, accelerate, accessible, accidentally, acclaim, accommodate, accomplish, accordion, accumulate, achievement, acquaintance, acquire, acquit, across, address, advertisement, aficionado, aggravate, alleged, amateur, annual, anoint, apology, apparent, appearance, argument, atheist, athletics, attendance, auxiliary, axle.
B - balloon, barbecue, barbiturate, bargain, basically, beggar, beginning, believable, believe, biscuit, bouillon, boundary, Britain, broccoli, Buddha, business.
C - calendar, camouflage, cantaloupe, carburetor, Caribbean, cartilage, category, cemetery, chagrined, challenge, characteristic, changing, chauvinism, chief, chili, chocolaty, cigarette, climbed, coliseum, collectible, colonel, colossal, column, congratulations, coming, commemorate, committee, commitment, comparative, competent, completely, concede, conceive, condemn, condescend, conscientious, conscious, consciousness, consensus, consistent, continuous, controlled, coolly, corollary, convenient, correlate, correspondence, counselor, courteous, courtesy, criticize.
D - daiquiri, Dalmatian, deceive, defendant, deferred, definite, dependent, descend, desiccate, description, desirable, despair, desperate, deterrence, develop, development, difference, dilemma, dining, diorama, disappear, disappearance, disappoint, disastrous, discipline, disease, dispensable, dissatisfied, dissipate, dominant, drunkenness, dumbbell.
E - easily, ecstasy, efficiency, eighth, either, eligible, embarrass, emperor, enemy, entirely, equipped, equivalent, especially, exaggerate, exceed, excellence, excellent, exercise, exhaust, exhilarate, existence, expense, experience, experiment, explanation, extremely, exuberance.
F - Fahrenheit, fallacious, fallacy, familiar, fascinate, feasible, fictitious, fiery, finally, financially, flabbergast, fluorescent, forcibly, foreign, forfeit, formerly, foresee, forty, fourth, fulfill, fundamentally.
G - gauge, generally, genius, government, governor, grammar, grievous, guarantee, guerrilla, guidance, guttural.
H - handkerchief, happily, harass, height, heinous, hemorrhage, heroes, hesitancy, hindrance, hoarse, hoping, horrific, humorous, hypocrisy, hypocrite.
I - ideally, idiosyncrasy, ignorance, imaginary, imitate, immediately, implement, incidentally, incredible, independence, independent, inadvertent, incredible, independent, indicted, indispensable, inevitable, influential, information, ingenious, inoculate, insurance, intelligence, intercede, interference, interrupt, introduce, irascible, irrelevant, irresistible, island.
J - jealousy, judgment, judicial, judiciary, judicious.
K - kaleidoscope, knowledge.
L - laboratory, legitimate, leisure, length, lenient, liaison, license, lieutenant, lightning, likelihood, likely, liquefy, longitude, loneliness, losing, lovely, luxury.
M - magazine, maintain, maintenance, manageable, maneuver, marriage, marshmallow, mathematics, medicine, medieval, memento, millennium, millionaire, miniature, minuscule, minutes, mischief, mischievous, misogyny, missile, misspell, misspelled, mortgage, mosquito, mosquitoes, murmur, muscle, mysterious.
N - narrative, naturally, nauseous, necessary, necessity, neighbor, neutron, ninety, ninth, noticeable, nowadays, nuisance.
O - obedience, obstacle, occasion, occasionally, occurred, occurrence, octopus, official, omission, omit, omitted, onomatopoeia, opinion, opponent, opportunity, oppression, optimism, ordinarily, origin, outrageous, overrun.
P - panicky, parallel, parliament, particularly, pastime, pavilion, peaceable, peculiar, penetrate, peninsula, perceive, performance, permanent, permissible, permitted, perseverance, persistence, pharaoh, physical, physician, picnicking, piece, pigeon, pilgrimage, pistachio, pitiful, plagiarize, planning, pleasant, poinsettia, portray, possess, possessive, potato, potatoes, practically, prairie, precede, preference, preferred, prejudice, preparation, prescription, presumptuous, prevalent, primitive, privilege, probably, procedure, proceed, professor, prominent, pronounce, pronunciation, propaganda, propagate, psychology, publicly, pursue.
Q - quandary, quarantine, questionnaire, quizzes.
R - raspberry, realistically, realize, really, recede, receipt, receive, recognize, recommend, reference, referred, refrigerator, relevant, relieving, religious, remembrance, reminiscence, renowned, repetition, representative, resemblance, reservoir, resistance, restaurant, rheumatism, rhythm, rhythmical, ridiculous, roommate.
S - sacrilegious, sacrifice, safety, salary, satellite, savvy, scary, scenery, schedule, secede, secretary, seize, sensible, sentence, separate, septuagenarian, sergeant, several, shepherd, sheriff, shining, shish kebab, siege, similar, simile, simply, sincerely, skiing, soliloquy, sophomore, sorcerer, souvenir, specifically, specimen, sponsor, spontaneous, statistics, stopped, strategy, strength, strenuous, stubbornness, subordinate, subpoena, subtle, succeed, success, succession, sufficient, supersede, suppress, surprise, surround, susceptible, suspicious, syllable, symmetrical, synonymous.
T - tangible, technical, technique, temperature, tendency, themselves, theories, therefore, thorough, though, threshold, through, till, tomorrow, tournament, tourniquet, transferred, truly, twelfth, tyranny.
U - ukulele, unanimous, undoubtedly, unnecessary, until, usage, usually.
V - vacuum, valuable, vengeance, vicious, vigilant, village, villain, violence, visible.
W - warrant, Wednesday, weird, wherever, wholly.
Y - yacht, yarmulke, yield.
Z - Zaire, zealous, zoology, zucchini.