Grammar & Usage

Commonly Confused (page 4)

Notes On 'Plum' and 'Plumb' (and 'Plump')

This is just to say / Don't confuse them

The Difference Between 'Centenary' and 'Centennial'

Two words. One hundred years.

Is it 'Dreamed' or 'Dreamt'?

Dream Analysis, Past Tense Version

'Whale' vs. 'Wail' vs. 'Wale'

If you're at sea about which to use

Are You 'Regretful' or 'Regrettable'?

We hope you're neither

Sasquatch: 'Illusive' or 'Elusive'?

Words can be hard to pin down

On 'Tenant' vs. 'Tenet'

Getting a hold on two similar words.

'Personal' vs. 'Personnel': A Matter for You and Everyone Else

Keep this in your personal file.

'Forego' vs. 'Forgo': The E Is Important

Does dinner forego or forgo dessert?

'Bring' vs. 'Take'

We can bring it if you can take it.

Is there a difference between ‘long’ and ‘lengthy?’

When some things just go on and on.

Is It 'Whet' Or 'Wet' Your Appetite/Whistle?

Homophone confusion ahead.

Is there a difference between ‘instinctive’ and ‘instinctual?

Sometimes it’s best to go with your gut.

'Hangar' vs. 'Hanger'

One for your plane, one for your shirt

Laying Down the Law on 'Martial' and 'Marshal'

Not to mention 'marshall'

Where In the World to Use 'Chili,' 'Chilli,' and 'Chile'

'Chilli' is the British version

'Portmanteau' vs. 'Blend'

Smashing words up, making new ones

'Judicial' v. 'Judicious': We'll Settle The Case

A judgment call

'Deprived' vs. 'Depraved'

Nobody wants to be either.

'Vise' and 'Vice': (Mostly) Not the Same Thing

One's a tool, one's a habit.

'Short Shrift' or 'Short Shift'?

And can it also be long?

On 'Idyll' and 'Ideal'

For your cabin in the woods.

'Versus' vs. 'Verses'

The ultimate battle.

'Draft' vs. 'Draught'

Similar, but not the same

'Moot Point' or 'Mute Point'?

We'll get to the point.

‘Magnate’ and ‘Magnet’: Poles Apart

This is kind of a Big Deal

‘Sleight’ or ‘Slight’ of Hand?

Watch closely and be amazed.

'Preventive' or 'Preventative'?

Why not both?

‘Obtuse’ or ‘abstruse’?

Shouldn't be hard to comprehend.

'Precedent' vs. 'Precedence'

Don't set a precedence.

'Advisor' vs. 'Adviser': Who Will Win?

A centuries-old rivalry

Can 'Over' Mean "More Than"?

Over a hundred people will be annoyed

'Gorilla' or 'Guerrilla'?

'Guerrilla' is the one for humans

'Weary' and 'Wary': Use With Caution

Beware of the difference.

Having a Think About 'Another Think/Thing Coming'

'Thing' wins the popularity contest.

'Taunt' or 'Taut'?

No need to stress.

We Prescribe 'Hunger Pangs' Over 'Hunger Pains'

Let's make a meal out of it.

The Difference Between 'Grizzly' and 'Grisly'

It has a gray area.

'Teeming' vs. 'Teaming'

The masses want to know.

'Outsize' vs. 'Outsized'

Is one of these wrong?

Is It 'Mantle' or 'Mantel'?

Either can be above a fireplace.

'Affection' vs. 'Affectation'

When you move in mysterious ways.

Is It 'Hurtle' or 'Hurdle'?

You can do both, but they're not the same

'Crevice' and 'Crevasse': A Gap in Meaning

Look before you leap.

'Free Rein' or 'Free Reign'?

An equestrian word not of royalty

'Complacent' vs. 'Complaisant'

Both can be polite; one is unconcerned.

Is It 'Feasible' or Is It 'Doable'?

When is 'doable' feasible?

'Prosecute' vs. 'Persecute'

One is in court, the other makes you a jerk

To 'Essay' or 'Assay'?

Just give it the old college essay

'Ceremonial' vs. 'Ceremonious'

How to observe proper usage etiquette

Do you change 'tack' or 'tact'?

When you need to switch course

Do You 'Say Your Piece' or 'Say Your Peace'?

The whole truth about a confusing idiom.

'Wreck' and 'Reckless': Accidents Happen

How to avoid a wreck

'Elegy' vs. 'Eulogy'

How to speak about what is lost

'Clench' vs. 'Clinch': Which is victorious?

'Clench' has a tight grip in one sense.

'Accidental' vs. 'Incidental'

A word's meaning is no accident. Or is it?

'Jive' vs. 'Jibe' vs. 'Gibe'

We hope you jibe with our advice.

Do We Get 'On Track' or 'Untracked'?

Anything to get out of this slump

The Unsteadiness of 'Drank' and 'Drunk'

Use them responsibly.

How to Use 'Dependent' and 'Dependant'

It depends.

'Carat' vs. 'Karat' (vs. 'Caret')

Know what you're paying for

'Optimum' vs. 'Optimal'

Which one for optim(al/um) effect?

'Precipitous' Does Not Mean "Rainy"

Some words on the precipice

'Regimen' vs. 'Regiment'

The rule of thumb for words about rules

'Gamut' and 'Gambit' (and 'Gauntlet' Too)

Know when to use (or run) each.

Are you under 'duress'? Or are you just under 'stress'?

We don't want to stress you out

'Muster' or 'Mustard': Which gets a pass?

One gets cut. The other gets passed.

Is It 'Down the Pike' or 'Down the Pipe'?

You might not need a plumber.

'Diffuse' vs. 'Defuse'

Let us defuse the situation.

Is it 'immune to' or 'immune from'?

Nobody is immune to this question.

'Couple,' 'Few,' and 'Several': The (Mostly) Definitive Guide

People have several/a few/a couple questions.

Dire Straits: Straight vs. Strait (plus Straitjacket and Straitlaced)

How to use these oft-confused words

The Difference Between 'Patriotism' and 'Nationalism'

They're often not synonyms

The Difference Between Baking and Roasting

Your oven is about to get a little more complicated.

Are you craving 'ice tea' or 'iced tea'?

When tea is cold and refreshing, is it 'ice tea' or 'iced tea'?

'Motif' vs 'Leitmotif'

A pattern emerges.

'Disinvite' or 'Uninvite'?

A disinvited guest is an uninvited problem

The Battle of 'Stanch' vs 'Staunch'

You've (probably) got this down.

The Difference Between 'Credulous' and 'Credible'

You can trust us.

Is it espresso or expresso? Yes

You're not wrong if you spell it with an 'X.'

When To Use 'Specious' vs. 'Spurious'

These similar words are not interchangeable

'Recur' and 'Reoccur': A Subtle Difference

It's happening again

Herb vs Spice: A Debate

If variety is the spice of life, what's the herb?

Don't Catch 'Flack' for Using 'Flak'

How a word for antiaircraft guns came to refer to PR pro

Is there a difference between 'steps' and 'stairs'?

When to use each

This is the Difference Between a Hypothesis and a Theory

They're two completely different things

When to Use 'Smote' and When to Use 'Smitten'

It depends on who's doing the smiting

Tulip/Turban, Cloak/Clock, & 8 Other Doublets

When two words come from the same source

'People' vs. 'Persons'

The collective noun is 'people'

Is it 'stamp' or 'stomp'?

It really depends on how you feel

'Timber' vs 'Timbre'

A usage lesson from a handsome lumberjack

What does 'soever' mean, anyway?

And when did you last use 'whomsoever'?

Is it 'invoke' or 'evoke'?

We wrote you a limerick

Is It 'Toward' or 'Towards'?

A rule to drive you toward(s) a breakdown

'Chord' vs. 'Cord'

How to tell them apart

Must an 'Immigrant' Also Be an 'Emigrant'?

And what's an émigré?

Are 'Assume' and 'Presume' Synonyms?

Yes, but one implies confidence

'Scots', 'Scotch', and 'Scottish'

Is there a difference?

Is It 'Deep-Seated' or 'Deep-Seeded'?

Diving deep into a modern usage problem

What's the difference between a commonwealth and a state?

Are KY, MA, PA, and VA really that different?

Do you send in the ‘cavalry’ or the ‘calvary’?

Think quick

Why Do We Say 'Unequal' but 'Inequality?'

It's all about the root

Is It 'Poser' or 'Poseur'?

Now that's a poser

'Flaunt' vs. 'Flout'

Is it wrong to confuse these words?

'Corporal' vs. 'Corporeal'

These look alike, but do different jobs

Is That Cold 'Contagious' or 'Infectious'?

Wash your hands

'Childlike' vs. 'Childish'

The words have different connotations

'Breech' vs. 'Breach'

Mind the gap and hold on to your butts
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