Commonly Confused Words and Phrases

affect/effect - Affect is a verb meaning “to cause something to change.” Effect is a noun meaning “a result brought about by a cause.”

He tried to affect the outcome.

He had an effect on the outcome.

aggravate/irritate - Aggravate means “worsen.” Irritate means “annoy” or “cause minor pain.”

The loud music aggravated her headache.

The cigarette smoke irritated her throat.

all ready/already - All ready means “prepared.” Already means “previously.”

The dancer was all ready to go on stage.

The dancer’s performance is over already.

all right/alright - Alright is a common contraction of all right. Although alright technically is not incorrect, all right is strongly preferred.

He said he felt all right.

Incorrect: He said he felt alright.

a lot/alot - Alot is a common contraction of a lot, but is incorrect.

She liked it a lot.

Incorrect: She liked it alot.

allusion/illusion - An allusion is a reference to something else. An illusion is a false vision or a fantasy.

The poem contains an allusion to Greek mythology.

The ghost was an illusion.

“an” with H-words - Use “a” instead of “an” in front of words that begin with H unless the H is silent.

A hero played a harp for an hour.

and also - And also is redundant. Use either and or also, not both.

aural/oral - Aural relates to the ears and hearing; oral relates to the mouth.

The loud drum music damaged her aural capabilities.

Regular brushing and flossing are important components of oral hygiene.

awhile/a while - Awhile is an adverb meaning “for some time.” A while is an article and noun and should be used as an object. The phrase “for awhile” is incorrect.

Take off your shoes and rest awhile.

Rest for a while.

backward/backwards - Backward is preferred in the U.S.; backwards is acceptable as an adverb but never as an adjective.

He glanced backward.

She caught his backward glance.

bad/badly - Bad is an adjective; badly, an adverb. Do not use bad as an adverb. The phrase “I feel badly” is commonly used but incorrect.

The bad man hit his brother.

He plays tennis badly.

Incorrect: She hurt him bad.

Incorrect: I lied to her and now I feel badly about it.

bazaar/bizarre - Bazaar is a noun meaning “market.” Bizarre is an adjective meaning “strange” or “unusual.”

beside/besides - Beside means “next to.” Besides means “also” or “in addition to.”

I ran beside the river.

He is a liar, and besides that, a thief.

between/among - Between is used when something is shared by only two people or things. Among is used when something is shared by more than two people or things.

This secret will remain between you and me.

Among the four brothers, Aaron was the tallest.

breath/breathe - Breath is a noun; breathe is a verb.

I took a deep breath.

I breathe heavily.

capitol/capital - A capitol is a building in which a legislative body meets, whereas capital is used to refer to political centers and uppercase letters.

Senator Smith walked into the U.S. Capitol.

Salt Lake City is the capital of Utah.

Every sentence must begin with a capital letter.

council/counsel - A council is a group. Counsel is advice or guidance; to counsel is to advise.

The city council met on Tuesday.

I was confused, but my teacher gave me counsel.

compare to/compare with - Compare to connotes similarity between the things compared. Compare with can connote similarity or difference.

He compared her apple pie to heaven.

He compared Lincoln with Hitler.

complement/compliment - Complement means “to go well with.” A compliment is a flattering statement or the act of making one.

My sense of humor complements her love of laughter.

I paid her a compliment.

continual/continuous - Something that is continuous never stops. Something that is continual is recurring but can stop.

The Earth rotates continuously.

My girlfriend continually asks me to give her flowers.

criteria/criterion - Criteria is the plural of criterion.

different than/different from - Different from is more correct than different than.

discreet/discrete - Discreet means “prudent” or “modest.” Discrete means “separate.”

They left the party discreetly to avoid making a scene.

He had several discrete groups of friends.

etc./e.g./i.e. – Etc. is short for et cetera and means “and so forth.” E.g. is short for exempli gratia and means “for example.” I.e. is short for id est and means “that is.”

He was an expert in tropical dieases: malaria, typhoid fever, cholera, etc.

She loved Shakespeare’s more fanciful comedies, e.g., A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Asbestos is carcinogenic, i.e., cancer-causing.

forward/forwards - Forward is preferred in the U.S.

further/farther - Further refers to time or degree. Farther refers to physical distance.

After further thought, he chose to surrender.

He moved the desks farther apart to avoid crowding.

good/well - Good is an adjective. Well is an adverb. “I feel good” means “I feel moral,” not “I feel healthy” or “I feel happy.”

The good man donated half of his estate to charity.

I don’t feel well; my stomach hurts.

hanged/hung - Always use hung except in the case of execution with a rope.

We hung the stockings on the line.

The convicts were hanged.

its/it’s - Its is the possessive form of “it.” It’s is a contraction meaning “it is.”

Its main use is as a spice grinder.

It’s used mainly for grinding spices.

lay/lie - Lay is used when the subject of the sentence acts on a direct object. Lie is used when there is no direct object.

Julie lays down the book.

Julie lies down for a nap.

less/fewer - Less is used for quantities that cannot be counted. Fewer is used for quantities that can be counted.

In winter, there is less daylight because the sun is in the sky for fewer hours.

lightening/lightning - Lightening means “making light.” Lightning flashes from the clouds during storms.

Taking off your backpack would help in lightening your load.

He was struck by lightning during the storm.

like/as - As is a conjunction; it comes before a complete clause. Like is a preposition. If the phrase introduced by like or as includes a verb, use as; if not, use like.

He ran quickly, as a runner should.

He ran like the wind.

little/few - Little refers to quantities that cannot be counted. Few refers to quantities that can be counted.

He had little hope.

He had few prospects.

medium/media - Media is the plural of medium.

Oil paint is the favorite medium of many artists.

Art students learn techniques in a variety of media, including pencil, oil paint, and watercolor.

much/many - Much generally refers to quantities that cannot be counted. Many refers to quantities that can be counted.

There was much dirt in the old truck.

Dirt has many uses.

predominant/predominate - Predominant is an adjective. Predominate is a verb.

It is the predominant idea among scientists.

The idea predominates among scientists.

principle/principal - Principle refers to an idea, especially a moral precept. Principal refers to high rank or importance.

I agree with the principle of nonviolence.

Human error was the principal cause of the accident.

Principal Jones suspended the student.

prior/previous/before - Prior and previous are interchangeable adjectives. Before is an adverb.

The previous arrangement existed prior to this arrangement.

This arrangement was made before the new information came to light.

prophesy/prophecy - Prophesy is a verb that means “to make prophecies.” Prophecy is a noun that means “a prediction of future events.”

The seer prophesied that Oedipus would be ruined.

The prophecy came true when Oedipus killed his father and married his mother.

quote/quotation - Quote is a verb; quotation, a noun.

I want to quote Twain in my paper.

That quotation from Twain’s novel is really clever.

real/really - Real is an adjective. Really is an adverb. A common mistake is to use real as an adverb.

The terror of the situation was real.

The situation was really terrifying.

Incorrect: I did real well.

so - Avoid using so as an word of emphasis. “It was very cold” is preferable to “It was so cold.”

stationary/stationery - Stationary is an adjective referring to a state of motionlessness. Stationery is a noun referring to paper and envelopes.

than/then - Than is a comparative term. Then refers to chronological sequence.

Cornelius was smarter than Rocky.

I slept, and then I woke up.

that/which - That is used to provide information that is necessary to identify a specific item. Which is used to add extra information about an item already identified.

The ticket that John bought was nonrefundable.

John paid for the ticket, which cost fifty dollars.

their/they’re - Their is the possessive form of “they.” They’re is a contraction meaning “they are.”

Their eyes were closed in sleep.

They’re sleeping.

toward/towards - Toward is preferred in the U.S.

try to/try and - Try to introduces an action to be tried. Try and is correct only if followed by an unrelated action.

Try to stop me.

You will try and fail.

Incorrect: Try and stop me.

used to/use to - Used to refers to a past action. Use to is incorrect.

We used to play ball in this field.

Incorrect: We use to play ball in this field.

whether/if - If means “on the condition that.” Whether is used in situations of speculation or uncertainty.

I will go to the party if I get my work done first.

I wonder whether the plane will arrive on time.

Incorrect: I wonder if the plane will arrive on time.

If the plane is late, he will wonder what is wrong.

who/whom - Who is a subject; whom is an object.

Who is coming to the party?

Whom should I invite?

Tim saw Cheryl, who was wearing a red coat.

Tim saw Cheryl, whom he loves like a sister.

who’s/whose - Who’s is a contraction meaning “who is.” Whose is the possessive form of “who.”

Who’s there?

Whose car is that?