Misspelled and Misused Words

Books/Literature/Writing - General

By: barbiecrafts     01-Nov-2010

Introduction:

There are many words that are commonly misspelled, creating an entirely different meaning to the word. Here are five pairs of commonly misused words and some simple explanation of the correct choice for your writing needs.

Dessert and Desert

Which spelling do you use if you are talking about that rich, chocolate cream pie you enjoy at your grandmother's house? You will use dessert, of course, with two "s"'s because you will want seconds, I'm sure!

Affect and Effect

This little pair of words has been a constant confusion for me. As a general rule, affect is a verb, or an action word. (Note that both affect and action start with "a.") An example of usage is, "His work will affect the people of the area, and the effect will be a cleaner water supply."

It's and Its

This is another pair that is confusing, and I find myself using the incorrect form, even though I know the correct usage. In the word "it's," the apostrophe is substituting for another "i." Think, "It is."

Principal and Principle

This is another of my favorite mistakes! I have written quite a lot of material about loan modification (principle and interest) and I have remained perpetually confused on this pair of words.

English teachers will use the phrase, "The principal is your pal," to help you remember this rule. However, this did not help me with the other uses of the word.

Principal means the "main thing." It could be the main official of the school, the main money in the loan, or the main thought or meaning in the story. Principle is a rule, which ends in "e" like principle.

Your or You're

If you are on Facebook or other social media sites, this is one error that you will see almost daily in your friends' status posts. "Your" indicates that something belongs to "you." "You're," like "it's," is substituting an apostrophe for the "a" in "you are."




Final Thoughts

These five little pairs of words can be a source of constant aggravation, especially if you are a writer. I hope this list helps you remember five of these words and how to use them.


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Comments

  • tamron 11/6/2010

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    I'm glad I'm not the only one that continue to get those words mixed up. Great list 5*

  • ListMaker 11/6/2010

    Flag This Comment

    You're spelled these out just right! I'm a stickler for you're and your, their, there, and they're. Drives me nuts when people use the wrong form. Hope this list goes viral!


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