Writing/Commonly confused homonyms
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(Redirected from Writing/commonly confused homonyms)Homonyms are words that have the same pronunciation or sound alike but have different meanings and often different spellings.[1] Here are some commonly confused homonyms in American English writing:
- Accept / Except:
- Accept: to receive or agree to something.
- Except: excluding or with the exclusion of.
- Affect / Effect:
- Affect: to influence or produce a change.
- Effect: a change that occurred as a result of a specific action.
- Its / It's:
- Its: possessive form of "it."
- It's: contraction of "it is" or "it has."
- Their / There / They're:
- Their: possessive form of "they."
- There: a location or place.
- They're: contraction of "they are."
- Your / You're:
- Your: possessive form of "you."
- You're: contraction of "you are."
- To / Too / Two:
- To: preposition indicating direction or action.
- Too: meaning also or excessively.
- Two: the number 2.
- Whose / Who's:
- Whose: possessive form of "who."
- Who's: contraction of "who is" or "who has."
- Then / Than:
- Then: indicating time or sequence.
- Than: used in comparisons.
- Effect / Affect:
- Effect: a change that occurred as a result of a specific action.
- Affect: to influence or produce a change.
- Principal / Principle:
- Principal: a person who has controlling authority.
- Principle: a fundamental truth, law, or rule.
- Compliment / Complement:
- Compliment: a nice remark or praise.
- Complement: something that completes or goes well with something.
- Stationary / Stationery:
- Stationary: not moving.
- Stationery: writing materials.
- Passed / Past:
- Passed: past tense of "pass."
- Past: a time that has gone by.
- Than / Then:
- Than: used in comparisons.
- Then: indicating time or sequence.
- Capital / Capitol:
- Capital: a city where a government's central offices are located.
- Capitol: a building where legislative work is carried out.
- Weather / Whether:
- Weather: atmospheric conditions.
- Whether: introducing a choice between alternatives.
- Bear / Bare:
- Bear: an animal; to endure.
- Bare: uncovered or exposed.
- Peace / Piece:
- Peace: a state of tranquility or quiet.
- Piece: a part or portion of something.
- Lead / Led:
- Lead: a heavy metal; to guide or direct.
- Led: past tense of "lead" (pronounced "led").
- Lose / Loose:
- Lose: to suffer loss or defeat.
- Loose: not firmly fixed in place; not tight.
Understanding the distinctions between these homonyms can help prevent common spelling and usage errors in writing.