C
Konstantin Boudnik
a.k.a. Cos

Common Errors in English

Browse A–Z

Every entry covers a word, phrase, or usage that confuses even careful writers. Click any entry to read the explanation.

A

absorbtion accept / except accidently adapt / adopt adultry adverse / averse advice / advise affect / effect ain't altogether / all together allude / refer allusion / illusion alot alright altar / alter alternate / alternative alumnus / alumni amature ambiguous / ambivalent amount / number anecdote / antidote angel / angle anxious / eager any more apartheid appraise / apprise artic as far as as per as of yet as time progressed aspect / respect assure / ensure / insure asterick ATM machine awhile / a while ax apostrophes

B

bare / bear basicly bazaar / bizarre beaurocracy behaviors between blatant born out of both / each boughten bourgeois bouyant brand names bring / take build off of

C

Calvary / cavalry canon / cannon capital / capitol caramel / carmel carat / caret / carrot / karat ceasar celibate / chaste celtic center around chaise longue chemicals chuck / chunk cite / site / sight cliché / clichéd close / clothes close proximity coarse / course compare and contrast complement / compliment comprised of concensus concerted effort confusionism congradulations continual / continuous core / corps / corpse could care less could of / should of / would of council / counsel criteria / criterion crucifiction

D

data decimate deep-seeded definate degrade / denigrate / downgrade déjà vu desert / dessert dieties differ / vary different than discreet / discrete disinterested / uninterested disrespect dolly / handcart dominate / dominant drank / drunk dual / duel

E

e.g. / i.e. each ect. eighteen hundreds / nineteenth century elicit / illicit embaress emigrate / immigrate eminent / imminent / immanent enormity / enormousness enviroment epigram / epigraph / epitaph / epithet everyday exhileration expresses that / says that expresso

F

farther / further fatal / fateful faze / phase febuary 50's firey flaunt / flout flesh out / flush out flounder / founder forbidding / foreboding / formidable for all intensive purposes forego / forgo formally / formerly foresee / forsee forte fortuitous / fortunate forward foul / fowl fraction Frankenstein French dip with au jus from … to from the beginning of time fulsome

G

gamut / gauntlet gaurd Ghandi gibe / jibe / jive gone / went good / well grammer grisly / grizzly ground zero

H

hanged / hung he don't heighth help the problem heroin / heroine hippie / hippy historic / historical an historic HIV virus home page hyphenation hypocritical

I

I / me / myself if I was / if I were immaculate conception / virgin birth impact impertinent / irrelevant imply / infer incidences / incidents / instances incredible indepth infact infinite in regards to in the fact that install / instill intensifiers interpretate into / in to ironically irregardless islams Isreal it's / its

J

judgement

L

laissez-faire large lay / lie lead / led less / fewer libary light-year “lite” spelling literally loose / lose lustful / lusty

M

media Medieval Ages mediocre mic mischievious misnomer more importantly Mount Fujiyama much differently music / singing mute point

N

nauseated / nauseous neice nieve noone nuclear

O

often one-dimensional one in the same one of the only only orders of magnitude organic orientate over-exaggerated

P

palate / palette / pallet parallelism in a series parameters / perimeters parentheses passed / past peace / piece peak / peek / pique peasant / pheasant peoples perogative / prerogative perspective / prospective phenomena / phenomenon picaresque / picturesque PIN number playwrite plug-in podium / lectern point in time pole / poll pompom / pompon pore / pour practice / practise practicle pray / prey precede / proceed precipitate / precipitous predominant / predominate predominately preemptory premier / premiere primer principal / principle probably pronounciation prophecy / prophesy prostate / prostrate protray

Q

quality quantum leap quiet / quite quotation marks quote

R

ran / run reactionary / reactive real / really realtor reason because rebelling / revolting rebut / refute recent / resent reeking havoc reign / rein religion reluctant / reticent remuneration / renumeration reoccurring repel / repulse role / roll

S

safety deposit box sail / sale / sell salsa sauce SAT test satellite shrimp scampi sci-fi schizophrenic sea change seam / seem second of all self-worth sherbert silicon / silicone single quotes snuck social / societal so fun somewhat of a soup du jour of the day stationary / stationery stereo straightjacket / straight-laced substance-free summary / summery supercede suppose to surfing the Internet

T

tenant / tenet than / then that / which they're / their / there theirselves there's these kind these ones they / their (singular) throne / thrown time period to / too / two today's modern society tongue and cheek track home tradegy troop / troupe try and

U

unconscience University of Indiana unique / very unique upmost use to

V

vicious / viscous circle / cycle video viola / voila volumptuous

W

wash weather forecast calls for weather / wether / whether were / where wet your appetite wheat whereabouts are where it's at whimp who / whom who's / whose a whole 'nother woman / women writting

Y

your / you're

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