Prisma Health
Words Frequently Misused
A – (indefinite article) used before words beginning with a consonant sound
An – (indefinite article) used before words beginning with a vowel sound
Accept – (verb) to take, to receive
Except – (preposition) “all but” or excluding
Acute – (adjective) sudden, sharp
Chronic – (adjective) having long duration or appearing often
Advice – (noun) suggestions given
Advise – (verb) to make suggestions or recommendations
Affect – (verb) to influence
Effect – (noun) result of something (verb) to bring something about
(The council effected policy changes.)
Aid – (verb) to help (noun) help given
Aide – (noun) a person who assists
All ready – (adverb) everything is complete
Already – (adverb) has occurred by this time
Alumna – (singular noun) a female who has attended or graduated from a school Alumnae – (plural noun) several females who have attended or graduated from a school
Alumni – (plural noun) several males who have attended or graduated from a school; also used for groups of graduates with both males and females
Alumnus – (singular noun) a male who has attended or graduated from a school
All together – (pronoun and adverb combination) everyone is assembled Altogether – (adverb) wholly, completely
Alot – misspelling of a lot
Alright – (adverb) incorrect version of all right, meaning satisfactory
Altar – (noun) place in a church
Alter – (verb) to change something
Among – (preposition) used in talking about three or more items
Between – (preposition) used in talking about two things
Amount – (noun) used for items that are mass nouns, that is, not countable
(The amount of waste is amazing.)
Number – (noun) used to talk about items that are countable
(The number of times he repeated that slogan got on my nerves.)
Anytime – incorrect version of any time
Appraise – (verb) to estimate the value of something
Apprise – (verb) to fill someone in on something, to inform
Assure – (verb) to give confidence to, to remove doubt
Ensure – (verb) to make certain or sure
Insure – (verb) to write policies covering damage to property or people
Awhile – (adverb) modifies a verb, adjective or adverb
(She hopes to stay awhile.)
A while – (noun) a time period
(She hopes to stay for a while.)
Beside – (preposition) by the side of
Besides – (adverb or preposition) in addition to
Bring – (verb) movement from a farther to nearer place (think delivery food)
Take – (verb) the opposite movement (think take-out food – you take it away)
Center around – illogical phrase; better replaced by “center on”
Cite – (verb) the quote or use as an example
Sight – (verb or noun) to see or the ability to see
Site – (noun) a location
Complement – (verb or noun) to complete or the thing that makes something complete
Compliment – (noun) words praising something; complimentary means “free”
Conscience – (noun) an inner voice
Conscious – (adjective) fully aware
Continual – a process that is interrupted from time to time
Continuous – a never-interrupted process
Council – (noun) a group of officials or advisers
Counsel – (verb) to give advice, (noun) advice
Credible – (adjective) believable
Creditable – (adjective) deserving praise
Criterion – (noun in the singular) standard for judging something
Criteria – (noun in the plural) standards for judging something
Data – (noun in the plural) fact, pieces of information
Datum – (noun in the singular) fact, piece of information
NOTE: AP style now says “data” can be singular.
Desert – (noun) arid area, (verb) to abandon
Dessert – (noun) the last course in a meal
Device – (noun) a mechanism
Devise – (verb) to arrange
Different from – correct phrase
Different than – incorrect phrase
Different to – incorrect phrase
Disburse – (verb) to pay out
Disperse – (verb) to break up
Discreet – (adjective) private, tactful
Discrete – (adjective) in parts
Disinterested – (adjective) unbiased
Uninterested – (adjective) without interest in
Due to – (preposition) best replaced with “because of” or “as a result of”
Each other – (pronoun) used in talking about two people
One another – (pronoun) used in talking about more than two people
Elicit – (verb) to draw out of someone
Illicit – (adjective) against the law
Emigrate – (verb) to leave one’s country
Immigrate – (verb) to move to a foreign country
Explicit – (adjective) fully explained or expressed
Implicit – (adjective) implied, unexpressed but understandable
Envelop – (verb) to surround
Envelope – piece of stationery
Every day – (adjective-noun combination) each day
Everyday – (adjective) ordinary
Farther – (adverb) used in talking about physical distance
Further – (adverb) used in talking about extent or degree
Fewer – (pronoun or adjective) used in talking about countable items
(He owns fewer chairs than I do.)
Less – (pronoun or adjective) used in talking about items that cannot be counted (He has less furniture than before.)
Formally – (adverb) standing on ceremony
Formerly – (adverb) in the past
Hole – (noun) an opening
Whole – (noun or adjective) complete, all
Hopefully – (adverb) full of hope (I hopefully entered the exam room); usually misused when someone means “it is to be hoped that”
In – (adverb and preposition) a location inside something
Into – (adverb and preposition) suggests movement from outside
Include – (verb) suggests that the items following it make up only part of the total of things being considered
Comprise – (verb) suggests that the full list is given; “comprised of” is not correct
Incredible – (adjective) unbelievable
Incredulous – (adjective) unbelieving
(He was incredulous when told the facts.)
Infer – (verb) to deduce from a general principle something spoken, seen, written
Imply – (verb) to hint at something
Induce – (verb) to infer from particulars
Ingenious – (adjective) clever
Ingenuous – (adjective) naive, lacking subtlety
Irregardless – not a word
Its – possessive of the pronoun “it”
It's – contraction for “it is”
Lay – (verb) to put or place a thing somewhere
(She laid her towel by the side of the pool.)
Lie – (verb) to recline
(She lay in the sun all day. She has lain in the sun for hours this week.)
Lend – (verb) to let someone use something for a time
Loan – (noun) something borrowed for a time
Lose – (verb) to misplace something
Loose – (adjective) free or unbound
Maybe – (adverb) perhaps
May be – (verb) could happen or be the case
Media – (plural noun) means of getting a message across
Medium – (singular noun) means of getting a message across
Moral – (noun) the lesson or truth, (adjective) with goodness
Morale – (noun) state of mind
Oral – (adjective) spoken language
Verbal – (adjective) written or spoken language
Patience – (noun) calmness or steadfastness in adversity
Patients – (noun) people receiving medical care
Percent – (noun) used with numbers
(Over 60% of men returned the survey.)
Percentage – (noun) used without number
(A high percentage returned the survey.)
NOTE: AP style now says “%” can be used instead of “percent.”
Personal – (adjective) intimate, private
Personnel – (noun) people who work for a company
Precede – (verb) to go before something or someone else
Proceed – (verb) to carry on, continue
Precedence – (noun) priority
Precedents – (noun) cases or examples that have occurred before
Preventive – (adjective) keeping something from happening; use instead of
“preventative”
Principal – (noun) the administrator at a school, (adjective) chief or major Principle – (noun) a law, doctrine or code of behavior
Prostate – (noun) a male gland
Prostrate – (adjective) lying flat with face toward the ground
Respectively – (adverb) individually
Respectfully – (adverb) full of respect
Sometime – (adverb) no specific time
(Let's have lunch together sometime.)
Some time – (adjective and noun) a particular bit of time
(We need to spend some time going over the report.)
Stationary – (adjective) unmoving, stopped
Stationery – (noun) writing paper and envelopes
Than – (preposition and conjunction) shows comparison
Then – (adverb) time
That – (relative pronoun or adjective) used to introduce essential information punctuated without commas
(The ties that are in the box are for my father.)
Which – (relative pronoun or subordinate conjunction) used to introduce nonessential information that is set off by commas
(These ties, which I received for Father’s Day, are dreadful.)
Their – (possessive pronoun) something belonging to them
There – (adverb) a location
They’re – (contraction) “they are”
To – (preposition) movement toward
Too – (adverb) also
Two – (adjective) the number after one
Try and – nonstandard for “try to”
Type – (noun) kind; use with “of” (try to avoid “type of” as it is wordy)
(That convertible is the type of car I want.)
Whose – (possessive pronoun)
Who’s – (contraction) “who is”
Your – (possessive pronoun) something belonging to you
You’re – (contraction) “you are”
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