Common Spelling and Usage Errors
Below are the most common spelling and grammatical usage mistakes that matter when writers are crafting their messages.
Its vs It’s
* Its refers to ownership
* It’s is the contraction of It is
Your vs You’re
* Your is possessive
* You’re is the contraction of you are
Who’s vs Whose
* Who’s is the contraction of who is
* Whose is possessive
We’re vs Were
* We’re is the contraction of we are
* Were is the past tense of are
Affect vs Effect
* Affect is the verb
* Effect is the noun
There, Their, They’re
* There is a location
* Their is possessive
* They’re is the contraction of they are
To, Too, Two
* To is used to indicate direction
* Too is another word for also
* Two is a number
Principle vs Principal
* Principle is a concept
* Principal is a person
Farther vs Further
* Farther refers to distance
* Further refers to time or quantity
Lay, Laid, Lain, Lie
* Lay refers to positioning something in a horizontal plane
* Past tense of lay is laid
* Lie means to recline
* Past tense of lie is lay
* Past participle of lie is lain
Who vs Whom
* Who is the subject
* Whom is the object
Accept vs Except
* Accept is a verb
* Except is a preposition meaning excluding or apart from
Counsellor vs Councillor
* Counsellor is someone who listens and gives advice
* Councillor is an elected member of government
Aggravate vs Irritate
* To aggravate is to add to a troublesome situation
* To irritate is to vex, or annoy or chafe
Allude vs Elude
* You allude to an item
* You elude capture from a pursuer
Allude vs Refer
* An allusion is an indirect mention
* A reference is a specific one
Allusion vs Illusion
* An allusion is an indirect mention
* An illusion is an unreal image or false impression
Alternate vs Alternative
* Alternate refers to every other one in a series
* Alternative refers one of two possibilities
Among vs Between
* Among is used when more than two things are involved
* Between is used when two things are involved
Imply vs Infer
* Imply refers to something suggested or indicated though not expressed
* Infer refers to something deduced from evidence at hand
Less vs Fewer
* Less refers to quantity
* Fewer refers to number
Like vs As
* Like governs nouns and pronouns
* As is used before clauses and phrases
Other Common Issues
* All right is written as two words
* Anyone or anybody are written as one word
* Can means am (is/are) able and should not be used as substitute for may
* Use different from or other than instead of different than
* Avoid starting a sentence with however if you mean nevertheless.
Only start with however if you mean “in whatever way” or “to whatever extent”…
* Use in regard to or as regards, not in regards to
* Use regardless not irregardless
Other Style Items
* Spell out numbers one to nine. Use digits for numbers 10 and up.
* Use italics for names of books, plays, movies, songs etc.
* Ensure hyperlinks open in a new tab.