Word Confusion

One of my job functions is to edit the work of other technical writers. As I am going through documents, I always come across errors in word usage. Such errors are understandable because some words sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Deciding which word to use can often lead to confusion (hence the title Word Confusion). For example, one of the most common mistakes I see is the misuse of the words “there,” “their,” and “they’re.”

An entire book could be dedicated to word confusion, listing all the words that sound the same but are spelled differently. However, I’ve picked out a few of the ones that I commonly come across (and misuse myself). The table below lists some of the more common words that often confuse us and the correct form that should be used.

• its/it’s: Use “it’s” to replace “it is” or “it has.” Use “its” to show ownership. For example: It’s been snowing for three days. I found the marker. Where is its lid?
• accept/except: She would accept the promotion, except someone had to be hired to fill her existing job role.
• their/there/they’re: They’re taking their boat down the road to park it over there.
• your/you’re: You’re going to have to pack your suitcase the night before.
• affect/effect: The doctor informed me that the medicine could have side effects. It didn’t affect me.
• aid/aide: The job of the teachers aide was to aid any students that needed extra help.
• were/we’re/where: We’re going to the lake for the summer. Where did you say you were going?
• that/which: The school that my brother used to go to, which is across the street from my parents house, is closing next year.
• break/brake: I had to get the brake in my car fixed on my lunch break.
• threw/through: I threw the baseball through the living room window.
• than/then: I had more experience than the other candidates.We were going to the beach then to our friends cabin.
• good/well: My son is a good hockey player; he skates well.
• fewer/less: There were fewer red ones than green ones.Although I have fewer clients now, I still have less free time.
• last/recent: On our most recent visit to the city, we went to see the last concert before the theater was permanently closed.
• right/write: I asked her to write down the directions so I would remember where to turn right.
• sense/since: I have a much better sense of direction since I have been exploring the city.
• anticipate/expect: I am trying to anticipate the number of people at the party; I expect there will be around 400 guests.
• confident/confidant: She informed her confidant of the situation; she was confident the information would not be made public.
• now/know/no: Once of realized the dangers of it, I now know why our parents always said no when we asked for a dirt bike.
• passed/past: In the past, we would have always passed slow drivers on this street.
• quiet/quit/quite: The staff was quite shocked and quiet when the vice-president announced his intent to quit the company.
• precede/proceed: We had to proceed with the final speaker because the one who was to precede her did not show up.
• later/latter: We will deal with the latter issue at a later date in time.
• which/who: Which should only be used when referring to objects. Who should be used to refer to people.His cousin, who lives in Maine, came to visit.Which car do you like?