L

last, latest  Last refers to something which comes at the end:  He stood last in line. Latest refers to the last in time, but not necessarily the final occurrence:  The sequel was her latest novel.

lay, lie  Lay, laid, laid are the principal parts of the verb which means to put down:  I lay the towel on the beach. I laid it there yesterday. Lie, lay, lain are the principal parts of the verb which means to recline:  I lay on the beach. I laid there all day.

lead, led  When pronounced alike, the noun lead is the metal, led is the past tense of the verb to lead.

learn, teach  Learn means to acquire information or knowledge:  I learned how to write. Teach means to impart knowledge or information:  He taught me how to write.

liable  See apt.

like  See as.

literally, figuratively  Literally refers to an event which actually happened:  He literally stood on the edge. Figuratively refers to the use of figures of speech such as metaphors or similes:  He was, figuratively speaking, as blind as a bat. Do NOT say:  He literally died (unless he really did die)

RETURN TO LIST

M

mean, median  Mean is the center point between two extremes:  ie. The arithmetic mean of 1, 2, 3 is 2. Median refers to the center value in a distribution:  The median salary of local politicians is ridiculously high. The median divided the four lane highway.

meantime, meanwhile  Meantime refers to action taking place while waiting for another action or event to take place:  In the meantime, let's watch television. Meanwhile has the same meaning:  Meanwhile, we watched television.

militate, mitigate  Militate means to oppose; to fight or act for or against; to manifest weight or influence; usually followed by against:  His anger militated against a reconciliation. Mitigate means to lessen; to diminish in severity; to become milder:  The heating pad on my back mitigated my suffering.

myself  Myself, like yourself, himself, herself, itself, themselves is an intensive and reflexive pronoun. It should never be used in a sentence without its corresponding noun or pronoun:  I hurt myself. They sent for Susan and I. (NOT myself)

mysterious, mystic  Mysterious means not revealed or explained; unintelligible; beyond human comprehension:  The mysterious light appeared in the sky and disappeared without explanation. Mystic means hidden from human knowledge or comprehension; involving some secret meaning, often religious:  The appearance of the angel was a mystical experience.

RETURN TO LIST

P

pacific, specific  This is a mispronunciation. Pacific means making peace; conciliatory. Specific means explicit or definite.

precede, proceed  Precede means to go ahead of:  The introduction will precede the reading. Proceed means to go ahead with an action:  Proceed with the reading.

presently, at present  Presently means soon or will happen shortly:  We are waiting for our test results, which will be posted presently. At present means now, happening currently:  At present, he is in the office.

principal, principle  Principal means chief, highest or first in rank, character, authority or importance:  High School Principal, principal cities. Principle means a general truth; uprightness; a method or rule adopted as the basis for action or conduct:  A man of principle, the principle of gravity.

RETURN TO LIST

R

rare, scarce  Rare means coming or occurring far apart in time; seldom seen; unusual; uncommon:  The rare works of Van Gogh are worth millions. Scarce means small in quantity in proportion to the demand; not plentiful or abundant; deficient; rare, uncommon:  The supply of fresh vegetables is scarce during the winter.

reason is because  The words reason is (was, etc) should always be followed by a statement of the reason:  The reason for his error was lack of knowledge. The words reason and because convey the same meaning. To use them together is redundant:  Because he lacked the knowledge he made an error.

regardless, *irregardless  Irregardless is a nonstandard word, probably patterned after irrespective. Regardless, which means without regard or to despite is the correct form:  Regardless of the weather, the picnic will proceed.

respectable, respectful  Respectable means worthy of respect; having a good reputation:  He has a respectable command of computer languages. Respectful means showing respect for something or someone else:  He treated the cliff he was climbing with respectful caution.

respectively, respectfully  Respectively means individually, in their respective (listed or given) order:  He mentioned taxes, education, and health care respectively, as the most serious issues. Respectfully means showing respect, courtesy, regard for something or someone else:  He answered the judges questions respectfully. (Note: respectfully is always used to define an action and must refer to the verb preceding it.

rightfully, rightly  Rightful or rightfully means having a right or just claim, as to some possession or position:  He was the rightful owner of the vehicle. Rightly means properly or correctly, without the legal claim:  She rightly refused to sign the petition.

RETURN TO LIST

S

same  Same is not a pronoun and should NOT be used as one:  I have your request for the instructions and I will fax them. (NOT will fax same)

stationary, stationery  Stationary means motionless,; having a fixed position, standing still. Stationery means writing materials; especially paper.

RETURN TO LIST

T

their, there, they're  Their is the possessive case of the pronoun their:  their toys. There means in that place, at that place; as opposed to here:  They are over there. They're is the contraction of they are.

thru, through  Thru is a misspelling and should not be used as a substitute for the word through.

to, too, two  To means toward, specifying a point or person to be approached and reached; in the direction of, expressing motion toward; in contact with; until, regarding a point in time; concerning a destined or appointed end, in direct contact with; to the limit of; in addition to; in agreement or accordance with. He moved to Kentucky. They drank to his success. to this day.  Too means likewise; also; in addition; as; more than enough; excessively; very; exceedingly; an emphatic affirmative, used to contradict a previous statement.   Let them come too. too short or too long. I am only too glad to help. I did too do my homework!   Two is the cardinal number between one and three; a symbol representing it (2); a set of two persons or things.   Two bananas. Into two parts.

tortuous, torturous  Tortuous means full of twists, turns or bends:  tortuous road. Torturous means full of, involving, or causing torture:  Tortuous devices, such as the rack, were use during the Spanish Inquisition.

RETURN TO LIST

U

unique  Unique means without a like or equal; unmatched; unequaled; single in its kind; uncommon or rare. It cannot logically be used in a comparative or superlative for. Something may be more or less rare but NOT more or less unique.

W

woman, women  The plural of woman is women.

Y

you're, your  You're is the contraction of you are. Your is the possessive form of the pronoun you:  It is your turn.