While the words instinctive and instinctual share a common bond, they’re also subtly different when used accurately. That said, many writers do use them as they see fit, even if the word isn’t the right one, probably because so few…
Vocabularies and Tough Words
In this era of mankind, we have extensive vocabularies with some tough words, no matter our language. Obviously early humans didn’t have words for things, at least not words they uttered out loud to exchange an idea with another human.…
Homophones: Principal and Principle
I was talking on LinkedIn recently with Tom Dietzler, who wondered if I could help with two words — homophones — that he kept getting mixed up. Of course, he’s in great company; a lot of writers confuse these two.…
Tuesday Tricksters: Helpful Hacks
Here are some helpful hacks to use with Tuesday Tricksters! For the last three years, I have posted on most Tuesdays about words that make many writers look bad: homophones. They’re the ones that sound like another word (or nearly,…
More Cross Words from a Cruciverbalist*
Yup, it’s back — the Wednesday Words compilation of words in crossword puzzles that I had to look up once I figured out the answers. There’s nothing quite so humbling as realizing that I can put the correct letters…
Tuesday Tricksters, Mil–Minks
It was a lazy, hazy, snowy morning here at the Grammar Goddess abode; the dogs were sleeping, and I was lazily gazing out through the snow-covered windows to the snow-covered trees, when suddenly I realized it’s TUESDAY! Yikes. I hadn’t…
Homophones Licker – Limn
It’s Tuesday again! Time for more difficult words — homophones — that we all need to pay attention to! They’re the ones that sound the same (or nearly so), but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Licker (n.): one…
Palter? Really? Yes, really.
Palter? Really? Yes, really. Lauren McDonald shared a post here on LI yesterday — the one seen below, which is very worth reading — and for a minute I thought the headline had a typo in it. The headline read…
Lesser — Liken
More homophones: lesser and liken. Homophones: tough words (aka homophones) in English that sound the same (or nearly so, anyway), but mean something different and are spelled differently. And it doesn’t matter how much English we know; these words bedevil…
Homophones Lea — Leaf
The homophones lea — leaf are among today’s tricky words. Yes, it’s Tuesday, and that means another edition of the Tuesday Tricksters, words called homophones that sound the same as another one (or nearly so, anyway) but mean something different…
Knead . . . Knob
Here we go again, dear readers! More Tuesday Tricksters (aka homophones) to delight and bedevil us (if we’re not carefully reading what we wrote, that is). These words have the power to make any one of us look bad, so…
More Words I Never Knew Existed!
Living in eastern Massachusetts, I (along with thousands of others) read The Boston Globe newspaper and its magazine section every Sunday. There is always at least one interesting–sometimes really tough–crossword puzzle to solve, and sometimes I don’t even know the…
Passed & Past
Today’s edition of Wednesday Words & Woes comes thanks to Paul Croubalian, who suggested the words, two of the tougher ones to learn because they’re true homophones. And as we all know, spellcheck will not help us here. The…
Assure, Ensure, Insure
******************* It’s funny how words can get confused in our minds, isn’t it? These three — almost homophones with similar meanings — are often misused. Let’s see if we can finally get a grip on them, OK? First, the words…
Pried and Pride
Yes, these words sound alike; they’re homophones, after all! But they mean two different things, and since I recently saw one of them in a post when the other one was meant, I figured we might as well take a…
Contranyms, Contronyms, Autoantonyms
Just when you thought it was safe to use the English language . . . I show you an entire classification of words with two meanings that are opposite to each other! While each word may have other meanings, especially…
Coarse & Course
Of course we’re going to learn two more words today: It’s Wednesday! And these two are featured today because I saw one of them misused in a post recently and realized that again — someone depended on SPELLCHECK to do…
Breath, Breathe, Breadth
Good Wednesday morning! It’s the middle of the week, Hump Day, and also time for another edition of Words & Woes. I was reading another blog a few days ago — an excellent one — and the author used breath…
A Lot, Allot, Alot
As you’re reading this — before you see the picture below with the answers — look at the headline again. Do you know which of the three in the headline is not a real word? Hmmm? How did another Wednesday…
Quiz on Lie and Lay
OK, folks – are you ready for a truly tough quiz? The verbs to lie and to lay are probably the most confusing verbs in English, primarily because they borrow from each other. And too many speakers and writers do not know…
Oh! Oh! Oh!
Many readers know I love doing crossword puzzles, and I’m usually pretty good at them. I read extensively (always have), and I can guess a lot of words, especially with a few letters filled in. BUT. Sometimes I have to…
Tongue Twisters
Good rainy Tuesday, dear readers! It’s one of those days to hunker down, stay inside, and maybe learn about a few phrases and words that too many of us mispronounce or misuse. Here are 10 classic ones: And here are…
Weird Old Words from the OED
Well, it’s the first day of fall, leaves are starting to change their colors, and the temperatures (especially at night) are decidedly cooler. Time moves on, with or without our permission. So do many other things. Look around you. Is…
Vowels and Homographs / Heterographs
Are you familiar with the American TV program Wheel of Fortune? It’s a show that depends on a contestant’s ability to guess words with a very general definition but without any letters at all. Usually contestants start trying to find…
Complement / Compliment
Once again, Tuesday’s Tricksters strives to help us remember there are often many ways to write a word that sounds like another. Two I want to focus on this morning, thanks to a comment made by Sarah Elkins a few…
Unnecessary Redundancies
As a corporate trainer who teaches communication skills including American grammar and business writing, I am always encouraging my students to cut words from their writing. I use my KISS Principle in many different ways, always striving for conciseness, which…
More Crossword Puzzle Words
As many of you know, I enjoy crossword puzzles; they keep my vocabulary sharp and up to date. But sometimes, even after I’ve filled in all the letters, I don’t recognize the word! I’ve been reading since I was about…
American Grammar Checkup: Pronunciation
So, today’s lesson isn’t exactly about grammar; it’s more about our wacky and weird English language. If nothing else, it should be a reminder of how difficult it is to learn English, no matter which country or system you follow.…
Some Crosswords Words Make Me Cross!
I thoroughly enjoy the Sunday Boston Globe magazine section, and especially the crossword puzzles. I keep them handy for something fun to do when I need a break. Sometimes, however, they’re not fun. I am amazed at some of the…
Errors You Didn’t Make!
Here’s a small collection of errors that anyone can make, which are funny when they’re not ours. Proofreading is an essential skill; without it, we cause our readers to wonder what’s wrong with us! It’s our reputation on the line,…
Moribund Metaphors & Wretched Redundancies
The words and phrases below are all courtesy of The Dimwit’s Dictionary (free download), which I’ve had in the paperback edition since 1994, the year it was written. There have been a couple of updates, but you know what? This…
Lie, Lay, Lain — These Words Are Such a Pain!
These verbs are the toughest words in the English language to master, probably because they are so much alike. And the forms sometimes show up in one of the other verbs . . . so how are we to know?…