PREJUDICIAL MISSPELLINGS
 Prejudicial misspellings refer to those common, high frequency words that, when misspelled, cause
big prejudices against you as a writer.
 Many of them are sound-alikes such as these often confused pairs:
it’s – It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to. (it’s = it is, contraction)
its – The cat licked its paws. (possession)
affect – How does this paper affect my grade? (verb)
effect – What is the effect of the pretest? (noun)
hear – I could hear the music from a block away. (verb)
here – The girl left her books here. (adverb-location)
know – I know the answer to that question. (verb)
no – The professor said no when I asked to turn my paper in late. (“nix”)
now – Now is the time to ask. (adverb-time)
lose – She will lose her job. (verb)
loose – If she does, she won’t have any loose change. (modifier)
quite – The world is quite large. (“very”)
quiet – I need quiet to sleep. (“not noisy”)
then – I woke up late and then forgot my book. (adverb-time)
than – I studied for the last test more than you did. (comparison)
weak – The old man was hungry and weak. (“not strong”)
week – Friday is my favorite day of the week. (“seven days”)
to – She is going to the store. (preposition-location)
too –You’re too funny. (“excessively” – extra “o”)
two – After one comes two. (the number)
your – Spot is your dog. (possession)
you’re – You’re going to the store. (you’re = you are, contraction)
accept – Please accept my apology. (verb)
except – They all went, except Bobby. (“excluding”)
there – They live there. (adverb-place)
their – This is their house. (possession)
they’re – They’re living in this house. (they’re = they are, contraction)
whether – Do you know whether tomorrow is o.k.? (“if”)
weather – The weather ill be warm and pleasant. (“rain, sunshine”…)
through – The ball went through the window. (preposition-location)
threw – She threw the ball. (verb)
Another kind of prejudicial misspelling:
Misspelling a word important in a certain
context, e.g. misspelling
a key course concept.