Frequently misused words
Here are some words and pairs of words that are often misused. If you don’t know their
precise meanings, be sure to look them up before letting them slip by uncorrected. Many
of these were adapted from the AP Stylebook.
a lot—Always two words
about, around, some—Use about for approximations, as in about 50 people, not some 50
people. Avoid using around as a synonym for about. Around signifies physical proximity
or nearness. See estimated.
accept, except—Accept means receive. Except means exclude.
affect, effect—Affect is best used as a verb and means to influence. It is always preferable
to the jargon verb impact. Effect can be either a verb or a noun. As a verb, it means to
cause; as a noun, it means a result.
aid, aide—Aid may be a verb or noun, meaning to assist or assistance. An aide is a person
who acts as an assistant.
allude, elude—To allude means to refer to something without specifically mentioning it.
To elude is to evade. Common confusion: Elusive is wrongly substituted for allusive.
anxious, eager—To be anxious implies fear or concern. To be eager means to be excited
or full of anticipation. Common confusion: The children are eager (not anxious) to get to
the carnival.
average, mean, median—A mean is found by adding quantities and dividing the sum by
the number of quantities. A median is the middle quantity in a group, with an equal
number of quantities above and below it. They may produce very different results from the
same set of numbers. Average is less specific but is usually synonymous with mean when
used in a mathematical context.
averse, adverse—Averse means opposed to something. Adverse means unfavorable.
backward—Not backwards.
bail, bale—Bail is money held by a court to assure that someone appears for trial. A bale
is a large bundle or, as a verb, to make into a bundle.
ball, bawl—Bawl means to cry loudly or verbally attack. Ball has almost a dozen
meanings, but none of them is to cry.
bellwether—An early sign of things to come. Note the spelling: -wether, not -weather.
between, among—When speaking of something shared, use between for two people or
things. Use among for more than two. When speaking of physical division, use between,
whatever the quantities involved: the walls between us all.
cannon, canon—A cannon is a piece of artillery. A canon is a rule or law.
canvas, canvass—Canvas is a heavy cloth. Canvass means to survey.
capital, capitol—A capital is the city that is the official seat of government. The Capitol
is the building where the United States Congress meets. With a lowercase c, a capitol is
the building where a state legislature meets.
carat, caret, karat—A carat is a unit of weight of precious gems. A caret is a
proofreading mark. Karat refers to the proportion of pure gold used in jewelry and other
objects.
cement, concrete—Cement is a powder that makes concrete when it is mixed with water
and sand or gravel.
censor, censure—As a verb, censor means to prohibit publication or severely edit to
eliminate objectionable parts. Censure means to condemn or disapprove. In news it usually
refers to a resolution by a legislative body or official group to strongly criticize a member
for misconduct.
cite, site, sight—Cite means to invoke or quote, as one might cite a law or cite an expert.
A site is a location. A sight is a view.
collide—Two objects must both be in motion in order to collide.
complement, compliment—A complement is added to something to make it complete. A
compliment is praise or a gift. They are most often misused in the
complimentary/complementary forms.
compose, comprise—Compose means to create or put together. Comprise means to
contain. Constitute may be a good substitute when the choice is unclear. Do not use
comprise in passive constructions such as this: The album is comprised of 12 songs.
continual, continuous, contiguous—Continual means repeated often: His continual
outbursts disrupted the trial. Continuous means uninterrupted in time: She was in
continuous pain. Contiguous means uninterrupted in space or in physical contact. Its
common use is in reference to the contiguous 48 states, those other than Alaska and
Hawaii.
core, corps—Core is the central part or essence of something. Corps, which has the same
pronunciation, means a body of people associated in some work or organization.
council, counsel, consul—A council is an official group, often governmental. A counsel is
a lawyer. As a verb, to counsel is to advise. A counselor is an adviser. A consul represents
a nation’s government and business interests in a foreign country.
criterion, criteria—The singular and plural forms of this Greek term meaning standard or
measurement. Common confusion: Criteria is often misused as the singular.
cyber—A prefix, now somewhat dated, meaning digital, online or otherwise
computerized.
deep-seated—Not deep-seeded.
descent, dissent—Descent is a movement downward or a family, ethnic or national
heritage. Dissent as a noun means strong disagreement. Common confusion: She is of
Korean descent (not dissent).
destroyed—Means done away with, annihilated; something cannot be partially destroyed.
If the destruction is not total, use damaged. Also, completely destroyed and totally
destroyed are redundant; destruction is by definition total.
disburse, disperse—To disburse is to pay out. To disperse is to spread widely. Funds are
disbursed.
discreet, discrete—Discreet means prudent or private. Discrete means detached or
separate.
different from—Not different than.
disinterested, uninterested—Disinterested means impartial. Uninterested means not
interested.
dual, duel—Dual means two or paired. A duel is a ritual battle.
electrocute—To kill with an electrical charge. Do not confuse electrocution with getting a
powerful shock.
ensure, insure—Ensure means to guarantee. Insure means only to cover with an insurance
policy.
entitled, titled—Entitled means having the right to something. Do not use it to signify the
title of a creative work. Correct use: Toni Morrison’s novel is titled “Beloved.”
estimated—It indicates an approximation, like about, but estimated also implies
attribution. If a crowd is estimated at 200 people, that signifies that someone official did
the estimating, and the story should tell who it was. If the crowd is described as about 200
people, it suggests that the reporter did the counting. This is an important distinction when
estimates are given by sources who may inflate or deflate the numbers to suit their needs.
farther, further—Farther means at a greater distance. Further means more deeply or to a
greater degree.
faze, phase—Faze is a verb meaning to embarrass or disturb. Phase is a stage or aspect of
a process. Common confusion: The ambassador was unfazed (not unphased) by the king’s
insult.
flier, flyer—Flier is preferred for all uses other than proper names of which Flyer is a
part.
flounder, founder—Flounder as a verb means to struggle awkwardly. To founder is to
become disabled or stuck, or in the case of a boat, to sink.
flout, flaunt—To flout is to show contempt by ignoring. To flaunt is to make an
ostentatious display. Common confusion: Students flouted (not flaunted) the new dress
code.
foreword, forward—A foreword is an introductory remark, especially to a book. Do not
substitute forward.
forego, forgo—Forego means to go before. Forgo means to do without or abstain from.
hardy, hearty—Hardy means vigorous, rugged, able to withstand physical demands.
Hearty means unrestrained or enthusiastic.
hoard, horde—Hoard is a verb meaning to collect obsessively or a noun meaning such a
collection itself. A horde is a mob.
home, hone—Home or home in as a verb means to target or focus on. Hone means to
sharpen. There is no such phrase as honing in.
imply, infer—To imply is to suggest or hint at. To infer is to draw a conclusion. The
mayor’s speech may imply that she won’t seek re-election, but listeners would infer it.
incite, insight—Incite is a verb meaning to arouse or set in motion. Insight is a noun
meaning an understanding of the nature of things—literally a look into.
incremental, exponential—Mathematical terms now broadly used to designate changes—
usually increases—in amount or size. Incremental means small and steady: incremental
increases in funding. Exponential technically means by an algebraic factor of or times
itself, but in general usage it simply indicates huge, rapid jumps: Player salaries are
growing exponentially.
in regard to—Not in regards to.
Internet, World Wide Web—They are not synonymous. The Internet is the entire global
network of computers speaking a common code. The World Wide Web is that facet of the
Internet that links and provides formatted hypertext, graphics and other media (sometimes
collectively called hypermedia). Net and Web, always capitalized in AP style, are
acceptable on second reference.
it’s, its—It’s is a contraction of it is. Its is the possessive form of the pronoun it.
jibe, gibe, jive—Jibe is a verb usually meaning to agree with or fit with. Gibe is a verb
meaning to taunt or jeer. Jive is a slang verb meaning to talk nonsense or to scam.
Common confusion: His alibi jibes (not jives) with the evidence in the case.
less, fewer—Use less for things in bulk or measured as a collective unit; use fewer when
referring to individual units. Common confusion: Fewer than (not less than) 50 people
attended the meeting.
like, as—Don’t substitute like for as in constructions such as this sentence.
magnate, magnet—A magnate is an important or powerful person, especially in business.
A magnet, in the figurative sense, is a person or thing that attracts attention.
mantel, mantle—A mantel is a shelf. A mantle is a cloak.
marshal, martial—A marshal is an officer. Martial refers to things connected to war.
Marshals may enforce martial law. There is no common noun marshall.
medium, media—The singular and plural forms of this Latin term meaning an agency or
means of communication. Media is the general term for newspapers, magazines, radio,
television, online information, and often advertising, public relations and film. AP style
calls for a plural verb in such usage: The news media play an essential role in our society.
money, monies—Avoid the pompous-sounding monies in general usage; substitute money
or funds.
over, more than—Over is a spatial relation. More than is preferable when referring to a
greater number. The same applies to under and less than: The fair gets more than 100,000
visitors a year, most of whom are less than 35 years old.
palate, palette, pallet—The palate is the roof of the mouth. A palette is an artist’s paint
board. A pallet is a primitive bed.
past, passed—Past as an adjective means gone, ended, or immediately preceding, as in
the past week. Passed is a verb, the past tense of pass: The week passed quickly.
person, people—Use person for singular, people for plural. Avoid persons.
phenomenon, phenomena—The singular and plural forms of this Latin term.
pour, pore—Liquids are poured. To pore over means to read or study carefully.
principal, principle—A principal is a school official. As a noun or adjective, the word
may also signify a primary participant or force: The United States and the Soviet Union
were the principals in the Cold War. The principal cause of the accident was the heavy
fog. A principle is a rule or standard.
prior to—Use the more conversational before.
ravage, ravish—To ravage is to destroy or badly damage. To ravish is to rape or carry
away violently. It can also mean to enrapture with joy. Because ravish has positive as well
as negative sexual connotations, never use it in describing sex crimes or assaults.
rebut, refute, rebuke—To rebut is to argue against. To refute is to disprove. To rebuke is
to reprimand. Common confusion: Rebut and refute are not synonyms. In particular, don’t
say a person or statement is refuted (proved wrong) when it is only rebutted (opposed or
criticized).
regardless—Never irregardless.
reign, rein—A reign is a royal leader’s time in power. A rein is a strap of leather used to
control a horse. Both are often used figuratively: a reign of terror, turning over the reins of
government.
since, because—Since indicates a period of time between events. Because signifies a
causal relationship. Don’t use since to suggest cause and effect. Common confusion: The
store laid off five employees because (not since) sales were down.
their, there, they’re—Their is the possessive form of the pronoun they. There is an
adverb denoting place. They’re is a contraction for they are.
to, too—To is a preposition. Too is an adverb or adjective meaning in addition or more
than enough. Note their correct uses: This story is too short to explain the tax increase and
show people’s reactions to it, too.
toward—Not towards.
trooper, trouper—A trooper is a kind of police officer or, in some prefixed words
(paratrooper), a soldier. A trouper is literally a member of a traveling theater or
entertainment group (troupe). It is now often used figuratively, to suggest reliability or
toughness: She’s a real trouper to show up for work the day after surgery.
try to—Not try and.
verbal, oral—Verbal refers to language, written or spoken. Oral refers to spoken language
only. Common confusion: We didn’t write out a contract, but we had an oral (not verbal)
agreement.
virtually, almost, nearly—Almost and nearly are widely accepted as synonyms. Virtually,
however, is not always interchangeable with them. It means unofficially or for all practical
purposes. This use is correct: By suspending the rule of law, the prime minister has
virtually made himself a dictator. This use is incorrect: The police had virtually reached
the door when they heard shots. (If they weren’t quite there, the proper modifier is nearly.)
whose, who’s—Whose is a possessive pronoun. Who’s is a contraction for who is.
wreak—One wreaks havoc or destruction—not wracks, racks, wrecks, reeks or rakes.