Led vs. Lead – How to Choose Your Words Correctly

Led versus Lead Led and lead are commonly mistaken words because they are grammatically related and are sometimes homophones. Led is always a past tense or past participle form of the verb lead. The charismatic general led his army to victory Lead is often the present and future tense verb from which led is derived. The charismatic general will lead his army to victory. When lead is pronounced the same…

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Foreword vs. Forward – How to Choose Your Words Correctly

Foreword versus Forward Although foreword and forward are spelled almost identically and are pronounced the same, they have very different meanings and are different parts of speech. Foreword is always a noun that refers the preface of something. The foreword of a book. Forward can be used as an adjective, adverb, verb, or noun, but it is primarily used as an adjective. He was being very forward with his sexual…

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Dual vs. Duel – How to Choose Your Words Correctly

Dual versus Duel Since dual and duel are homophones, they are often confused, but they are actually very different words and represent entirely different parts of speech. Dual is an adjective that describes double or two of something. The dual engines on the car make it go faster. Duel, on the other hand, can be used as a noun verb, but most commonly as a noun to describe a type…

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Course vs. Coarse – How to Choose Your Words Correctly

Course versus Coarse While course and coarse are pronounced exactly the same, they have quite different meanings, as they are different parts of speech. Course is most commonly used as a noun to refer to a path or an educational class. He sure spends a lot of time on the golf course. Coarse, on the other hand, is always an adjective. It usually denotes something that is rough: “The sandpaper…

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Capital vs. Capitol – How to Choose Your Words Correctly

Capital versus Capitol Capital and capitol are two commonly confused words because they are both nouns and are also homophones, which means they are pronounced similarly. In addition to their similar pronunciations, they are often used in similar contexts, further adding to confusion. Capital is a noun that refers to a capital city in a state, province, region, or country. The capital of the United States is Washington. A capitol…

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Your vs. You’re – How to Choose Your Words Correctly

Your versus You’re When should you used your and you’re? Your and you’re may sound exactly the same when you say them, but they are two completely different words with different spellings and are used as different parts of speech. Your is a possessive pronoun that is used as an adjective to modify whatever noun comes directly after it in the sentence. You’re is contraction of you are so, in…

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Principle vs. Principal – How to Choose Your Words Correctly

Principle versus Principal When should you use principle and principal? Principle and principal are homophones, meaning that they are pronounced the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings. Both words are commonly used as nouns, but only one of them has the added use as an adjective. Principle is a general law or fundamental concept. Principal, as a noun, is the head of a school or a leader,…

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Imply vs. Infer – How to Choose Your Words Correctly

Imply versus Infer People tend to use imply and infer interchangeably and it’s easy to see why there might be some confusion. Both words are the same length and start with the same letter, and while imply and infer are loosely related, the two words should be used in different situations. Imply means to hint at something. Infer means to make an educated guess based on that hint. Implying is…

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Checkout versus Check Out – How to Choose Your Words Correctly

Checkout versus Check Out When should you use checkout and check out? Imagine this scenario. You are shopping at a store and you turn to your companions and say, “I’m going to check out at the checkout.” It’s easy to gloss over the fact that you have just used two different forms of checkout/check out in speech, but we don’t have that luxury in writing. Checkout, as a compound word,…

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Aid vs. Aide – How to Choose Your Words Correctly

Aid versus Aide When should you use aid and aide? If you are a high-powered corporate executive, chances are you have dedicated office staff that helps you organize your schedule, make appointments, and budget your time. If you have such an assistant, would you classify this person as an aid or aide? Aid, as a verb, means to provide assistance or support. When used as a noun, it means the…

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