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Writing/Commonly confused homonyms

Homonyms are words that have the same pronunciation or sound alike but have different meanings and often different spellings.[1] Here are some commonly confused homonyms in American English writing:

  1. Accept / Except:
    • Accept: to receive or agree to something.
    • Except: excluding or with the exclusion of.
  2. Affect / Effect:
    • Affect: to influence or produce a change.
    • Effect: a change that occurred as a result of a specific action.
  3. Its / It's:
    • Its: possessive form of "it."
    • It's: contraction of "it is" or "it has."
  4. Their / There / They're:
    • Their: possessive form of "they."
    • There: a location or place.
    • They're: contraction of "they are."
  5. Your / You're:
    • Your: possessive form of "you."
    • You're: contraction of "you are."
  6. To / Too / Two:
    • To: preposition indicating direction or action.
    • Too: meaning also or excessively.
    • Two: the number 2.
  7. Whose / Who's:
    • Whose: possessive form of "who."
    • Who's: contraction of "who is" or "who has."
  8. Then / Than:
    • Then: indicating time or sequence.
    • Than: used in comparisons.
  9. Effect / Affect:
    • Effect: a change that occurred as a result of a specific action.
    • Affect: to influence or produce a change.
  10. Principal / Principle:
    • Principal: a person who has controlling authority.
    • Principle: a fundamental truth, law, or rule.
  11. Compliment / Complement:
    • Compliment: a nice remark or praise.
    • Complement: something that completes or goes well with something.
  12. Stationary / Stationery:
    • Stationary: not moving.
    • Stationery: writing materials.
  13. Passed / Past:
    • Passed: past tense of "pass."
    • Past: a time that has gone by.
  14. Than / Then:
    • Than: used in comparisons.
    • Then: indicating time or sequence.
  15. Capital / Capitol:
    • Capital: a city where a government's central offices are located.
    • Capitol: a building where legislative work is carried out.
  16. Weather / Whether:
    • Weather: atmospheric conditions.
    • Whether: introducing a choice between alternatives.
  17. Bear / Bare:
    • Bear: an animal; to endure.
    • Bare: uncovered or exposed.
  18. Peace / Piece:
    • Peace: a state of tranquility or quiet.
    • Piece: a part or portion of something.
  19. Lead / Led:
    • Lead: a heavy metal; to guide or direct.
    • Led: past tense of "lead" (pronounced "led").
  20. Lose / Loose:
    • Lose: to suffer loss or defeat.
    • Loose: not firmly fixed in place; not tight.

Understanding the distinctions between these homonyms can help prevent common spelling and usage errors in writing.

  1. ↑ ChatGPT generated this text responding to the prompt: "Provide a list of homonyms commonly confused in American English writing".
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