English is not an easy language to learn. While native English speakers pick up on many of the rules from exposure, those who have learned English as a second language will tell you some of the words, pronunciations, and grammar rules are downright confusing. Even still, first language or not, we all make slip-ups and there are plenty of words people use wrong all the time. (Check out 50 of the most commonly misspelled words in English.)
Wrong word usage is something that happens to the best of us. To help you avoid these mistakes in the future, we’ve created a list of the wrong words and correct words you should use instead. To create this list of wrong word examples, 24/7 consulted numerous publications including the Reader’s Digest, Business Insider, and the Harvard Business Review. Here are 11 examples of words people use wrong all the time.
Everyday vs. Every Day
- Correct usage: Everyday is an adjective that means something is routine, but every day means something happens daily
It’s amazing how much of a difference one little space can make. Whether or not there’s a space between every and day can completely change the meaning of the word. While everyday (without a space) is an adjective, you can say something happens every day (with a space between the words.)
If something is happening daily, you should put a space between every and day. However, if you’re describing something commonplace, you can use everyday as an adjective. For instance, you might say, “I’m taking care of my everyday chores before I relax.”
Eminent vs. Imminent
- Correct usage: Eminent and imminent are both adjectives, but eminent means notable, and imminent means about to occur
Eminent and imminent may look and sound similar, but these two words have very different meanings. However, due to the fact that they sound like the same word, they’re often mixed up.
Eminent is an adjective that describes something or someone notable. On the other hand, Imminent is an adjective that describes something that is happening soon or about to occur. Clearly, you wouldn’t mix up the meaning of these words, but it’s common to mix their spellings up since they sound the same.
Allusion vs. Illusion
- Correct usage: Allusion is a reference to something else, while an illusion is a false idea or misleading image
Allusion and illusion are another set of words that sound the same but have two very distinct meanings. Since one starts with an “a” and one starts with an “I,” these two words are pronounced differently, but the difference is slight enough that it’s easy to confuse them.
An allusion is a reference to something. You’ll often hear about allusions in reference to literature since a literary allusion is an indirect reference to a text. An illusion, on the other hand, is a misleading image, such as an optical illusion.
Baited vs. Bated
- Correct usage: Baited means to bait something or lure it, while bated is the past tense of abate
If you’ve ever heard the phrase “with bated breath,” you might have wondered what bated breath means. The word baited is often misused in this phrase since baited (with an “i”) is the past tense of bait.
On the other hand, bated is the past tense of abate, which means to become less intense. When referring to breath, it means to hold. Therefore, with bated breath means you’re holding your breath.
Supposedly vs. Supposably
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- Correct usage: Supposedly means according to what is generally believed, while supposably is a lesser-known word that means as may be imagined
If you’re in a conversation with someone say “supposably,” they usually mean “supposedly.” (There’s even a scene in Friends that pokes fun at this.) Supposedly is an adverb that means according to what is generally believed. For example, if someone asked you for the best restaurant in town, you might respond with, “Sam’s Cafe is supposedly the best restaurant in town, but I’ve never been there.”
The shocking part is that most people think supposably is only a mispronunciation of the word supposedly. Sometimes it is–but supposably is actually a word as well. Granted, it’s not a word that’s commonly used, but it is the adverb form of supposable and was recently added to Dictionary.com.
Regardless vs. Irregardless
- Correct usage: Regardless is more widely accepted as the norm, meaning despite certain circumstances
Irregardless is another word that most people claim is only an incorrect usage of regardless. According to Dictionary.com, irregardless is actually a word. However, it appears to have become a word only because people kept using it instead of regardless.
Regardless, saying irregardless is still considered non-standard. If you want to ensure people understand what you’re trying to say, you’re better off using regardless in most cases. No matter which you use, regardless and irregardless have the same meaning.
Poisonous vs. Venomous
- Correct usage: Something is poisonous if it’s toxic when consumed and venomous if it injects a toxic by biting you
Poisonous and venomous get mixed up most frequently when discussing something like snakes. While something can be poisonous if it’s a toxin that you ingest, something can only be venomous if it injects a toxin into you through its bite.
These two terms are often used interchangeably, but they do have different meanings. If you bite, lick, or inhale something toxic, it would be poisonous. But if something, like a snake, spider, or even a platypus, injects a toxin into you, it’s venomous.
Lay vs. Lie
- Correct usage: Lay is used to describe the process of putting down an object but a person can lie down.
Lay and lie are another set of words that are often used interchangeably, but they have different meanings. The main difference between them is that lay is generally used for objects. For example, you can lay down your pencil. However, if you are taking a nap, you lie down.
The exception to this distinction is when you’re speaking in the past tense. For example, if you took a nap earlier, you laid down, not lied down. Lied is reserved for when someone doesn’t tell the truth.
Principal vs. Principle
- Correct usage: Principle is a rule or guideline, while principal is the head of a school
It may be a matter of principle to ensure your spelling of principal is correct. In most cases, the difference between principle and principal is that principle is a rule while a principal is the head of a school. Principal can also be an adjective that means the highest in importance.
The best way to remember which one is the head of a school is to ensure “pal” is at the end. Students are often told that the principal is their “pal,” and that’s how they remember how to spell it.
Fewer vs. Less
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- Correct usage: Fewer should be used when you’re talking about a specific number while less is used when you’re referring to things that can only be measured
Like many words in the English language, there are exceptions to the rule when it comes to fewer vs. less. However, the general rule is that you should use fewer when it’s something that can be counted and less when it’s something that can be measured.
Generally, it’s also part of the rule to use fewer with items that are plural and less with singular items. For example, you would say “She had fewer toys than her sister but less time to play with them.”
Affect vs. Effect
- Correct usage: Affect is most often used as a verb and means to influence, while effect is most often used as a noun and means a change that results from an action
When it comes to the wrong word usage, affect and effect are two of the most confusing words in the English language. It can be challenging to remember the difference between them, especially because the difference between them isn’t exactly straightforward.
Both affect and effect can function as a verb or a noun in certain circumstances. However, effect is most often a noun that means a change that results from an action and affect is most often a verb that means to influence. In its verb form, effect means to accomplish something. Affect can also be a noun when it refers to someone’s emotions, but it’s rarely used in this way. (Click to read about grammar rules that confuse everyone.)