During the time I have been on the net, I have read other people’s works only to see the glaring mistakes of a word being used in the wrong way. Whether it was just a typo or laziness on the author’s part is neither here nor there. While this list is to help people use the right words in their right context, it is for me, as well.
A few years ago, I’d posted this elsewhere but that part of the site doesn’t exist now. Since then, I have been accused and criticised for telling people how to write. Naturally, I ignored them. Is it so wrong to want to help people to use the right word for what they are trying to say? I don’t think so. I’m not perfect and am always learning new stuff, and I just want to share what I’ve learnt with others. Anyway, I hope you find this useful.
If you think of any words that should be in this list because I’ve missed them, then message me with your finds and I will add them with a ‘submitted by’ comment.
Please note: I’m Australian so
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | K | M | O
Part 2 with P to
Common Sounding/Spelt Words – A:
Ad: Short for Advertisement. I was looking in a magazine when I saw an ad for a beauty parlour offering nail enhancements at a special rate.
Add: To join
Affect: To bring about a response. I seem to have surprised her. The affect is obvious on her pretty face. (This is not an easy word to use as grammar editors keep wanting to change it to ‘effect’.)
Effect: The result produced by an action. He walked into the room for the first time and my heart thudded loudly and it felt like a bunch of butterflies had just hatched. Why would he cause such an effect in me when I had never met him before?
Allowed: This is the past tense of ‘allow’. If he’s allowed to go then why can’t I?
Aloud: To say something so those around you can hear it. “Oh yeah, you are hot!” Then she blushed, “I-I-I didn’t mean to say that aloud” (I had a difficult time thinking of a use for ‘aloud’ as we
A part: An item or a collection of. “Hi, I would like to be a part of this group if that is okay.”
Apart: Separate, not together. The young boy stood apart from everyone else, too shy to join in.
Ate: Past tense of eat. “You ate all that? You are going to be so sick.”
Eight: This is the number 8 written out. “If the eight of you will get into pairs we can get started.”
Awe: In wonder of. Seeing the Py
~*~
Common Sounding/Spelt Words – B:
Bare: Becoming naked. She just sat there and bared her whole life to me.
Bear: To put up with. “If you will just bear with me for a moment, I’ll be right with you.”
Bear: An animal. The huge bear came towards me on its hind legs, looking bigger with each step.
Bean: A vegetable. Green beans are vibrant in colour and quick to snack on.
Been: Past tense of be. He’d been to the doctor about the pain in his foot.
Boar: An uncastrated male pig. “I tell ya, this boar is a prime breeder. Ya won’t find better anywhere.”
Bore: To drill. They bored a hole in the ground in the hopes of hitting water.
Bore: To weary. The party was so boring I had to leave early so I wouldn’t fall asleep.
Boy: A male child. The little boy refused to cry when he broke his leg.
Buoy: (USA pronunciation – boo-ee) A floating device used as a maker in the water or attached to the sides of boats as buffers. The buoy had broken free of its mooring and boats were now passing on the wrong side of the river.
Brake: A device that helps with stopping. The brakes on the car went all the way to the floor and still, the car kept going.
Break: To damage something. “Keep pulling stunts like that and you’ll break your neck one of these days.”
~*~
Common Sounding/Spelt Words – C:
Cell: A small room or structure. The drunk spent the night in the cell so he wouldn’t be a danger to himself.
Sell: The exchange of products for money. I wonder how much I would get for this if I sell it on eBay?
Cents: Coin currency of anything less than a dollar in some countries. This item costs ten dollars and ninety-nine cents.
Scents: Perfume, odour, smell. The dog lost the trail as her nose became too confused with all the scents in that area.
Sense: Meaning conveyed or intended. I just hope all these postings make sense to the average person who reads them.
Sent: Past tense of send: “I sent him away for his own good. If he stayed here, he would just get himself into more trouble.”
Cereal: A breakfast food. Please, just eat your cereal. You know breakfast is the most important meal of the day.
Serial: A work appearing in parts usually at regular intervals. M*A*S*H was a comedy serial that ran longer on television than the actual Korean War.
Check: To look something over. He checked out the boat carefully since he was going to spend a lot of money in getting it.
Cheque: (USA-check) A written order for a bank to pay as written. After filling it out with the required information, he handed over the cheque and took his purchase home.
Cue: A stick to play billiards. “You hold the cue like this. move it like this so it hits that white ball into those other balls down there.”
Queue: A waiting line-up. The queue in the bank was so long that it would be hours before I would get to see a teller.
~*~
Common Sounding/Spelt Words – D:
Days: Time of a week. Hard to get good help these days.
Daze: Stupefy or stun. She walked around in a daze that she didn’t notice what was going on around her.
~*~
Common Sounding/Spelt Words – E:
Ewe: A female sheep. Three out of five ewes gave birth during the night.
Yew: Evergreen trees. I can not think of a sentence to use this in properly.
You: Singular and plural of the person/s being spoken to. “If you can’t do it right, then why do you bother?” the boss yelled at him; I looked at the three boys, “If you can’t get along with each other, then you will be sent home and your parents informed.”
Ewes: Multiple female sheep.
Yous: A word that does not exist but a lot of people still use it.
~*~
Common Sounding/Spelt Words – F:
Feat: A notable act or deed.
Feet: Plural of foot: When it came to dancing, she had been told she had two left feet.
File: This word has six (6) different meanings. 1: A collection of papers or something that stores papers. 2: To arrange in order or to submit officially. 3: a row of any given thing or being. 4: To march or proceed in an orderly fashion. 5: A tool to sharpen or smooth objects or surfaces. 6: To rub or smooth with a tool.
Phial: A small closable vessel for holding liquid. The wizard handed me phial smaller than my little finger; it was filled with a purple liquid of some sort.
Filter: To take out something from the whole. Putting the ground coffee beans in the filter at the top of the percolator is to keep the coffee from tasting gritty when the water drips through it.
Philtre: A potion or drug said to have the power to induce sexual passion or desire.
~*~
Common Sounding/Spelt Words – G:
Gait: A manner of walking. Her gait is unnatural because her feet no longer sit flat to the ground since the accident.
Gate: A hinged frame that opens and closes in a fence. The gate was so old and hung crooked that it no longer worked and made the rest of the fence look untidy.
Grate: A barrier of some sort. The grate in front of the fire was tarnished from the soot and smoke.
Great: Something notable. “This is great. I tell ya, ya just gotta try it.”
Groan: A noise. After receiving a blow to the head, she groaned in pain.
Grown: Past tense of grow. “Well look at you. Aren’t you all grown up now?”
~*~
Common Sounding/Spelt Words – H:
Hail: Chunks of ice from the sky. While the hail wasn’t big, it was plentiful and caused a lot of damage as it fell on unsuspecting people.
Hail: To greet (archaic). “Hail to thee, good fellow and tell me the way to the nearest inn please.”
Hale: In good health. The Doctor declared the man hale and hearty. submitted by Elkestra.
Hale: To drag, haul (archaic). I can not think of a sentence to use this in properly.
Hall: A corridor. He crept down the hall to his sister’s bedroom in the hopes of giving her a good scare.
Haul: To drag. “Haul that over here Matie and we’ll be on our way.”
Hay: a grass that has been reaped and dried for fodder. She used the pitchfork to give the horses some hay for the evening.
Hey: a yell to attract attention. “Hey! Don’t you walk away from me when I’m talking to you.”
Hear: Sounds sensed by your ears. “All right, all right! I can hear you.”
Here: The location of something. I’m standing right here, almost in front of him, and still, he doesn’t see me.
Hole: The result of cutting out. Joey dug a hole big enough to plant the flower.
Whole: A portion of an item. Instead of sharing the sandwich, he ate the whole thing.
Hoo: A noise/word. Anyhow, the owl went HOO and I went AAGHH and I practically peed myself in fright. Anyhoo, I must dash. Let’s catch up again soon.
Who: Referring to a person. I wonder who that is talking to my mum.
Hour: Measure of time. Only an hour to go before I can go home.
Our: Belonging to more than one person. “This is our special time together so no you can’t go fishing” He pouted at his wife when he saw her grab her fishing rod.
~*~
Common Sounding/Spelt Words – I:
In: To enter. The bell rang, so the children made their way in to their classrooms.
Inn: A pub with accommodation. Just another couple of miles to the inn and then my horse and I can eat and rest for the night.
~*~
Common Sounding/Spelt Words – K:
Key: A metal instrument used to lock/unlock things. He had so many keys I’d be surprised if he knew which ones unlocked which doors.
Quay: Landing place built beside navigable waters. North Quay, Brisbane. A nice place with businesses, ferries and eateries.
Knot: A looping or interlacing of. She tied knots in his belt as a joke for April Fool’s
Not: Used to form negatives.
Know: To do with knowledge. “I know you’re in there! Come out now or I’m coming in.”
No: Negative, to disagree. I just can’t believe she said no to me.
~*~
Common Sounding/Spelt Words – M:
Mail: Postage. He checked his mail as he was waiting for a parcel.
Male: Opposite to female. He was all male, nicely muscled that showed as he hauled the boxes like they didn’t weigh much.
Mall: (Pronunciation will depend on where you come from. I grew up pronouncing it similar to ball.) Large covered shopping area. We went to the mall today. I had never seen so many shops in one place.
Maul: To ruin. He wasn’t fast enough and the tiger mauled his leg before being rescued.
Meat: Flesh of an animal. “If I have to sit here and watch you eat that mostly raw meat, I am going to be sick.”
Meet: Come face to face with someone. “Hi there, glad to meet you finally.”
Mete: To give out, distribute. “In her opinion, the punishment she meted out was justified.”
~*~
Common Sounding/Spelt Words – O:
One: This is the number 1 written out. I’ll have one of
Won: To win. I am so proud; my Son won his race today.
Oar: A wooden paddle. The oars of the old Viking ship were showing the wear and tear of the years of use.
Or: Used to join words and other elements. “You will do this or you’re fired.”
Ore: A mined mineral. Tin Ore has to
~*~
Part 2 with P to Y can be found here.