Category: Spelling

When you're working on enhancing your spelling in English, you might sometimes encounter two words that sound alike, with close spellings, pronunciations, and meanings. For example, some people might find themselves confused about whether to use drier or dryer when they are writing. We will distinguish these two words and provide some examples you can …

Percentages are common in our daily communication. They express groups of numbers in ways that let us quickly interpret them and relate them to one another. At the same time, we might wonder how we should present these figures in our writing. Do we use 10 per cent, 10 percent, or 10%? Let's review some …

If you want to say how you ordered letters to form a word, would you express that you spelt the word or spelled it? For many of us, both versions might feel as if they are the same, so how can you choose the right one? We'll address that for you here. Should You Write …

Inquiry and enquiry are closely related words—so close that some consider them to be the same and others don't know what differences (if any) exist. This can make precision a challenge, but it's one that we can master with a bit of mindfulness. Let's discuss proper use when we're stuck at whether to make an …

Suppose you are writing a science-fiction novel in which spiky plants come to life in the desert. They uproot themselves and begin pursuing your hero. As they bear down, how would you refer to them: as cacti, cactuses, or something else? In other words, what's the plural of cactus? The Plural of Cactus The origin …

Where and were are words that look and sound similar. That's probably why they could be easy to confuse sometimes. If you want to know the difference—and, more important, consistently use the right word in context—this brief discussion will provide what you're looking for. Let's start with a definition of each word, and then we'll …

You may have heard of an anagram or anagram words. They may appear in puzzles and quiz questions, as well as on the occasional game show. So what are they and how do they work? Anagrams are words or phrases that can be formed from the letters of other words. For example, both night and …

Sometimes two words that have similar spellings and the same pronunciation can cause confusion in our writing. You may have experienced such confusion if you have read the expressions bear with me and bare with me. When the phrase is spoken aloud, the spelling doesn't matter, and you typically understand what's being said. In writing, …

Most of us know that we're not supposed to drive or park on a street curb. We might also head to the fridge or the pantry to curb our appetite. But what should we do if we come across a kerb—in writing or in real life? Today we'll look at the words curb and kerb, …

A while and awhile both sound the same when spoken aloud, leading some to think that the two are the same or that one is a misspelling of the other. The two constructions—one as a two-word phrase and the other as a single word—mean different things. In today's post, we will explain the difference so …