Similarly spelled words, commonly misused or misspelled
An - indefinite article; one sort of
I think Amy baked an apple pie today.
And - in addition to
I painted my room red and blue.
Bead - a small piece of glass, wood or clay with a hole for stringing
There's a bead missing from my pearl necklace.
Beard - facial hair
Jonny tried to grow his beard long enough to braid it.
Bizarre - strange
Tony's story was truly bizarre.
Bazaar - marketplace or the sale of various items to raise money
Judy's church is having a bazaar on Saturday.
Censor - - suppressed or banned
ICP was censored from the local morning news show.
Censure (pronounced cen-shur) - formal reprimand or criticism
The Prime Minister was censured.
Chair - a piece of furniture to sit on
Do you have another chair for Audrey?
Cheer - happiness
Wishing you cheer for the Holiday season.
Close - shut
Will you please close the door so the cat won't get out.
Clothes - items you wear
Archie dropped off a bag of his old clothes at the local Care-n-Share.
Cloths - a piece of fabric, usually meant for cleaning or another word for material, fabric
Janice bought herself some new dish cloths.
They were made from blue and red cloth.
Coach - a horse-drawn carriage or an instructor or mentor
You'd think the basketball coach was coming to the game in coach, he's so slow.
Couch - a piece of furniture
The legs fell off my brother's couch so he sat it on four juice cans.
Coma - unconscious
Martin was in a coma for six weeks after his accident.
Comma - a punctuation mark
A comma can change the meaning of a sentence.
For example:
- Can you get me a glass of water, Smith?
(asking Smith for water)
- Can you get me a glass of water Smith?
(Is a water smith anything like a silversmith?)
Complaint - a grievance
Do you have a complaint about the price of gas?
Compliant - obedient
If you're not compliant on the job, you may get fired.
Confidant - someone you confide in
Joanie was my only confidant.
Confident - self-assured
I was always confident she wouldn't tell my secrets.
Cut - a share or an injury
If I win the lottery, I'll give you a cut.
Willy fell with the scissors and cut his hand.
Cute - good looking, pretty
Most people think puppies and kittens are cute.
Dessert - a meal course, usually sweet, served at the end of the meal
Melissa always wanted ice cream for her dessert.
Desert - (pronounced DUH sert) abandon
The soldiers wouldn't desert their posts, no matter what happened.
Desert - (pronounced DES ert) hot, sandy, barren area
Penny wished for an oasis on her trek through the desert.
Does - 3rd person of do
Does Nikki wear contacts?
Dose - an amount, usually of medicine
Marty needs a dose of cough syrup if he wants to sleep tonight.
Ewe - (pronounced "you") a female sheep
Our border collie found the missing ewe and brought her back to our farm.
Ew - a word people say about something they don't like
When I asked Jan if she liked pea soup, she said, "Ew!"
Gross - something offensive or glaring
Spitting on the sidewalk is gross.
A gross miscalculation caused Dayna to be underpaid.
Grouse - a type of game bird or to grumble
Don't grouse because you missed the grouse when you went hunting with Jim.
Know - aware of something
Do you know what time Allain is having his supper?
Now - at this moment
I think he's having it now.
Loose - not tight
After Janet lost weight, all her clothes were loose on her.
Lose - the opposite of win or the loss of something
Hello, Janet. Did you lose some weight?
Bill thought Robbie would lose the race. He was wrong.
Marital - a status: married, single, etc.
Collin's marital status had changed, so he needed to indicate that on his tax return.
Martial - military or war-like
Phil is trained in the martial arts.
No one - nobody
No one in the crowd has an umbrella.
Noone - not an actual word
PerSe - Latin for "in and of itself"
It's not your ideas per se that I object to, but the way you present them.
Per Say - this is how "per se" is pronounced, but not how it's spelled
Quiet - opposite of loud
Please ask the children to be quiet in the library.
Quite - truly or to some degree
The car was quite a wreck after DJ hit a truck.
It can get quite warm in the Maritimes in the summer.
Quit - to stop something
Chris quit his job after his computer quit working.
Raise - to cause to rise
Albert's screeching could raise the dead. (Past tense: raised the dead)
Rise - to get up on one's own
The dead will rise if you keep up that screeching. (Past tense: rose)
Sense - detecting something or one of the five senses: touch, taste, smell, sight or hearing
I could sense a spirit in the room. It awakened my sense of touch.
Since - a time or past event
I haven't seen a phone booth since the early 1990s.
Star - a heavenly body
If you see a falling star, make a wish on it.
Stare - look without blinking
I told the kids not to stare at the man with the scars on his face.
Super - (pronounced sooper) superior or outstanding; short for superintendant or a great size
The super at 103 Main Street was super the day of the super-huge fire.
Supper - (pronounced sup-er) an evening meal
Darius likes to eat his supper at exactly 5pm.
Wary - cautious
The deer were wary as they entered our yard.
Weary - tired
After being chased by the coyote, the deer were weary.
Yeah - casual version of 'yes'
Did you talk to Edgar on Skype last night? Yeah, I talked to him.
Yea - archaic. Rhymes with 'nay'. Usually only used in voting.
Do you vote yea or nay for Carter as school president.
Yay - an exclamation of joy or an informal measurement
Yay! Ben brought donuts!
When Ben was yay big, he'd only eat French fries at every meal.