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Блог / Commonly Confused Words: 18 Real Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Commonly Confused Words: 18 Real Mistakes and How to Fix Them
A spell checker only asks whether a word exists, not whether it is the right word. The examples below are real sentences that people sent to Proofread Bot, and every one of them would pass an ordinary spell check.
The corrections are written in formal, academic English, so contractions are spelled out in full. Where a contracted or colloquial form is common in everyday writing, it is shown underneath as the informal version.
Affect or effect?
Affect is usually a verb ("to influence"); effect is usually a noun ("a result"). Memory aid: affect is the action, effect is the end result.
✓ The choice greatly affected the rest of the country.
✓ He affected me in many ways.
(There is a rarer verb "to effect," meaning "to bring about": "to effect change." If you are not sure you mean that, use affect.)
Weather or whether?
✓ What is the weather like today?
Weather is rain and sunshine; whether introduces a choice ("whether or not").
Were, where, or we're?
✓ Where is my book?
✓ Where have you been?
✓ We were one of eleven teams pitching for the prize.
✓ We are going to the store.
Informal: We're going to the store.
- Were is a past form of "to be."
- Where asks about place (it contains here).
- We're is "we are"; in formal writing, write it in full.
Here or hear? Right or write?
✓ I am over here now.
✓ This is the right way.
✓ I love to write!
Ate or eight? Read or reed?
✓ I ate an apple.
✓ Can you read this book?
✓ I read the book!
The past tense of read is spelled read, even though it is pronounced like the color red.
Lay, lie, or lied?
✓ They lied to me.
To lie (tell an untruth) has the past tense lied. To lie (recline) has the past tense lay. To lay (put something down) has the past tense laid. Only the first meaning applies here.
Borrow or lend?
✓ She lent me her library book.
The person who gives the item lends it; the person who receives it borrows it. "Loan" as a verb is common in American English, but lend is standard everywhere.
A lot, not "alot"
✓ Many people believe it is right.
Informal: A lot of people believe it is right.
✓ I want a great deal of candy.
Informal: I want a lot of candy.
"A lot" is always two words. In academic writing it is considered informal; prefer "many," "much," or "a great deal of."
But, not "butt"
✓ However, Osiris gets in the way of Chief and his AI.
Starting a sentence with "But" is acceptable in modern style, but "However," is the safer choice in academic prose.
Catch them automatically
Because every word above is spelled correctly, only a tool that reads for meaning can catch them. Paste your text into Proofread Bot and it will flag real-word errors like these, along with the classic sound-alikes: their/there/they're, your/you're, its/it's, and though/through/thought.