This is a list of English words that are thought to be commonly misused. It is meant to include only words whose misuse is deprecated by most usage writers, editors, and professional grammarians defining the norms of Standard English. It is possible that some of the meanings marked non-standard may pass into Standard English in the future, but at this time all of the following non-standard phrases are likely to be marked as incorrect by English teachers or changed by editors if used in a work submitted for publication, where adherence to the conventions of Standard English is normally expected. Some examples are homonyms, or pairs of words that are spelled similarly and often confused.
The words listed below are often used in ways that major English dictionaries do not approve of. See List of English words with disputed usage for words that are used in ways that are deprecated by some usage writers but are condoned by some dictionaries. There may be regional variations in grammar, orthography, and word-use, especially between different English-speaking countries. Such differences are not classified normatively as non-standard or "incorrect" once they have gained widespread acceptance in a particular country.
List
A a lot and allot. A lot means "many" or "much"; allot means to distribute something. abdicate, abnegate, abrogate, and arrogate. To abdicate is to resign from the throne, or more loosely to cast off a responsibility. To abnegate is to deny oneself something. To abrogate is to repeal (do away with) a law or abolish (put an end to) an arrangement, also to evade a responsibility. To arrogate is to attempt to take on a right or responsibility to which one is not entitled. Standard: Edward VIII abdicated the throne of the United Kingdom. Standard: Henry VIII abrogated Welsh customary law. Non-standard: You should not abrogate to yourself the whole honour of the President's visit (should be "arrogate"). accept and except. While they sound similar (or even identical in parts of the US), except is a preposition that means "apart from", while accept is a verb that means "agree with", "take in", or "receive". Except is also occasionally used as a verb, meaning to take out or to leave out. Standard: We accept all major credit cards, except Diners Club. Standard: People are fools... present company excepted! (meaning "present company excluded") Non-standard: I had trouble making friends with them; I never felt . Non-standard: We all went swimming, for Jack. acute and chronic. Acute means "sharp", as an acute illness is one that rapidly worsens and reaches a crisis. A chronic illness may also be a severe one, but it is long-lasting, lingering, or having a long history. Standard: She was treated with epinephrine during an acute asthma attack. Standard: It is not a terminal illness, but it does cause chronic pain. Non-standard: I have suffered from acute asthma for twenty years. Non-standard: I just started feeling this chronic pain in my back. adverse and averse. Adverse means unfavorable, contrary or hostile. Averse means having a strong feeling of opposition, antipathy, or repugnance. Merriam-Webster notes that adverse is commonly used as an attributive adjective (before the noun), while averse is rarely used in this situation. Standard: They sailed despite adverse weather conditions. Standard: He was averse to taking his medicine. Non-standard: He is not adverse to having a drink now and then. aesthetic and ascetic. Aesthetic relates to an appealing or unappealing visual look or atmosphere. Ascetic is used to express the avoidance of pleasure due to self-discipline. Standard: The aesthetics of the building were beautiful. Standard: Some religions support ascetic practices. affect and effect. The verb affect means "to influence something", and the noun effect means "the result of". Effect can also be a verb that means "to cause [something] to be", while affect as a noun has technical meanings in psychology, music, and aesthetic theory: an emotion or subjectively experienced feeling. Standard: The other benefit of class and collective actions is that they effect social and economic change. Standard: This poem affected me so much that I cried. Standard: Temperature has an effect on reaction spontaneity. Standard: The dynamite effected the wall's collapse. Standard: He seemed completely devoid of affect. Non-standard: An IOC spokesman told Press Association Sport: "We were aware that FIFA might consider changing the dates for the 2022 World Cup. We are confident that FIFA will discuss the dates with us so as to co-ordinate them and avoid any affect on the Winter Games." Non-standard: Some neighbors complain about Romney's new presidential entourage—including dozens of Secret Service agents who now guard the candidate 24 hours a day—and its affect on their quiet street. Non-standard: His teammate Steve Nash can see how the time off had an affect on Gasol. Non-standard: Seneca Jones Timber Co. executives say the pipe will effect 2,000 acres of their timberland, another 1,000 acres of property for roads, as well as public lands where Seneca harvests and transports logs. Non-standard: The rain effected our plans for the day. Non-standard: We tried appeasing the rain gods, but to no affect. aisle and isle. An aisle is a corridor through which one may pass from one place to another. An isle is an island. Standard: He came from a small isle in the Caribbean. Standard: The coffee is down the third aisle on the left. algorithm and logarithm. An algorithm is a step-by-step procedure, usually for calculation, the processing of data, or choosing among alternatives. The logarithm of a number is the power (i.e., exponent) to which a specified base must be raised to produce that number. Standard: The board of directors developed an algorithm for choosing the company's new president from among the remaining candidates. Standard: The algorithm for long division is usually taught in grade school. On the other hand, the algorithm for square root extraction, of which the best known pencil-and-paper form is still the one developed by Hero of Alexandria, is nowadays rarely taught, even in secondary school. Standard: Using a base of 2, the logarithm of 32 is 5, because 25 equals 32. Standard: The number of octaves between two sounds is equal to the base-2 logarithm of the ratio of their frequencies. allow. The verb allow usually requires a referent. The construction "allows to" is a common error of German-speakers and South Asians with English as a second language. An accepted intransitive construction is "allows for" ("allows of" is also attested but obsolete). Standard: The application allows users to download more quickly. Standard: Roman law allowed a soldier to make a valid will without any formality. Non-standard: The instrument allows to measure ... Standard but awkward: "Allows to" can be used in this way, by moving the referent to the end: "The screen does not allow to pass any insects larger than gnats" and "A tenant who causes or allows to transpire damage to the property is liable ...". Such phraseology is awkward and should usually be rewritten, but not always. allusion and illusion. An allusion is an indirect or metaphorical reference to something; an illusion is a false picture of something that is there. appraise and apprise. To appraise is to assess or value something; to apprise is to teach or inform. Standard: His performance was appraised very positively. Standard: I lost no time in apprising her of the situation. Non-standard: Has he been appraised of the fact? Arab and Arabic. As an adjective, Arab refers to people and things of ethnic Arab origin. Arabic refers to the Arabic language or writing system. Its use as a synonym for Arab is considered controversial by some. are and our. Are is the second-person singular present and the first-, second-, and third-person plural present of the verb be. Our means "belonging to us". Standard: Are you coming to our house after the show? Standard: Our family has been trying to save money because of the country's current economic situation. ascent and assent. To ascend means to go up or advance from an original position. To assent is to agree. Standard: I watched the balloon's ascent into the sky. Standard: We need to reach assent on how to do this project. assure, ensure, and insure. In American English, to assure is purely to intend to give the listener confidence, to ensure is to make certain of something, and to insure is to purchase or provide insurance for something. The only difference with British English is that assure can be used instead of insure, particularly in the context of life insurance or assurance. Standard: I assure you that I will have your car washed by the time you return. Standard: When you mow the lawn, ensure there are no foreign objects in the grass. Standard: I plan to purchase the collision policy when I insure my car. Standard: Progressive insured his SUV. Standard: I already have more than enough life assurance. Non-standard: His actions insured that the attacking army would fail. awaken and awoken: Awaken is typically used to express waking in the present tense. Awoken is typically used to express waking in the past tense. Awoken is the original "hard verb" inflection of "to wake", but through morphological leveling the soft form awakened has become more common. Standard: We must awaken the dragon. Standard: The dragon has awoken.
B barter, haggle and banter. To barter means to exchange goods rather than carrying out commercial transactions using money. To haggle is to negotiate a price. Banter is a noun meaning a friendly or good-natured exchange of remarks. belie. To belie means "to contradict" or "to give a false impression of". It is sometimes used incorrectly to mean to betray something hidden. bemused. To be bemused is to be perplexed or bewildered; however, it is commonly used incorrectly in place of amused. bisect and dissect. Bisect means "to cut into two"; dissect means "to cut apart", both literally and figuratively. is an archaic word meaning "to separate by cutting", but has not been in common use since the 17th century. Standard: The Americas are bisected by the Panama canal. Standard: She dissected Smith's dissertation, pointing out scores of errors. Standard: We dissected the eye of a bull in biology class today. Probably non-standard: We the eye of a bull in biology class today. born and borne. Born is when a living creature enters the world through the birthing process. Borne means to carry, realize, or bear something. Standard: I was born on March 6, 1982. Standard: I contracted mosquito-borne malaria while in Africa. brake and break. Break is a versatile word that, as a verb, means to separate something into pieces, to damage or destroy, to interrupt a continuous activity, or to exceed a limit, but as a noun, refers to a pause, a gap, a fracture, or a short rest period. Brake refers to a device or mechanism used to slow down or stop a moving object. Standard: This might be a valid cause for pumping the brakes on reporting positive news, except we now have very strong reasons to radically reevaluate what these “new case” numbers really mean. Non-standard: This week, Bevell pumped the breaks a bit. Non-standard: The driver slammed the breaks and the passengers, those who hadn’t yet fainted or died, fell over. Non-standard: Brooklyn residents are urging the city to pump the breaks on a new electric vehicle charging station set to be built across from an elementary school, insisting possible health risks aren’t worth the purported green benefits, The Post has learned. Non-standard: It’s time to pump the breaks on romance rumors between country singer Megan Moroney and 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa.