Whoops, sorry guys. Forgot today was Monday—kept thinking it was Sunday (long weekends really screw with my internal calendar).
Today, courtesy of http://www.noslang.com/spelling.php, are a list of misused words:
Accept, Except – Accept means to receive, while except means to exclude.
Adverse, Averse – Adverse means difficult, Averse means having a strong feeling against (like an aversion)
Affect, Effect – An Effect is a result, Affect usually means to alter.
Alright – This just isn’t a word. You should use all right.
Assure, Ensure, Insure – Assure means to guarantee, Ensure means to make sure, and Insure should only be used when talking about insurance.
Compliment, Complement – A Compliment is praise, to Complement is to go well with something else.
Could Of – This doesn’t make sense. Use Could Have.
Discreet, Discrete – Discreet is to be careful, Discrete means distinct.
Farther, Further – Farther refers to distance, Further means more.
Foreword, Forward – A Foreword is the beginning of a book, Forward is a direction.
i.e , e.g – In Latin i.e means “that is”, while e.g means “for example”.
Its, It’s – Its is possessive – something that belongs to someone, It’s is short for it is.
Labtop, Laptop – Labtop is not a word. The computer sits on your Lap, not your Lab.
Loose, Lose – Loose is the opposite of tight, Lose is the opposite of win.
Precede, Proceed – something Precedes if it comes first, Proceeds if it follows.
No, Know – No is the opposite of yes, Know refers to something you’ve learned. (or in this case haven’t learned)
Than, Then – Than is used for comparisons, Then means it came next.
There, Their, They’re – There is a place, Their is something that belongs to them, They’re is short for They Are
To, Two, Too – Two is a number, Too means also, To is used with verbs (going to).
Weather, Whether – Weather is what the meteorologist always predicts wrong, Whether is used when making a choice.
Who’s, Whose – Whose is possessive, Who’s is short for who is.
Your, You’re – Your is something that belongs to you, You’re is short for you are.
Also, there is no such word as irregardless (it’s just ‘regardless’, regardless of what you’re saying) or ‘towards,’ it’s ‘toward.’