Watch out for these pesky, easy to confuse words. When in doubt, there's no substitute for a good dictionary. Communications and Marketing recommends Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Tenth Edition.
accept/except: Accept is a verb meaning "to receive willingly." Except is a preposition meaning "excluding." I will accept all the nominations except the last one.
advice/advise: Advice is a noun meaning "guidance." Advise is a verb meaning "to counsel" We advised him to seek advice from a college counselor.
alot/a lot/allot: There is no such word as alot; use a lot. Allot means "to distribute or to assign as a share or portion. There were a lot of people at today's seminar. I will allot each farmer ten magic beans.
all most /almost: There is no such phrase as all most. Use almost.
all ready/already: All ready, an adjective, means "completely." Already, an adverb, means "before" or "previously." I already told you that I am all ready to leave for my vacation.
all right/alright: There is no such word as alright. Use all right.
among/between: Use among for three or more items; use between with two. The tasks were divided among the ten committee members. Park your car between these two posts.
anxious/eager: Anxious means uneasy; eager means enthusiastic.
any more/anymore: Any more refers to a lack of quantity. Anymore is properly used as a statement about change in a previous condition or activity. Sally doesn't have any more candy. I guess it doesn't matter anymore.
any one/anyone: Any one refers to a member of a group. Anyone means any person at all. Anyone can purchase any one of the paintings from the show.
bad/badly: Bad is the adjective form; badly is the adverb. The bad wound healed badly.
bring/take: Bring means "to carry to a nearer place from a more distant one." Take means the opposite: "To carry to a more distant place from a nearer one." Bring that file over here. Take this package to the post office.
cite/sight/site: Cite is a verb meaning "to refer to." Site, a noun, is the ability to see or something that is seen. Site, a noun, means a location. Remember to cite your sources. He lost his sight when he was five. The vacant lot will be the site of the new parking lot.
classwork: Classwork is one word.
Colombia/Columbia: Colombia (the country); Columbia (the river); Pre-Columbian (before Columbus)
complement/compliment: Complement is something that fills up, makes whole or brings to perfection. Compliment means praise - an expression of esteem, respect, affection or admiration. The ship has a complement of 20 sailors and 5 officers. His tie complements his shirt. Supervisors should always compliment their employees on a job well done.
comprise/compose: Comprise means to include or encompass; compose means to make up or put together. The whole comprises the parts; the parts compose the whole. The seminars may comprise undergraduate and graduate students, but the seminar is composed of students.
convince/persuade : Convince has a meaning distinct from persuade and should be followed by of or that, never to.) Convince means "to demonstrate or prove." Persuade means "to advice or urge." John convinced his boss that he arrived on time by showing her his time card. The doctor persuaded Jane to start physical therapy.
course work: Course work is two words.
disc/disk: Compact disc spelled with a c. Computer disk spelled with a k.
ensure/insure: The dictionary says these two are synonyms with each other and with guarantee, assure and secure. But only insure can be used with anything pertaining to insurance. It's less confusing for readers to use ensure for non-insurance matters and insure for insurance.)
every one/everyone: Every one refers to every single person or thing. Everyone means "all the people." The raccoon ate every one of the ears of corn. Is everyone ready?
farther/further: Farther refers to additional distance. Further refers to additional time, quantity or extent. As we drove farther into the desert, I told Dennis that I did not want to discuss our lack of water any further.
fewer/less: Use less for a single quantity or mass or bulk amount. Use fewer for items that can be counted. The building has less floor space, yet it contains no fewer than 100 classrooms. Many worked in our office for less than three years. [Here, even though a number is used, the thought is of a single quantity. The sentence refers to a single period of time, not individual years.]
foreword/forward: A brief introduction in a publication (usually written by someone other than the author and used only in lengthy publications) is called a foreword, not a forward.
freelance: Do not use a hyphen.
full-time/full time: He has a full-time job. He works full time.
Fund raising/fund-raising/fund-raiser/fund raiser: Fund raising is two words when used as an activity. Fund raising is difficult.
Fund-raising with a hyphen when used as a modifier. They planned a fund-raising campaign.
Fund-raiser with a hyphen to identify the person raising funds. A fund-raiser was hired.
Fund raiser when fund modifies the word raiser. A fund raiser was held in the university center.
irregardless: There is no such word. Regardless of what many people believe, there is really no such word.
it's: This is the contraction for it is or it has. It's not uncommon for this word to be used incorrectly as the possessive.
its: This is the possessive. The group lost its president.
lay/lie: Lay is transitive verb meaning "to put or place." Its principal parts are lay, laid, laid. Lie is an intransitive verb meaning "to recline or rest in a flat position." Its principal parts are lie, lay, lain. Do you need to lie down? Where did I lay those leather gloves?
memento/momento : Momento is the Spanish word for moment; memento is the correct word for a token of remembrance.
more than/over: When referring to something that can be counted, use more rather than over. More than three thousand people attended the reunion. Andy is over six feet tall.
non-profit: hyphenate
OK/Okay: Either spelling is OK, but O.K. is not okay.
part-time/part time: She has a part-time job. She works part time.
passed/past: Passed is the past tense of the verb "to pass." Thus it means "went by" or "received a passing grade." Past means "of a former time" or "beyond in time or position." She passed her test. He passed the car driven by our past president. The accident occurred just past the new entrance ramp.
pastimes: Spelled with one s.
phonathon: Phonathon is spelled with an a, as in a marathon or a walkathon.
principal/principle: Principal is a noun meaning "the head of a school" or "a sum of money." It is also an adjective meaning "first in importance." Principle is a noun meaning "a basic truth or standard." The principal asked the school board, "Do we have the principal to rebuild the science building?" My principal reason for leaving home was that I disagreed with my stepfather's principles of discipline.
roommate: Spelled with two m's
till, until: 'Til is for poetry. Use until in body text.
tortuous/torturous: Tortuous is an adjective meaning "winding or marked by repeated twists, bends or turns." It also means "marked by devious tactics, crooked, tricky." Torturous is an adjective meaning "causing torture" and "describing something that is cruelly painful." She had to take a tortuous route through the Alps. He survived the torturous existence of the concentration camp.
title/entitle: Entitle means "to give title to"; title means "to provide a title" or "call by a title." The author entitled the book last week; the book, titled How to Write Well is available at the bookstore.
that/which: There is a difference between that and which. Use that for restrictive clauses - clauses that are essential to the meaning of a sentence. Use which for nonrestrictive clauses - clauses that, if removed, would not change the meaning of a sentence. Set off the nonrestrictive clauses with commas. (If a sentence contains two thats, and the reader might be confused, it's all right to substitute a which for one of the thats.) The book that she wanted was not in the library. The books, which are on the kitchen table, are overdue at the library.
theatre/theater: A theatre is a place you go to see a play. A theater is a place you go to see a movie. Theatre when referring to a live performance. Theater when referring to a film or cinema. Theater major is the proper reference for the NMU program.
under way: Under way is two words in virtually all uses. The only time it is one word is when used as an adjective before a noun in a nautical sense, as in an underway flotilla. Construction of the Seaborg Complex is under way.
vice president: no hyphen
vita/vitae: Vita is singular; vitae is plural. However, use curriculum vitae for the singular form, curricula vitae for the plural.
well-known: For most uses, use a hyphen.
see also punctuation, hyphens
who/whom: Who relates to whom in the same way he or she relates to him or her. Who is the subject and would match he or she; whom is the object and would match him or her.
As Theodore Bernstein wrote in The Careful Writer, an easy way to determine which to use is to turn a clause into a sentence. Alice, who had been with the university for thirty years, was eligible for retirement [She (not Her) had been with the university for thirty years.] Whom should I ask? [Should I ask her? (not Should I ask she?)]
who's/whose: Who's is a contraction of "who is." Whose is a possessive pronoun. Who's going to Homecoming? Whose laptop computer is this?
worldwide: Worldwide is one word but World Wide Web
your/you're: Your is a possessive pronoun; you're is a contraction of "you are." Your dog has won first prize. You're the best teacher I've ever had.
who/that: Far too often we hear or read, He was a person that ... What is needed here is the personal pronoun. He is a person who ... She is a Michigander who ... He is an alum who ...