Spelling: Common Words that Sound Alike

Summary:

This resource covers common spelling errors including accept/except, ei/ie, noun plurals, and –ible/able.

Contributors:Purdue OWL
Last Edited:2015-08-25 12:45:48

Many words sound alike but mean different things when put into writing. This list will help you distinguish between some of the more common words that sound alike. Click on any of the blue underlined links to open a longer and more complete definition of the word in a new window.

Forms to remember

Accept, Except

  • accept= verb meaning to receive or to agree:

Heacceptedtheir praise graciously.

  • except= preposition meaning all but, other than:

Everyone went to the gameexceptAlyson.

We are currently updating these resources, but for more information on these words, plus exercises, see our document onaccept and except.

Affect, Effect

  • affect= verb meaning to influence:

Will lack of sleepaffectyour game?

  • effect= noun meaning result or consequence:

Will lack of sleep have aneffecton your game?

  • effect= verb meaning to bring about, to accomplish:

Our efforts haveeffecteda major change in university policy.

A memory-aid for affect and effect isRAVEN:Remember,Affect is aVerb andEffect is aNoun.

We are currently updating these resources, but for more information on these words, plus exercises, see our document onaffect and effect.

Advise, Advice

  • advise= verb that means to recommend, suggest, or counsel:

Iadviseyou to be cautious.

  • advice= noun that means an opinion or recommendation about what could or should be done:

I'd like to ask for youradviceon this matter.

Conscious, Conscience

  • conscious= adjective meaning awake, perceiving:

Despite a head injury, the patient remainedconscious.

  • conscience= noun meaning the sense of obligation to be good:

Chris wouldn't cheat because hisconsciencewouldn't let him.

Idea, Ideal

  • idea= noun meaning a thought, belief, or conception held in the mind, or a general notion or conception formed by generalization:

Jennifer had a brilliantidea—she'd go to the Writing Lab for help with her papers!

  • ideal= noun meaning something or someone that embodies perfection, or an ultimate object or endeavor:

Mickey was theidealfor tutors everywhere.

  • ideal= adjective meaning embodying an ultimate standard of excellence or perfection, or the best:

Jennifer was anidealstudent.

Its, It's

  • its= possessive adjective (possessive form of the
    pronoun it):

The crab had an unusual growth onitsshell.

  • it's= contraction for it is or it has (in a verb phrase):

It's still raining;it'sbeen raining for three days.

(Pronouns have apostrophes only when two words are being shortened into one.)

Lead, Led

  • lead= noun referring to a dense metallic element:

The X-ray technician wore a vest lined withlead.

  • led= past-tense and past-participle form of the verb to lead, meaning to guide or direct:

The evidenceledthe jury to reach a unanimous decision.

Than, Then

Than / used in comparison statements: He is richerthanI.
used in statements of preference: I would rather dancethaneat.
used to suggest quantities beyond a specified amount: Read morethanthe first paragraph.
Then / a time other than now: He was youngerthen. She will start her new jobthen.
next in time, space, or order: First we must study;thenwe can play.
suggesting a logical conclusion: If you've studied hard,thenthe exam should be no problem.

Their, There, They're

  • Their= possessive pronoun:

They gottheirbooks.

  • There= that place:

My house is overthere.

(This is a place word, and so it contains the word here.)

  • They're= contraction for they are:

They'remaking dinner.

(Pronouns have apostrophes only when two words are being shortened into one.)

To, Too, Two

  • To= preposition, or first part of the infinitive form of a verb:

They wenttothe laketoswim.

  • Too= very, also:

I wastootired to continue. I was hungry,too.

  • Two= the number 2:

Twostudents scored below passing on the exam.

Two,twelve, andbetweenare all words related to the number 2, and all contain the letterstw.

Toocan meanalsoor can be an intensifier, and you might say that it contains an extrao("one too many")

We're, Where, Were

  • We're= contraction for we are:

We'reglad to help.

(Pronouns have apostrophes only when two words are being shortened into one.)

  • Where= location:

Whereare you going?

(This is a place word, and so it contains the word here.)

  • Were= a past tense form of the verb be:

Theywerewalking side by side.

Your, You're

  • Your= possessive pronoun:

Yourshoes are untied.

  • You're= contraction for you are:

You'rewalking around with your shoes untied.

(Pronouns have apostrophes only when two words are being shortened into one.)

I/E Rule

Write I before E

Except after C

Or when it sounds like an A

As in "neighbor" and "weigh"

ibeforee: relief, believe, niece, chief, sieve, frieze, field, yield

ebeforei: receive, deceive, ceiling, conceit, vein, sleigh, freight, eight

Exceptions

seize, either, weird, height, foreign, leisure, conscience, counterfeit, forfeit, neither, science, species, sufficient

Please see ourexercisesto practice these rules.

-ible, -able Rule

-ible / -able
If the root is not a complete word, add -ible.
aud + ible = audible
Examples:
  • visible
  • horrible
  • terrible
  • possible
  • edible
  • eligible
  • incredible
  • permissible
/ If the root is a complete word, add -able.
accept + able = acceptable
Examples:
  • fashionable
  • laughable
  • suitable
  • dependable
  • comfortable
If the root is a complete word ending in -e, drop the final -e and add -able.
excuse - e+ able = excusable
Examples:
  • advisable
  • desirable
  • valuable
  • debatable

Some exceptions:

  • contemptible
  • digestible
  • flexible
  • responsible
  • irritable
  • inevitable