Similar Words

Have you ever considered whether you should use “can” or “may?” When asking for permission, you may have said, “can I?” On the flip side, you may have heard people say, “may I?” With these two phrases in mind, is one more correct? And do “can I?” and… continue reading

Being homophones, “cannon” and “canon” differ slightly in spelling (although not too much) but sound the same when pronounced. Due to this, many people confuse their meanings and accidentally use them interchangeably. Let’s get into what these words mean and how you can use them in your… continue reading

Is it adapt or adopt? And then there is also adept! Many English words sound similar or are spelled similarly. Usually, these come as word pairs, but today we will discuss a trio of words with similar spelling. Luckily, each word has unique and distinct… continue reading

Even though they aren’t true homophones, “compel” vs. “impel” can confuse many readers. Due to their similar sounding pronunciation, many writers can easily mix them up! Additionally, they are especially challenging as they both have a meaning that revolves around the idea of persuasion/action.  What Does “Compel” Mean? … continue reading

Homophones are one of the most difficult aspects of the English language. Although words may sound similar, they may have vastly different meanings. One common homophone pair is “aerial” and “areal,” which are often mixed up by many English readers and writers.  As a general tip, “areal” refers to… continue reading

There are many cases in English where it may seem like multiple forms of the same word, or a family of words means the same thing. Unfortunately, not all groups of similar words will have a similar meaning and can lead writers to make errors.… continue reading