Vocabulary

Peak, Peek, and Pique: What is the Difference? Years ago, there was an account on Twitter that automatically responded when people spelled ‘sneak peek’ as ‘sneak peak’. I’m kind of disappointed that it no longer exists (changing the world, one spelling tweet at a time… continue reading

Let’s take a look at ax vs. axe. Both words refer to the long-handled tool with a heavy metal blade, and both axe and ax feature in metaphorical use in phrases like “ax/axe to grind” or “take an ax/axe to (something).” Ax and axe are used also as verbs for actions where an… continue reading

Homophones are words that have similar pronunciations while having different meanings. Latter and ladder are two homophones that can give writers trouble. These two words are never interchangeable because they are separate parts of speech. One is a noun, and the other is an adjective. Even if you mix… continue reading

What Does Patience Mean?  In its dictionary definition, patience is the ability to wait calmly for a long time or to deal with problems and misfortunes with little frustration. Throughout human history, patience has indeed been a virtue, and many famous writers, from Aristotle to Tolstoy, have… continue reading

Is it envision or invision?  Here is the quick response: Envision is the correct spelling Invision is a misspelling of the word “envision” Languages evolve, and spelling patterns change. Some words that used to be accurate become errors. For instance, most writers no longer spell jail as gaol,… continue reading

What’s the difference between certainty vs. certitude? I suspected that they’re interchangeable, but it turns out that they have a subtle but substantial difference in definition—of that, I am certain. Certainty and certitude, share a root word: the Latin term certus, meaning “fixed” or “settled.” Certainty originally meant “pledge” or “surety,” and… continue reading

Differences Between Despite And In Spite Of In your writing, you may find yourself trying to pick between using the phrase in spite of and the word despite. In short, there aren’t any differences between these two terms, and they can usually work identically and interchangeably in your writing. These terms act… continue reading

What Do Converse And Conversate Mean? Converse is a standard verb that acts in English to mean the act of having a conversation. In contrast, conversate is a nonstandard verb that means to have a conversation.  We may often wonder which of these words we should use in our writing, especially if we are writing… continue reading

Although presume and assume are used almost interchangeably in the English language, there is some distinction between them that separates their meanings. In general, both terms mean “to take something as true or real.” However, the difference lies in the level of confidence each word gives the user.… continue reading

Every year, there are new words added to the English dictionary. These changes can be confusing. For example, two commonly confused words are onsite and on-site. Do you know the right way to use these words? Different dictionaries have different advice about how to use… continue reading