Vocabulary

Have you ever had to pause when describing a friendly situation to consider the choice of amiable vs. amicable? Let’s discuss these two similar words and when to use them. Amicable Definition Amicable means “peaceable” or “friendly.”  Amicable describes situations that could have turned out… continue reading

Crisis and crises are both correct and acceptable words to use in American English, but they also differ slightly in meaning. This article will explain the difference and ensure you know which one to use in the proper context. Crises Is the Plural of Crisis The word crisis is defined as “a… continue reading

There are three English phrases that are often confused: bad wrap, bad rap, and bad rep. How can you tell them apart? It is very important to understand how a bad rap and a bad rep are different. This will make your writing more easily… continue reading

Complacent vs. complicit are easily confused words. Most spell-check programs probably wouldn’t catch a slip-up of these two words. Spell-check looks for words that aren’t in its dictionary or words that resemble words in its dictionary but might be spelled wrong but spell-check isn’t perfect.… continue reading

Have you ever wondered whether an old house shudders or shutters in the wind? Well, you aren’t alone. Shudder and shutter are homophones, and it isn’t always easy to tell them apart. Homophones are words that sound alike but have different meanings. Depending on the… continue reading

Border and boarder are homophones (words that sound alike but are spelled differently) and easily confused words. Boarder Boarder is a noun which means someone living in a house and consuming meals in exchange for rent. It is synonymous with a roomer or tenant. Taking… continue reading

A fellow student in my high school English class who grew up in the UK hearing the word adaption used when referring to radio and television programs based on books asked a question in class one day that stuck with me. Where did the word… continue reading

Formerly and formally are two easily confused words. Spell-check applications of most word processing programs would not find a slip-up of these two words. Spell-check looks for words that aren’t in its dictionary or words that resemble words in its dictionary but are likely spelled… continue reading

Is it Favorite or Favourite?  Why are there two spellings?  Well, it’s been said that the United States and the United Kingdom are two countries separated by a common language. Even though English is the most commonly used language in both countries, a distinction is… continue reading

The English language can be complicated at times, especially if you are not a native speaker, and your original language has little in common with English.  To make matters worst, there is a myriad of words that are separated in spelling by just one letter,… continue reading