Ilicit is a common misspelling of the adjective “illicit” (i.e., it should be spelled with double “l”).
One of the reasons for this is that elicit and illicit are commonly confused, and “elicit” is spelled with only one “l.”
“Illicit” means “illegal,” “forbidden,” or “socially unacceptable” (e.g., “The suspect was found carrying illicit substances”).
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Synonyms for “altogether” meaning “completely” include:
When using “altogether” to mean “all in all,” synonyms include:
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“Altogether” is an adverb, meaning you should use it when you want to describe a verb, an adjective, another adverb, a clause, or a sentence. It typically means “completely” or “entirely.” For example, saying “The plan failed altogether” is equivalent to saying “The plan failed completely.”
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The choice of lay or lie in this phrase depends on the verb tense you are using. When referring to the act of putting yourself in a horizontal resting position, the correct phrase is “lie down” (e.g., “I’m going to lie down on the couch”). When referring to something you’re going to do to something else, “lay down” is the appropriate phrase to use (e.g., “I’m going to lay down this lamp so it doesn’t fall”).
However, it’s important to note that “lay” is also the past tense of lie, so it makes sense to use “lay down” when referring to putting yourself in a horizontal position in the past (e.g., “Yesterday I lay down for an hour after practice”).
In short, when describing the act of reclining yourself horizontally in the present tense, use “lie down.” But when describing a past act of reclining yourself, use “lay down.”
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Use “lying down” as the present participle of “lie down.” In other words, use “lying down” when describing the reclined position one is in (e.g., “She’s lying down on the towel). However, it’s also acceptable to simply use “lying” (e.g., “She’s lying on the towel).
Use “laying down” when referring to the action of placing something or someone in a horizontal position (e.g., “He’s laying down flowers across the path”). Remember, “lying” and “laying” are the present participles of “lie” and “lay,” respectively.
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The past participle of “lie” is “lain” (e.g., “The never-before-seen documents had lain undisturbed for centuries”).
“Lie” means “to put oneself or be in a horizontal position.” It’s an intransitive verb, meaning it does not require a direct object.
“Lay” is a regular verb, meaning it has the same past tense and past participle: “laid.” Like “lay,” “laid” is a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object to receive the action (e.g., “He laid the blanket down for us to have a nice picnic”).
In British English, the noun “inquiry” has been traditionally defined as a request for information in formal and legal contexts, whereas “enquiry” was used in a broader sense. However, in modern-day usage, “inquiry” is more common in both general and formal contexts, while “enquiry” is still strictly reserved for general matters.
The same distinction applies to the verb forms “enquire” and “inquire.”
“Inquire” is more popular in American English and is used to mean “ask questions about something” (e.g., “I will inquire about prices”).
In British English, “inquire” is also used more frequently, whether seeking information about either general or formal matters. However, “enquire” is also used, but only with informal requests (e.g., “I enquired about the nearest tourist destinations”).
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The correct greeting is “To Whom It May Concern.”
“Whomever” can follow a preposition as an object pronoun but must directly refer to someone who is the recipient of an action, which is not the case here.
If the pronoun is functioning as the subject, meaning it is performing the verb, use “to whoever” (e.g., “to whoever enjoys”).
If the pronoun is functioning as the object, meaning it is the recipient of the verb or the object of the preposition, use “to whomever” (e.g., “to whomever I see”).
A bowl is both concave and convex, depending on which part you’re looking at.
The part that holds the food is concave, which means it curves inward. The outer part of the bowl that is placed on surfaces is convex, which means it curves outward.
Something is described as “concave” if it curves inward, like the part of the spoon that holds food. Conversely, something that curves outward is described as “convex,” like the other part of a spoon.
A concave lens curves inward. Therefore, light that passes through it is dispersed outward, resulting in images that are smaller and more upright.
A concave mirror curves inward, towards the middle. This causes light rays that strike the mirror to converge, resulting in distorted reflections that appear magnified or inverted, depending on the object’s distance from the mirror.
A convex mirror curves outward, which results in a wider, more magnified view. Convex mirrors are commonly used in car side-view mirrors and security cameras.
Inquiring is the present participle form of “inquire,” while enquiring is the present participle form of “enquire.” Both are correct spellings, but “inquiring” is the preferred variant in American English (e.g., “He was inquiring about the sale”).
Synonyms and near synonyms for the adjective everyday include:
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Every other day is an adverbial phrase that means “on every alternate day.”
For example, the statement “I usually call my mother every other day” means that the person does not telephone their mother every day; there is usually a day in between each call.
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In the phrase “each and every one,” “every one” is written as two separate words (e.g., “Each and every one of the songs on the album is fantastic”).
“Everyone” and “every one” are commonly confused, but they do not have the same grammatical function and cannot be used interchangeably.
Some synonyms and near synonyms for everyone include:
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“Obtaining” is the present participle of the verb “obtain,” which means “to get something through effort” (e.g., “I am obtaining the necessary permits”).
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Other words for obtain include:
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A few synonyms of the verb “could” when referring to ability or possibility include:
A few synonyms of “could” when referring to past permission include:
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Anytime can be used to mean “whenever” or “you’re welcome.” Synonyms and near synonyms for anytime include:
| Whenever | You’re welcome |
|---|---|
| At any time | No problem |
| At any moment | It was my pleasure |
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Principal is a noun or an adjective. Often it gets confused with principle but the meanings are not the same.
Principal is a noun that can refer to refer to several things:
Principal is also an adjective meaning “main” or “most important” (e.g., Running out of money was my principal concern on holiday last year).
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Principle is a noun that describes a rule or standard in science or the law (e.g., “It is a fundamental principle of law that a person is innocent until proven guilty”), or personal and public ethics (e.g., “Olga decided not to take the job as the company’s practices went against her principles”).
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“Crawfish” and “crawdad” both refer to the same animal—crustaceans that look like and are related to lobsters but are found in rivers, streams, swamps, and other bodies of freshwater.
Although there is a lot of overlap, the term “crawfish” is more popular in the southern parts of the United States, while “crawdad” is preferred in specific areas, such as North Carolina and Oregon.
No, lobsters and crawfish are not the same animal, but they are closely related. Lobsters are arthropods that live in saltwater, while crawfish live in freshwater.
“Mudbugs” is a colloquial term used in certain parts of the United States when referring to crawfish, which are crustaceans that are related to lobsters but live in freshwater.
“Paid” and “payed” are commonly confused because they are pronounced the same.
Paid is the past tense or past participle of the verb “pay,” which refers to the act of exchanging money for a service or goods received (e.g., “I paid for the holiday with the overtime I had been paid during the year”).
Payed is the past tense or past participle of the verb “pay,” meaning “allow a length of rope or chain to pass through your hands in a controlled way” (e.g., “I payed out the rope slowly as my student descended the cliff”).
“Paid” and “payed” are commonly confused because they are pronounced the same.
The past tense and past participle of the verb “pay,” meaning “exchange money for goods or services received,” is paid (e.g., “With the part exchange deal I paid money in addition to the value of my old car”).
There is a less common meaning of “pay” which is to let rope or chain through your hands in a controlled way. It is typically used in boating and climbing contexts, but it can be used in any situation where that action takes place (e.g., “The rescuers payed out the safety rope as the lifeguard entered the water”).
Lose weight is the correct phrase. Lose and loose have different pronunciations, meanings, and grammatical functions. Lose means to no longer have something which you had previously.
You used to have some weight which you no longer have, so you lose weight. It means that your clothes will now be loose as they are no longer so tight.
You can try this handy mnemonic to remember when to use “lose” vs. “loose”:
Both “walk toward” and “walk towards” are correct. The main difference between toward and towards is between American English and British English. Toward (without an “s”) is more common in American English, and towards (with an “s”) is preferred in British English.
It is always best to be consistent in your spellings.
A few synonyms and near synonyms for work towards/toward include:
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“Fewer” is a comparative word that means “smaller number of.” It’s typically used with a countable noun to describe a smaller number of something compared to something else (e.g., “There are fewer people in this line”).
The common guideline is to use “less than” when modifying uncountable nouns (e.g., “less than a gallon left”) and “fewer than” when modifying countable nouns (e.g., “fewer than three people”).
However, there are many exceptions to this rule. For example, when describing time (“less than thirty minutes”) or money (e.g., “less than thirty bucks”), “less” is the standard word to use, although time and money can be divided into countable units.
The word there is used in a variety of different ways. It’s sometimes confused with their and they’re, but they have distinct meanings and spellings.
It is often used as a pronoun with “is”/“are” to say something exists or does not exist (e.g., “Is there a post office near here?”).
It is also frequently used as an adverb to indicate location (e.g., “Please put it down over there on the table”) or to refer to a place already mentioned (e.g., “Have you ever been there before?”).
They’re is a contraction (short form) of “they are.”
It’s sometimes confused with their and there, but they have distinct meanings and spellings.
There are a few words that can be used as synonyms for “while” when used as a noun meaning “a short period of time,” including:
The following words can be used as synonyms for “while” when it is used as a subordinating conjunction that indicates a contrast between two people or things:
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“Whilst” is pronounced like “whylst.” Put differently, it’s similar to pronouncing “while,” but with an “-st” at the end.
“Whiskey” is spelled with an “e” when referring to the grain spirit produced in Ireland or the United States.
However, “whisky” (without an “e”) refers to the grain spirit produced in either Scotland, Canada, or Japan.
The plural of “whiskey” is “whiskeys,” whereas the plural of “whisky” is “whiskies.”
The preposition despite is used to mean “notwithstanding,” “regardless of,” or “even though.”
A prepositional phrase beginning with despite introduces contrasting information (e.g., “Despite the sunny weather, we stayed inside all day”).
Despite and in spite of are used interchangeably (e.g., “In spite of the sunny weather …”).
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In spite of is a preposition that means “regardless of,” “even though,” or “notwithstanding.”
It introduces a prepositional phrase providing some contrasting information (e.g., “In spite of his lateness, Jimmy strolled into class as if nothing were wrong”).
In spite of and despite can be used interchangeably (e.g., “Despite his lateness …”).
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The correct phrase depends on the context of the sentence.
When rooting for a team, the correct phrase is “let’s go.” “Let’s” is a contraction of “let us.” Saying “let’s go, team” means you’re cheering them on as a fan or as part of the team. “Let’s go” can also be used to express impatience with someone (e.g., “Let’s go! We don’t have all day”) or, in a more literal sense, to suggest that you and at least one other person depart (e.g., “Let’s go home”).
“Lets go” only makes sense when you’re using “lets” as the third-person singular present tense form of the verb phrase “let go,” meaning “release” (e.g., “She always lets go of the rope too soon”).
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A few synonyms for “let go” include:
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If you presume something (i.e., if you believe that something is true based on likelihood or probability), then that belief is a presumption. For example, believing that your favorite baseball team is going to win the championship because they have won the last two in a row is a presumption.
“Presumption” can also mean “audacious attitude or conduct” (e.g., “His presumption in taking the CEO’s parking spot was met with disbelief”).
To assume something means to see something as true, although you have little evidence or reasoning to support it. Therefore, an assumption is a belief based on no proof (e.g., “My assumption about him turned out to be wrong”).
“Assumption” can also refer to the act of taking something upon oneself (e.g., “it was an assumption of power”).
Yes, it is acceptable to use the word “amongst,” especially when using British English. However, because it is less common in American English, some may consider it out of place or overly formal.
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“Among others” is a phrase that is used to indicate that not all items or individuals of a larger group are being specifically mentioned (e.g., “There were many teachers, counselors, and students, among others”).
“Among other things” can also be used in the same manner (e.g., “We studied science, math, and art, among other things”).
Both “among others” and “amongst others” are acceptable, but it should be noted that “among” is the more popular variant in both American and British English. In American English, “amongst” can be considered overly formal or even pompous.
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The correct phrase is “everybody has,” not “everybody have.” Have and has serve different grammatical functions and cannot be used interchangeably.
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Use “for sale” when you want to indicate that something is available for purchase (e.g., “That car in front of us is for sale”).
Use “on sale” when you want to indicate that something is being sold at a discounted price (e.g., “I only paid ten bucks for this because it was on sale”).
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No, “sale” and “sell” are not interchangeable.
“Sale” is exclusively used as a noun that denotes the transaction of goods and services for money (e.g., “Those puppies are for sale”).
“Sell” primarily functions as a verb describing the action of trading items or services for monetary payment (e.g., “I want to sell this to the highest bidder”). However, it is sometimes used as a noun to refer to the act of selling, though this usage is less common (e.g., “That’s an easy sell”).
Yes, “had had” is grammatically correct when used in past perfect tense constructions to describe an action that occurred before another action in the past.
For example, in the sentence “She realized she had had too much candy when she started getting a sugar rush,” the first “had” is an auxiliary verb, and the second “had” is the main verb in its past participle form.
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The correct phrase is “everyone has,” not “everyone have.” “Have” and “has” serve different grammatical functions and cannot be used interchangeably.
“Have” and “has” serve different grammatical functions and cannot be used interchangeably. In American English, collective nouns are treated as singular nouns. Therefore, they are typically accompanied by “has,” not “have.”
When describing someone as correct or accurate, the correct phrase to use is “you’re right” (e.g., “You’re right about the movie being way too long”).
When referring to someone’s moral or legal entitlement to be able to do something, the correct phrase is “your right” (e.g., “It is your right to freely express yourself”).
When requesting for someone to exert maximum effort or when describing their top performance or achievement, the correct phrase is “your best” (e.g., “Do your best and you’ll have no regrets”).
“You’re best” is a spelling mistake and should be avoided.
The past tense and past participle of “lead” is “led,” meaning that the correct phrasing is “has led” (e.g., “She has led us to the best places in town”).
Yes, technically, “conversate” is a word, although it is considered nonstandard and should be avoided.
The correct verb to use is “converse,” which means “to have a conversation with someone” (e.g., “They wanted to converse about possibly remodeling the school’s gym”).
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Some synonyms for converse (when used as a verb) are:
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“Inter” is a prefix that means “between” or “among.”
For example, “interdisciplinary” refers to something that combines different academic disciplines (e.g., “I worked on an interdisciplinary project”).
“Intra” is a prefix that means “within.” It indicates that something is occurring inside of or during something.
For example, the word “intramural” means “occurring within a single academic institution” (e.g., “I was involved in many intramural sports”).
No, hyphens are typically not required when using the prefixes “inter” and “intra.”
However, some style guides advise using hyphens in certain instances. For example, the AP Style Guide suggests using a hyphen when the root word is a proper noun (e.g., “inter-American”), and the Chicago Manual of Style recommends including a hyphen to avoid a double “a” or “i” (e.g., “intra-arterial”).
“Worser” may be found in archaic texts, but it is considered nonstandard and should be avoided in modern and formal writing.
When describing something as having lesser quality compared to something else, the correct word to use is “worse,” which is the comparative adjective form of “bad” (e.g., “The dessert was worse than the entrée”).
When describing something as having the lowest quality or condition compared to something else, the correct word to use is “worst,” which is the superlative adjective form of “bad” (e.g., “That was the worst play I’ve ever seen”).
The correct phrase is “too bad,” which is used idiomatically to show sympathy (e.g., “That’s too bad that you couldn’t go”) or indifference (e.g., “Too bad; we all have to work”).
When describing someone as the most bad of them all, the correct phrase is “you’re the worst,” not “you’re the worse” (e.g., “You’re the worst instructor I’ve ever had”).
The correct phrase is “worst-case scenario,” not “worse case scenario,” and means “the worst possible thing that could happen in a situation” (e.g., “We prepared for the worst-case scenario”).
In this expression, “worst-case” is functioning as a compound adjective and is typically hyphenated.
“To” is frequently used as a preposition that indicates the direction of movement (e.g., “Let’s go to Paris”) or as part of an infinitive verb (e.g., “I want to read”).
“Too” is an adverb that means “very” or “also” (e.g., “I want a cupcake, too”).
The term “rows” refers to anything arranged horizontally (i.e., side by side), such as products on a grocery store shelf or desks in a classroom.
The term “columns” describes elements that are placed vertically (e.g., a stack of coins) or formed linearly (e.g., a column of smoke). It can also refer to pillars on the outside of a building (e.g., the columns of ancient Greek buildings).
In spreadsheet programs like Excel and Google Sheets, rows are the boxes that run from left to right (typically labeled numerically) and columns run up and down (typically labeled alphabetically).
The correct phrase is “too late,” which shows that the allotted time for something has run out (e.g., “It’s far too late to turn that in”).
No, a comma is not always required before “too,” although it can be added for clarity (e.g., “I, too, passed the exam”) or emphasis (e.g., “I tried it, too”).
No, possums and opossums are distinct animals. Possums are found in Australia, New Guinea, and Sulawesi; opossums are found throughout the Americas.
The “o” in “opossum” can be voiced or silent, meaning it can be pronounced “uh-paw-sum” or “paw-sum.” However, the former pronunciation is preferred in scientific and academic settings.
“Objective” is an adjective that means “relating to facts, data, and evidence rather than opinions and biases” (e.g., “The results were based on research and are therefore objective”).
However, the word “objective” can also be used as a noun that means “goal” (e.g., “The objective was to return the gift without her noticing”).
“Subjective” is an adjective that describes something as relating to opinions, personal interpretations, and individual experiences instead of unbiased data (e.g., “Love is subjective because it can mean different things to many people”).
“Subjectivity” is a noun that refers to the quality of being “subjective” or influenced by personal interpretations and opinions instead of facts (e.g., “Her subjectivity affected the outcome of the case”).
The correct spelling of this phrase is beck and call. It is part of the expression “to be at someone’s beck and call,” which means “to be ready to follow someone’s orders.”
Beg and call is a misspelling of this phrase, but it may occasionally appear in a different context if you combine the verbs “to beg” and “to call.”
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Beckon is a verb meaning “making a gesture to instruct or encourage someone to come over.”
It’s sometimes incorrectly inserted into the expression beck and call. The correct phrase is always “beck and call,” not “beckon call.”
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The correct version is tune in to because “tune in” is a phrasal verb. “To” often follows “tune in” as part of an infinitive verb phrase, but “in” and “to” should be kept separate.
The correct version is log in to because “log in” is a phrasal verb. “To” often follows “log in” as part of an infinitive verb phrase, but “in” and “to” should be kept separate.
Alright and all right are both correct spelling variants of the same word. You can use “are you alright” or “are you all right.” The latter is accepted by more dictionaries and is considered less informal.
Alright and all right are both correct spelling variants of the same word. You can use “doing all right” or “doing alright.” The former is accepted by more dictionaries and is considered less informal.
Alright and all right are both correct spelling variants of the same word. You can use “everything is alright” or “everything is all right.” The latter is accepted by more dictionaries and is considered less informal.
Use to and used to are frequently confused. In this case, “used to be” is correct because you’re describing a state in the past.
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Use to and used to are frequently confused. In this case, “used to have” is correct because you’re describing a state in the past.
Lola used to have two children, but she recently gave birth to another set of twins.
Awhile and a while are often confused, but they don’t mean the same thing.
It’s been a while is the correct expression. The noun phrase a while means “a period of time.”
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Awhile and a while are often confused, but they don’t mean the same thing.
Once in a while is the correct expression. The noun phrase a while means “a period of time.”
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Awhile and a while are often confused, but they don’t mean the same thing.
For a while is the correct phrase.
Awhile and for a while are synonyms.
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Labelled and labeled are both correct spellings of the past tense of the verb “label.” The preferred spelling depends on the type of English.
In Australia, they generally follow British English conventions, which means they prefer labelled (double “l”).
This difference in spelling is also true for other words, such as modelling or modeling and travelling or traveling.
Labelled and labeled are both correct spellings of the past tense of the verb “label.” The preferred spelling depends on the type of English.
In this instance, Canada follows the British English convention, so the word is spelled labelled (double “l”).
This difference in spelling is also true for other words, such as modelling or modeling and travelling or traveling.
Modelling and modeling are two spellings of the same verb. The spelling depends on the type of English you use:
It’s important to choose one and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Modelling and modeling are two spellings of the same verb. The spelling depends on the type of English you use:
It’s important to choose one and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Modelling and modeling are two spellings of the same verb. The spelling depends on the type of English you use:
It’s important to choose one and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Gray and grey are two spellings of the same noun, adjective, or verb. The spelling depends on the type of English:
The adjective grayed out or grayed out refers to something like a menu item or button on a computer screen that’s not highlighted, indicating that it’s inactive.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this
Gray and grey are two spellings of the same noun, adjective, or verb. The spelling depends on the type of English.
Gray area or grey area refers to a difficult (moral) dilemma or a situation with unknown rules.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this..
There are two variants of the indefinite article: a and an. You use “a” when the word starts with a consonant sound and “an” when the word starts with a vowel sound.
The word “historic” can be pronounced with a hard “h” (consonant sound) or silent “h” (vowel sound). You should choose the indefinite article that fits your pronunciation.
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There are two variants of the indefinite article: a and an. You use “a” when the word starts with a consonant sound and “an” when the word starts with a vowel sound.
The noun “hour” is pronounced with a silent “h” (vowel sound), so you should use “an.
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There are two variants of the indefinite article: a and an. You use “a” when the word starts with a consonant sound and “an” when the word starts with a vowel sound.
The “u” in “unique” is pronounced like the word “you,” which is a consonant sound. This means you should use “a.”
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There are two variants of the indefinite article: a and an. You use “a” when the word starts with a consonant sound and “an” when the word starts with a vowel sound.
The word “honor” is pronounced with a silent “h” (vowel sound), so you should use “an.”
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The word affective does not have a good synonym, but words that are semantically similar include “emotional” and “sentimental.”
Since it’s often used in the field of psychology, it’s best to not replace it with a synonym. Doing so may accidentally change the intended meaning.
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There are a few synonyms (or near synonyms) for the word effective, depending on the context. The options include:
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There are a few antonyms for the word effective, depending on the context. The options include:
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Burnt and burned are two spellings of the same verb. The usage depends on the variant of English.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Burnt and burned are two spellings of the same verb. The usage depends on the variant of English.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Fulfil and fulfill are two spellings of the same verb. The spelling depends on the type of English.
Australian English mostly follows British English guidelines, so “fulfil” with one “l” is most common.
It’s important to choose one and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Fulfil and fulfill are two spellings of the same verb. The spelling depends on the type of English.
While Canadian English mostly follows British English guidelines, both forms of the word are commonly used.
It’s important to choose one and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Its and it’s are commonly confused:
If you don’t know whether you should use “it’s” or “its,” try replacing it with “it has” or “it is.”
Its and it’s are often confused. “Its” is the correct possessive form of “it,” whereas “it’s” is a contraction for “it is” or “it has.”
“Its” is used to indicate possession by an animal or thing (e.g., “its revenue,” “its paw”). Possessive adjectives like “its” are always followed by a noun.
The noun breath refers to the air that gets inhaled and exhaled during breathing. It’s pronounced with a short “e” sound: [breth].
“Breath” is closely related to the verb “breathe.” However, breathe and breath are pronounced differently and have different grammatical roles.
The verb breathe refers to the act of inhaling and exhaling air. It’s pronounced with a long “e” sound: [breeth].
“Breathe” is closely related to the noun “breath.” However, breathe and breath are pronounced differently and have different grammatical functions.
The most common version is paper flyer. Even though flier and flyer are often used interchangeably, most language authorities favor “flyer” to refer to a leaflet.
The plural noun form is paper flyers.
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Both frequent flier and frequent flyer can be used to describe someone who flies often. Even though flier and flyer are often used interchangeably, most language authorities favor “flier” to refer to someone who flies.
The plural noun form is frequent fliers.
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The most common version is marketing flyer. Even though flier and flyer are often used interchangeably, most language authorities favor “flyer” to refer to a leaflet.
The plural noun form is marketing flyers.
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Defence and defense are two spellings of the same noun. The spelling depends on the type of English.
The same difference applies to similar words, such as offence or offense, licence or license, and pretence or pretense.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Defence and defense are two spellings of the same noun. The spelling depends on the type of English.
The same difference applies to similar words, such as offence or offense, licence or license, and pretence or pretense.
It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Defence and defense are two spellings of the same noun. The spelling depends on the type of English.
In both cases, also make sure to hyphenate the term.
The same distinction applies to similar words, such as offence or offense, licence or license, and pretence or pretense. It’s important to choose one spelling and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
The phrase “doctor’s advice” uses the noun, “advice.” You only use “advise” when the verb is required.
The phrase “any advice” uses the noun, “advice.” You only use “advise” when the verb is required.
The phrase “kindly advise” uses the verb, “advise.” You only use “advice” when the noun is required.
Favor and favour are two spellings of the same noun or verb. The spelling depends on the type of English.
Canadian English mainly follows British English guidelines, so favour is the correct spelling.
The same distinction applies to similar words, such as “honor or honour,” “labor or labour,” “favorite or favourite,” “behavior or behaviour,” “color or colour,” and “humor or humour.”
It’s important to choose one type of English and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Favor and favour are two spellings of the same noun or verb. The spelling depends on the type of English.
The same distinction applies to similar words, such as “honor or honour,” “labor or labour,” “favorite or favourite,” “behavior or behaviour,” “color or colour,” and “humor or humour.”
A QuillBot grammar check can help ensure you’re using either American or British English consistently.
Visual aid is the only correct spelling. It describes a visual instructional device (e.g., a diagram) to help others understand the information presented. It can also refer to a device that helps one to see, such as glasses or a magnifying glass.
Aid often follows an attributive noun or adjective (e.g., “visual”) to specify the type of help.
“Visual aide” is a common misspelling.
Teacher’s aide is the only correct spelling. It refers to someone who assists a teacher but is not a qualified teacher themself. The noun “aide” means helper or assistant and always refers to a person.
Job aid is the only correct spelling. It’s an instructional tool (such as a checklist) to improve work efficiency. The noun “aid” can be placed after an attributive noun or adjective (e.g., “job”) to describe the type of help given.
“Job aide” is a common misspelling.
Practice and practise have different uses in American and British English.
“To practice” is the infinitive form. In British English, you’d use to practise (with an “s”), and in American English, you’d use to practice (with a “c”). A QuillBot grammar check can help you use one type of English consistently.
“Practice” in “exam practice” is a noun, so you should use exam practice in both American and British English.
It’s important to choose one type of English and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
11:45
THREE:
Practice and practise have different uses in American and British English.
“Practice” in “choir practice” is a noun, so you should use choir practice in both American and British English.
It’s important to choose one type of English and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Practice and practise have different uses in American and British English.
“Practice” in “choir practice” is a noun, so you should use choir practice in both American and British English.
It’s important to choose one type of English and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Color and colour are two spellings of the same noun (which can also be used as a verb). The spelling depends on the type of English.
Australian English mostly follows UK guidelines, so colour is standard.
The same difference applies to similar words, such as “behaviour or behavior,” “honor or honour,” “labor or labour,” “favorite or favourite,” “favor or favour,” and “humor or humour.”
It’s important to choose one type of English and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Color and colour are two spellings of the same noun (which can also be used as a verb). The spelling depends on the type of English.
Canadian English mostly follows UK guidelines, so colour is standard.
The same difference applies to similar words, such as “behaviour or behavior,” “honor or honour,” “labor or labour,” “favorite or favourite,” “favor or favour,” and “humor or humour.”
It’s important to choose one type of English and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Synonyms or near synonyms for counsel include:
The first options are synonyms for the verb “counsel,” and the second options are synonyms for the noun “counsel.”
You can find other synonyms for “counsel” with QuillBot’s Paraphraser.
Council has several synonyms and near synonyms, including:
You can find other synonyms for “council” with QuillBot’s Paraphraser.
Organisation and organization are two spellings of the same noun. The spelling depends on the type of English.
Canada largely follows the UK guidelines, but for words containing -iz-, they follow American guidelines. This means organization is standard.
The same difference applies to words that end in -ize or -yze, such as recognize or recognise, analyze or analyse, finalize or finalise, minimize or minimise, and organize or organise.
It’s important to choose one type of English and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
Organisation and organization are two spellings of the same noun. The spelling depends on the type of English.
The same difference applies to words ending in -ize or -yze, such as recognize or recognise, analyze or analyse, finalize or finalise, minimize or minimise, and organize or organise.
It’s important to choose one type of English and use it consistently. The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you with this.
No, “everytime” is not a word; it’s a misspelling of the two-word adverbial phrase every time.
Even though some other compounds with “every-” are written as closed compounds (e.g., “everyone,” “everyday”), you should always add a space between the two words in this case.
The QuillBot Grammar Checker will fix this and other common mistakes automatically.
The adverbial phrase every time has several synonyms:
Find more alternatives for every time with the QuillBot Paraphraser!
Among has a few (near) synonyms, such as:
You can find other synonyms for “among” with our paraphraser tool.
Between has a few (near) synonyms, such as:
You can find other synonyms for “between” with our paraphraser tool.
Nowadays and now a days are often used interchangeably, but nowadays is the only correct spelling. It’s an adverb that means “at this time.”
Now a days (with spaces) is never correct.
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Synonyms or near synonyms for nowadays are:
The choice of synonym depends on the tone and context of your text. Use the QuillBot Paraphraser to find more alternatives for nowadays.
Synonyms for the preposition (common), conjunction (uncommon), or verb (uncommon) except include:
QuillBot’s sentence rewriter can help you find synonyms for words like “except.”
Synonyms for accept (verb) include:
QuillBot’s sentence rewriter can help you find synonyms for words like “accept.”
Antonyms of the word accept are:
In these cases, someone will not accept something. For example, “Erin declined her boyfriend’s marriage proposal.”
QuillBot’s sentence rewriter can help rewrite your sentence to reflect your intended meaning.
The correct version is “side effect.” In this instance, “effect” is part of a compound noun and cannot be replaced with another word.
However, in other instances, you can determine whether you should use affect or effect by replacing “effect” with a similar noun (such as “outcome”).
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The correct version is “something to that effect.” In this instance, “effect” is part of an expression and can’t be replaced without changing the meaning of the expression.
However, in other instances, you can determine whether you should use affect or effect by replacing “effect” with a similar noun (such as “outcome”).
When in doubt, use QuillBot’s free grammar checker to prevent mistakes!
Affect and effect are related words, but they are most commonly used as different parts of speech.
You can remember the difference between affect (verb meaning “change”) and effect (noun meaning “outcome”) using the following mnemonic.
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A person who is a member of a team is a part of a team. Apart means “separated from” and is not used with of, so it’s not correct.
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The meaning is usually the same whether you say part of something or a part of something.
QuillBot’s sentence rewriter can help you find new ways to express your desired meaning.
Apart shows separation or exclusion, so the opposite of apart is together or including.
QuillBot’s sentence rewriter can help you find new ways to express your desired meaning.
Use whose to show that something belongs to a person or thing, for example, “The tortoise, whose legs were short, could never keep up with the hare.” In this sentence, whose shows that the legs belong to the tortoise.
Use whose to show that something belongs to a person or thing, for example, “The tortoise, whose legs were short, could never keep up with the hare.” In this sentence, whose shows that the legs belong to the tortoise.
Use who for the person doing the action, and use whom for the person the action is being done to.
A lot of people use whom when they want to sound more formal and use who to sound more casual. While this is often correct, it can also lead to errors.
The correct phrase is later than, as in “Five o’clock is later than four o’clock.”
Than and then are homophones, meaning they sound similar. Homonyms have the same spelling.
Immigration and emigration are both nouns that are used to describe the process of moving from one country to another. “Immigration” focuses on individuals who immigrate to, or arrive in, a new country (e.g., “We discussed the country’s immigration laws”).
On the other hand, “emigration” focuses on those who emigrate from, or leave, their home country to live in a different one (e.g., “Too much emigration can financially cripple a country”).
A migrant refers to a person who migrates or moves regularly, often in search of employment or better living conditions. Similarly, the word “migrant” also refers to animals that travel long distances from one habitat to another (e.g., “Many species of whales are migrants”).
Additionally, “migrant” is sometimes confused with the words “immigrant” and “emigrant.” However, “migrant” emphasizes that the movement to a new place happens regularly rather than once.
The verb “migrate” should also not be confused with the related verbs “immigrate” and “emigrate.”
To ensure something is to make sure it happens, such as by taking action or using authority.
The correct phrase is ensure success, meaning to make sure that something is successful. To insure is to take out an insurance policy on something or guarantee it through some other type of transaction, so you can’t insure success—at least not literally.
Desertion is a noun derived from the verb desert, meaning “abandon a place or person.” It is found mainly in military contexts when military personnel leave their post without permission (e.g., “The private was charged with desertion”) but can also be used in relation to child desertion (e.g., “Billy’s parents had both been accused of child desertion”).
Desert and dessert are often confused. You can check your spelling and grammar with the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
You use the expression rest assured to tell someone that they can be certain or confident about something:
This phrase always uses the verb “assure” (not to be confused with “insure” or “ensure”).
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using phrases like “rest assured” correctly.
The phrase “shoot photos” acts as a verb that means “to take pictures.”
For example, a professional photographer might say, “Let’s shoot some photos” at the start of a photoshoot.
Try our sentence rephraser to vary your writing and express your intended meaning.
The word “photo shoot” is most commonly written as two words (e.g., “I have a photo shoot scheduled for 1 PM”), but “photoshoot” (written as one word) is becoming increasingly popular and acceptable (e.g., “I scheduled a photoshoot”).
Yes, a photoshoot (i.e., a session in which a photographer takes photos of someone or something) is sometimes casually referred to as a “shoot” (e.g., “Let’s have a shoot!”). However, keep in mind that it is a colloquial expression.
Try our rewording tool to vary your writing.
“Besides that” (with an “s”) is a phrase that means “other than that” (e.g., “I know you want to swim, but is there anything you hope to do besides that?”).
Remember, “beside” (without an “s”) functions as a preposition that means “next to.” When someone says, “beside that,” as in “can you place the book beside that,” they are asking for you to place the book next to something else.
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The correct phrase is “beside the point.”
“Beside the point” describes something as “unimportant to the matters being discussed” (e.g., “She claimed that what I said was beside the point”).
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When you are talking about the principal city in a state, then the word you want is capital (e.g., “Providence is the capital of Rhode Island”). The building in the capital city where the legislature meets is the capitol (e.g., “Alaska’s capitol in Juneau is rather underwhelming”).
In Washington, D.C., the US Capitol is given an uppercase “C.”
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The principal city of a country or state is known as the capital city (e.g., “Nairobi is the capital city of Kenya”). The building where the legislatures meet is sometimes called the capitol (e.g., “Honolulu’s capitol is one of the more unusual legislative buildings in the USA”).
Not every legislative building is called a capitol; for instance in the UK it is called the Houses of Parliament, and when the two houses of the French parliament meet together, they do so at the Palace of Versailles.
When referring to the meeting place for the US Congress, Capitol has an uppercase “C.”
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If you are empathetic then you have empathy, which is the ability to share or understand other people’s emotions because you can imagine how you would feel in other people’s situations (e.g., “She was very empathetic when I told her about my problems”).
Empathy and sympathy overlap in meaning and can often be used as synonyms.
If you are being sympathetic to someone, you are being nice to them by showing that you understand their feelings.
It is often used in the context of a negative experience (e.g., “He was very kind and sympathetic when I told him my bad news”) and belongs to the same word family as the noun sympathy.
Sympathy and empathy overlap in meaning and can often be used as synonyms.
The expression compliments of is spelled with an “i.”
Something that is given compliments of a person or company is given free of charge.
Compliment and complement are commonly confused words.
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using phrases like “compliments of” correctly.
Another word for compliments is “praise” (e.g. “I received a lot of praise for my performance”).
Other synonyms for the noun compliment include “polite remark” and “flattering comment.”
Note that compliment and complement are commonly confused words. A complement (spelled with an “e”) is something that goes together well with something else.
The QuillBot Paraphraser can help you find synonyms for words like “compliment.”
Compliment and complement have different meanings.
A compliment (spelled with an “i”) is a polite remark that shows that you like something (e.g., “I got a lot of compliments at my art show”).
A complement (spelled with an “e”) is something that goes together well with something else (e.g., “This wine is a perfect complement to a summer dessert”).
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using words like “compliments” and “complements” correctly.
Yes, years labeled “BC” (e.g., 700 BC) are older than dates labeled “AD” (e.g., AD 900).
Keep in mind that BC stands for before Christ and refers to years that happened before the birth of Jesus Christ. AD stands for anno Domini, which means “in the year of the Lord” in Latin, and refers to years after the birth of Jesus Christ.
BC dates are typically formatted by writing the year followed by “BC” (e.g., 550 BC). The BC era starts with 1 BC and goes backwards until 10,000 BC.
“BC” always comes after the year. For example, 700 BC essentially means “700 [years] before Christ [was born];” therefore, “BC 700” would be incorrect.
AD dates are traditionally formatted by writing “AD” before the year (e.g., AD 400) but can sometimes be found with “AD” placed after the year (e.g., 400 AD).
“AD” indicates years after the assumed birth of Jesus Christ, starting with AD 1, all the way until the present day.
However, in modern usage, “AD” is often omitted for dates after the first century, especially in informal contexts. For example, the use of “AD” is not necessary when referring to the year 2024.
“That” functions as a determiner, demonstrative pronoun, relative pronoun, conjunction, and adverb.
When used as a relative pronoun or conjunction, “that” introduces dependent clauses (e.g., “He was grateful that I was able to pick him up early”).
“Going well” is the correct choice (e.g., “My new job’s going very well, thanks”), because you need to use the adverb “well” rather than the adjective “good” in this expression.
However, “good” is also used as an adverb in informal speech (e.g., “It’s going really good, thanks”). But this is considered incorrect in most situations, so don’t use “good” as an adverb in formal writing or speech.
The same applies for “doing good” vs. “doing well” (i.e., “He’s doing very well in his new job” is correct).
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help you ensure you’re using the correct phrasing in your writing.
“I’m well” and “I’m good” are both grammatically correct responses to the question “How are you?”
The verb “to be” is a linking verb and can be followed by an adjective. “Good” is an adjective, and although “well” is the adverb form of “good,” it is also an adjective meaning “healthy.”
“I’m good” is less formal than “I’m well,” so “I’m well” is the better choice for most formal contexts (e.g., a job interview), particularly because some people consider “I’m good” to be incorrect.
Use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to ensure you choose the right word in your writing.
Anyways is an alternative to the adverb “anyway” used in informal American English (e.g., “Anyways, what did you do on the weekend?”).
It is best to avoid it in formal speech and writing (e.g., job interviews).
You can use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help make sure that you’re using words like “anyways” in an appropriate context.
“Anyhow” is a very close synonym for anyway or anyways.
Other synonyms for “anyway” include:
Try the QuillBot Paraphraser to find the perfect synonym for “anyway” in your specific context.
“Bear and bare” are commonly confused words. The correct spelling is bear in the phrase “bear weight.”
For example, “The chair won’t bear my weight” (i.e., the chair won’t support my weight and might break).
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you make the correct choices between commonly confused words such as “bear and bare.”
“Bear and bare” are commonly confused words. The correct spelling is bear in the phrasal verb “bear down.”
For example, “She was bearing down on him fast” (i.e., she was moving closer to him), or “We need to bear down hard” (i.e., we need to make more effort).
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you make the correct choices between commonly confused words such as “bear and bare.”
“Bear and bare” are commonly confused words. The correct spelling is bear in the phrase “burden to bear.”
For example, “It’s not your burden to bear” (i.e., it’s not your responsibility).
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you make the correct choices between commonly confused words such as “bear and bare.”
“Bear and bare” are commonly confused words. The correct spelling is bear in the phrase “too much to bear.”
For example, “The heat was too much to bear” (i.e., the heat was impossible to endure).
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you make the correct choices between commonly confused words such as “bear and bare.”
“Bear and bare” are commonly confused words. The correct spelling is bear in the phrase “bear fruit.”
For example, “All our hard work is now bearing fruit” (i.e., The hard work we did is now producing good results).
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you make the correct choices between commonly confused words such as “bear and bare.”
The simple past of the verb sneak is sneaked or snuck. In American English both forms are acceptable, but in British English, snuck is seen as a nonstandard form.
The same applies to the past participle of sneak.
You can check if you are using the correct form of sneak with the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
When you sneak up on someone or something, you approach without being noticed. Sneak up is always followed by the preposition “to” or “on.”
We can use sneak up literally, to describe a person or creature moving stealthily, or we can use it figuratively to describe how events sometimes seem to arrive without our noticing (e.g., “As always, the examinations had sneaked up on us”).
You can find synonyms for phrases like “sneak up” using the QuillBot Paraphraser.
Yes, sneaked is a word that has been in use for more than 500 years. It is the simple past tense form and past participle of the verb sneak.
Sneak is a regular verb and adds “-ed” to the infinitive of the verb to make these forms of the verb.
In American English, snuck is an accepted alternative to sneaked.
You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to make sure you’re using words like sneaked or snuck correctly.
In American English, you can use either sneaked or snuck as the simple past tense form and past participle of the verb sneak.
In British English, “snuck” is regarded as nonstandard and should not be used in academic writing. Instead, it is sometimes used informally in British English, and it will often carry a humorous tone because of its nonstandard status.
You can check your grammar and spelling with the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
To whom (not “to who”) is the correct choice in the formal letter greeting “To Whom It May Concern.”
“To whom” is also the correct option at the beginning of a question (e.g., “To whom shall I give it?”).
But bear in mind that “whom” has a very formal stylistic effect, which you may want to avoid. In most everyday contexts, it is better to use “who” and put the preposition “to” at the end (e.g., “Who shall I give it to?”).
“To whom” (not “to who”) is also grammatically correct at the beginning of an adjective clause (e.g., “The man, to whom she was married for ten years, did not attend”). But again, “who” is often the better option, with “to” in a later position (e.g., “The man, who she was married to for ten years, did not attend”).
Using “to whom” in a restrictive adjective clause produces sentences that can be difficult to read (e.g., “This is the man to whom she was married”). Here you can leave out “whom” altogether and move “to” to a later position (e.g., “This is the man she was married to”).
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using “who” and “whom” correctly.
By whom (not “by who”) is the correct choice at the beginning of a question (e.g., “By whom was it written?”).
But “whom” has a very formal stylistic effect, which you may want to avoid, so in most everyday contexts it is better to use “who” and put the preposition “by” at the end (e.g., “Who was it written by?”).
“By whom” (not “by who”) is also the grammatically correct choice at the beginning of an adjective clause (e.g., “The Rector, by whom he was appointed, made no comment”). But again, “who” is often the better option, with “by” in a later position (e.g., “The Rector, who he was appointed by, made no comment”).
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using “who” and “whom” correctly.
From whom (not “from who”) is the correct choice at the beginning of a question (e.g., “From whom did you get it?”).
But “whom” has a very formal stylistic effect, which you may want to avoid, so in most everyday contexts it is better to use “who” and put the preposition “from” at the end (e.g., “Who did you get it from?”).
“From whom” (not “from who”) is also the grammatically correct choice at the beginning of an adjective clause (e.g., “His colleague, from whom he learned so much, retired last year”). But again, “who” is often the better option, with “from” in a later position (e.g., “His colleague, who he learned so much from, retired last year”).
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using “who” and “whom” correctly.
For whom (not “for who”) is the correct choice at the beginning of a question (e.g., “For whom is this delivery?”).
But “whom” has a very formal stylistic effect, which you may want to avoid, so in most everyday contexts it is better to use “who” and put the preposition “for” at the end (e.g., “Who is this delivery for?”).
“For whom” (not “for who”) is also the grammatically correct choice at the beginning of an adjective clause (e.g., “The teacher, for whom he was supposed to be substituting, was in her classroom”). But again, “who” is often the better option, with “for” in a later position (e.g., “The teacher, who he was supposed to be substituting for, was in her classroom”).
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using “who” and “whom” correctly.
The formal letter greeting “To Whom It May Concern” is a fixed expression. Who and whom are often confused, but it is incorrect to write “To Who It May Concern.”
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using “who” and “whom” correctly.
The simple past tense form of the verb buy is bought. Buy is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t add “-ed” to form the past tense.
Bought and brought are commonly confused words, but they can’t be used interchangeably. Brought is the past tense of the verb bring.
You can make sure you are using the correct past tense of buy with the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
Buyed is not recognized by dictionaries as a word in standard English. The simple past tense form of the verb buy is bought, and the past participle is also bought. Buy is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t follow the regular pattern for forming the different tenses.
Bought and brought are commonly confused, but they are completely different words and cannot be used interchangeably.
You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to ensure you’re using the past tense of “buy” correctly.
The past participle of the verb buy is bought. It is the same as the simple past tense form of the verb.
Bought and brought (the past tense of “bring”) are often confused. But they cannot be used interchangeably.
Buy is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t add “-ed” to form the past tenses. The past participle is used to form the perfect tenses (e.g., “Have you bought any new shoes lately?”) and the passive voice (e.g., “There were no ice creams left—they had all been bought by the previous customer”).
You can ensure you’re using the past participle of “buy” correctly with the QuillBot Grammar Checker.
Synonyms of the verb compose when it means “to create/formulate” include:
Synonyms of the verb “compose” when it means “to make up” (e.g., “The ten states compose the country”) include:
Synonyms for the verb “compose” when used in the passive voice to mean “to be made up of” (e.g., “The country is composed of ten states”) include:
Use the QuillBot Paraphraser to find synonyms for “compose” that fit your specific context.
Borne out is the past participle of the phrasal verb “bear out,” which means “confirm/prove” (e.g., “Her suspicions were borne out when the investigation revealed the truth”).
“Born and borne” are commonly confused. “Born” is the correct spelling in the phrase “to be born” when it refers to “a child coming into the world” or “something coming into existence” (e.g. “He was born on a Monday,” “And so a new chapter was born”).
The free QuillBot Grammar Checker will help you select the correct spelling of commonly confused words such as “born” and “borne.”
Bourne out of is an incorrect spelling of the phrase “to be born” followed by the preposition “out of.”
The correct spelling is “born out of.”
The expression “to be born out of wedlock” means “to be born to parents who were not married” (e.g., “The child was born out of wedlock”).
The phrase “to be born out of” means “to originate from/be a result of” (e.g., “His writing is born out of experience,” “The decision was born out of necessity”).
Born and borne are commonly confused, “borne” is the past participle of the verb “bear” when it means “carry,” “support,” or “accept.”
The QuillBot Paraphrasing Tool can help you rewrite sentences and find new ways to express your meaning.
Discrete variables take distinct values (e.g., whole numbers), and you get them by counting (e.g., The number of cars that pass a certain point).
Continuous variables take values that can be infinitely subdivided (e.g., decimal numbers), and you get them by measuring (e.g., the weight of a loaded car).
Discrete and continuous variables are both quantitative variables.
Synonyms for the adjective discrete include:
Discrete and discreet are sometimes confused, but they have different meanings and can’t be used interchangeably. “Discreet” means “tactful,” “prudent,” or “modest.”
Use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to help you find the best synonym for “discrete” in your specific context.
Synonyms for for the adjective discreet include:
Discreet and discrete are sometimes confused, but they have different meanings and can’t be used interchangeably. “Discrete” means “separate” or “distinct.”
Use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to help you find the best synonym for “discreet” in your specific context.
Scarf down is an informal phrasal verb meaning “eat something quickly and eagerly.” It’s typically followed by a noun or noun phrase (e.g., “I watched him scarf down two burgers”).
The simple past tense and past participle of the verb “scarf” is “scarfed” (e.g., “I scarfed down my lunch”).
Scarf can also be used as a noun to refer to an item of clothing (the plural of which is scarves or scarfs).
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using phrases like “scarfed down” correctly.
Sometime (one word) refers to an unspecified point of time, whereas some time (two words) refers to a duration of time. Therefore, the correct phrase is “sometime next week” (e.g., “Are you available sometime next week?”).
Try Quillbot’s free Grammar Checker to ensure you never mix up tricky homophones.
The correct phrase is “are you free sometime?”
“Sometime” (one word) means “at some unspecified point in time” (e.g., “I should try it sometime”), whereas “some time” (two words) refers to a span of time (e.g., “I took some time to practice”).
Nautious is an incorrect spelling of nauseous, which means “feeling queasy or likely to vomit.”
However, it’s important to note that traditionally, “nauseous” was used to describe something that caused nausea, like a putrid smell.
QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can help you avoid spelling errors like “nautious” and more. Try it today.
Queasy and nauseous are often used interchangeably to describe feeling sick to one’s stomach (e.g., “I feel queasy” or “I feel nauseous”).
However, nauseous can also mean “causing nausea,” while queasy typically only refers to the feeling of sickness or unease.
QuillBot’s Paraphraser can make sure you get your word choice, tone, and style just right. Try it today!
The correct phrase is “better than” when you’re making a comparison, as in “Ice cream tastes better than yogurt.” Always use “than” when you mean “in comparison to.”
Only use “better then” when you mean “better at that time” (e.g., “We took photographs in the evening because the light was better then”).
When you’re unsure about using then or than, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid mistakes.
The correct choice is “more than ever” because “than” goes with comparison words like “more” (e.g., “After her first week in the dorms, Darcy appreciated her mother’s cooking more than ever”).
Use “than” when you could also say “in comparison to.”
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid then vs than mistakes in your writing.
The correct version is “no later than” (e.g., “We will leave the house no later than noon for the 2 o’clock flight”).
“No later than” compares two different times, and “than” is the right word for comparisons.
A QuillBot Grammar Check can also help ensure you’re using than or then correctly.
The correct phrase is “longer than” when you’re comparing two lengths, as in “Tolkien’s novel The Fellowship of the Ring is longer than The Hobbit.”
Only use “longer then” when you mean “longer at that time” (e.g., “I usually wore braids as a child because my hair was longer then”).
When you’re unsure whether then or than is the correct choice, a QuillBot Grammar Check can help you avoid mistakes.
The correct phrase is “earlier than” when you mean “earlier in comparison to” (e.g., “Daphne always wakes up earlier than Percy”).
Only use “earlier then” when you mean “earlier at that time” (e.g., “I rarely sleep late during summer because the sun rises earlier then”).
When you’re unsure about then or than, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid mistakes.
Fazed and phased are commonly confused words (like unfazed and unphased).
Fazed is the past participle or simple past form of the regular verb “faze,” which means “to disturb or upset” (e.g., “The interview questions were difficult but did not faze her at all”).
Phased is the past participle or simple past form of the regular verb “phase,” which means “to carry out in phases” (e.g., “The transition to the new system will be phased over six months”).
However, we normally use the phrasal verbs “phase in” and “phase out” to express the gradual introduction of a change (e.g., “The new system will be phased in slowly/The old system will be phased out slowly”).
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using words like “fazed” and “phased” correctly.
Synonyms for the adjective unfazed include:
Note that unfazed and unphased are commonly confused and don’t mean the same thing.
The QuillBot Paraphrasing Tool can help you find more synonyms for words like “unfazed.”
The correct spelling of won’t is with an apostrophe (i.e., “wont” is incorrect). “Won’t” is the contraction (short form) of “will not.”
Won’t and wont are different words with different meanings.
You can use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you pick up errors in the spelling of commonly confused words such as “won’t” and “wont.”
Willn’t is not a word listed in standard dictionaries.
However, it has been used to spell out a contraction of “will not” used in some spoken dialects of English.
For instance, in chapter eight of the novel Shirely by Charlotte Brontë (1849), which is set in Yorkshire, England, the character William Farren says, “I willn’t do’t. I’m not for shedding blood.”
The standard contraction (short form) of “will not” is won’t (this is sometimes misspelled “wont.” However won’t and wont do not mean the same thing).
You can use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help ensure you’re using “won’t” correctly.
Synonyms for will not include:
It’s important to note that the contraction of “will not” is won’t not wont.
Use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to help you find the best synonym for “will not” in your specific context.
Yes, won’t is spelled with an apostrophe (i.e., “wont” is incorrect). “Won’t” is the contraction (short form) of “will not.”
Won’t and wont are different words with different meanings.
You can use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you pick up errors in the spelling of commonly confused words such as “won’t” and “wont.”
Use further to compare distances (e.g., “After driving a little further, we found the hotel”). When used in this sense, the words further and farther can be used interchangeably.
Also use “further” when you mean “more” (e.g., “Zoe did further research”), “to advance” (e.g., “The fundraiser will further a great cause”), or “furthermore” (e.g., “The moon is full, and further, Mercury is in retrograde”).
When you’re unsure whether further is the right word, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid mistakes.
An idea can be further or farther from the truth. Both words are correct ways to show distance.
However, some style guides recommend “further” for distances that are figurative, such as the distance between two ideas.
When you’re unsure whether farther or further is the correct choice, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid mistakes.
According to some style guides, look no further is better than look no farther (e.g., Students who need a quiet place to study should look no further than the library”).
“Further” usually refers to distances that are figurative rather than literal.”
“Farther” usually describes distances that are literal (e.g., “We walked farther and saw a hawk’s nest”).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using words like further and farther correctly.
Further along and farther along are both correct ways to say “to a more advanced point.”
Some style guides recommend “farther” for physical distances (e.g., “As Sean hiked farther along the trail, he noticed more wildlife”) and “further” for literal distances (e.g., “As the semester moved further along, the students became more confident”).
A QuillBot Grammar Check can also help ensure you’re using further or farther correctly.
Farthest and furthest are both correct superlative adjectives that mean “most distant.” They are closely related to the adjectives farther and further.
Some style guides suggest that “farthest” is a better word for geographic distances (e.g., “During track practice, Gayle ran the farthest of anyone else on the team”).
When you’re uncertain about whether to use farthest or furthest, a QuillBot Grammar Check can help you avoid mistakes.
Synonyms for wary include:
Be careful when using weary or wary because they have different meanings.
Why not use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to help you find the best synonym for “wary” in your specific context?
Some antonyms for wary include:
Be careful when using weary or wary because they have different meanings.
You can use QuillBot’s Paraphrasing Tool to help you decide which antonym for “wary” is the best fit for your context.
The first syllable of “weary” [wear-y] rhymes with the word “here.”
Be careful when using weary or wary because they have different meanings. You can use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to make sure you’re not mixing them up.
Therefore is a conjunctive adverb meaning “consequently” and links two ideas to describe a result. It is spelled with an “e” at the end (therefore and therefor are two different words).
In American English, if “therefore” is used at the beginning of a sentence or independent clause, it needs a comma after it.
Don’t put a comma before or after “and therefore” if it is part of a compound predicate (i.e., the two verbs are “sharing” the same subject).
If you use “therefore” midsentence to deliberately “interrupt” the flow of the sentence for emphasis, it needs commas before and after it. But bear in mind that this will emphasize the information that comes before it.
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use “therefore” correctly in your writing.
Therefore often needs a comma after it.
In American English, if “therefore” is used at the beginning of a sentence or independent clause, it needs a comma after it.
Don’t put a comma before or after “and therefore” if it is part of a compound predicate (i.e., the two verbs are “sharing” the same subject).
If you use “therefore” midsentence to deliberately “interrupt” the flow of a sentence for emphasis, it needs commas before and after it. But bear in mind that this will emphasize the information that comes before it.
Note that therefore and therefor are two different words. “Therefor” doesn’t generally need commas before or after it.
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you punctuate “therefore” correctly in your writing.
“I wish I were” is the grammatically correct phrase because it uses the past subjunctive form of “to be,” which is “were” (e.g., “I wish I were on vacation”). This form is used to express wishes or hypothetical situations contrary to reality.
However, “I wish I was” is becoming increasingly acceptable in casual speech and writing.
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you use “was and were” correctly in your writing. Try it today.
Use “if I was” to refer to real, factual situations that have likely occured (e.g., “If I was unclear, I’ll clarify”).
Use “if I were” for hypothetical, imaginary, or contrary-to-fact situations (e.g., “If I were her, I’d go home”).
Remember, “if I was” is used in the indicative mood, while “if I were” is used in the subjunctive mood.
QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can ensure proper use of was and were in your writing. Give it a try!
Imply is a verb that means to “hint” or “suggest without stating directly” (e.g., “The restaurant advertisements imply that the menu is kid friendly”).
“Imply” is often confused with the verb “infer.” However, these words cannot be used interchangeably. If you’re unsure about whether to use imply or infer, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid mistakes.
Infer is a verb that means to “make a conclusion based on indirect evidence” (e.g., “Since the clouds are getting darker, we can infer that rain is coming”).
“Infer” is often confused with the verb “imply.” However, these words cannot be used interchangeably. If you’re unsure about whether to use infer or imply, QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help you avoid mistakes.
Imply is a verb that means “to express an idea without directly stating it.” Synonyms for “imply” include:
If you need help rewriting sentences with imply, QuillBot’s free Paraphrasing Tool can help.
Infer is a verb that means “to make a conclusion based on indirect evidence.” Synonyms for “infer” include the following:
If you need help rewriting sentences with infer, QuillBot’s free Paraphrasing Tool can help.
The phrasal verbs log on and log in are interchangeable and mean to “connect to a computer system” (e.g., “The password didn’t work when I tried to log on to my online banking”).
The nouns log-on and log-in are also interchangeable and mean the details (e.g., username and password) that you need to access a system.
Log on (verb) and log-on (noun) are the most common variants in American English.
Knowing whether in vs on vs at is correct often depends on the specific context.
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use these prepositions correctly in your writing.
If you are on time, you are not late or haven’t missed a deadline.
We have a reputation for completing projects on time.
My plane landed on time.
If you are in time, you are not too late for an event or not too late to do something (i.e., you still have the opportunity to do it, but you may be later than planned/arranged or have missed a deadline).
The project will be completed in time for Christmas.
We got to the boarding gate just in time; they were about to close.
Knowing whether in vs on vs at is correct often depends on the specific context.
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use these prepositions correctly in your writing.
In (not “on”) is the correct preposition to use with the adjective “interested” (e.g., “My daughter is very interested in dinosaurs”).
Knowing whether in vs on vs at is correct often depends on the specific context.
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use these prepositions correctly in your writing.
If you say someone is “in bed” it means they are sleeping or resting in their bed or have not got out of their bed to start their day (e.g., “It’s time to get up. You can’t stay in bed all day!”).
We say “on the bed,” “on her bed” etc. to indicate the location of something placed above the bed covering (e.g., “I left your washing on your bed,” “Please don’t sit on my bed with your shoes on.”
Knowing whether in vs on vs at is correct often depends on the specific context.
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you rewrite sentences to ensure you’re using prepositions correctly in your writing.
Synonyms for maybe include:
“Maybe” can also mean “approximately” (e.g., “It’ll cost maybe 100 dollars”) or “sometimes” (e.g., “The monsoon lasts for three maybe four months”).
It’s important to note the difference between may be vs maybe as they can’t be used interchangeably. “May be” (two words) is the modal verb “may” followed by the verb “be.”
Use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to help you find the best synonym for “maybe” in your specific context.
The adverb “maybe” is spelled as one word.
It’s important to note the difference between may be vs maybe as they can’t be used interchangeably. “May be” (two words) is the modal verb “may” followed by the verb “be.”
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use “maybe” and “may be” correctly in your writing.
“Mabye” is a common typo (misspelling) of the adverb “maybe.” It is not a word.
It’s important to note the difference between may be vs maybe as they can’t be used interchangeably. “May be” (two words) is the modal verb “may” followed by the verb “be.”
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you pick up typos in your writing.
The adverb maybe (one word) means “perhaps.”
It’s important to note the difference between may be vs maybe as they can’t be used interchangeably. “May be” (two words) is the modal verb “may” followed by the verb “be.”
“Maybe” is also sometimes used as a noun to refer to someone who has not fully committed to something or to mean an “uncertainty.”
We can’t make such an important decision on the basis of so many maybes.
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use “maybe” and “may be” correctly in your writing.
Synonyms for older include:
Bear in mind that “elder” and “older” and eldest and oldest are not always interchangeable. “Elder”/“eldest” can only be used to refer to a person, and this is generally a member of a group of relatives (e.g., a sibling).
Use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to help you find the best synonym for “older” in your specific context.
Synonyms for elder include:
Bear in mind that “elder” and “older” and eldest and oldest are not always interchangeable. “Elder”/“eldest” can only be used to refer to a person, and this is usually a member of a group of relatives (e.g., a sibling).
Some synonyms for in the meantime include:
However, bear in mind that the phrase “in the meantime” is much more common than “in the meanwhile.”
If you’re not sure whether to write meantime or mean time, then you probably need the adverb “meantime” (one word). “Mean time” (two words) is a timekeeping term (e.g., Greenwich Mean Time).
Use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to help you find the best synonym for “in the meantime” in your specific context.
The word “mean” is used in a very wide range of contexts.
For instance, in math, the mean is the average of a set of numbers (e.g., “To calculate the mean of ten numbers, add them together and divide by ten).
“Mean time” (e.g., Greenwich Mean Time), is based on the average solar day. But bear in mind that meantime and mean time have different meanings.
In informal speech, “mean” is sometimes used as an adjective to describe something as excellent (e.g., “She plays a mean game of chess”).
The phrase mean streets is used to describe a socially deprived urban area that is often perceived as dangerous (e.g., “She comes from the mean streets of New York but now lives in a glittering Beverly Hills mansion.”
When used as a verb, “mean” refers to the act of conveying or expressing certain information (e.g., “I don’t know what that word means”).
You can use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use the word “mean” correctly in your writing.
The verbs recur and reoccur (recurring and reoccurring in their present participle forms) both mean to “happen again” and can often be used interchangeably.
“Recur” is frequently the preferred choice in the context of regularly or periodically repeating events/occurrences (e.g., “This theme recurs throughout the book”).
If we’re describing something that happens again, but not regularly or periodically, then “reoccur” is often preferred (e.g., “This theme reoccurs in the second act of the play”).
You can use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use “recur” and “reoccur” correctly in your writing.
Recurringly is a rarely used alternative to the adverb “recurrently” and means “repeatedly” (e.g., “He has voiced this opinion recurringly”).
It’s important to note that the related words recurring and reoccurring both mean “happening again,” but “recurring” generally also suggests frequent or regular repetition (e.g., “a recurring pattern”).
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use “recur,” “reoccur,” and their related forms correctly.
Reaccuring is not a word. It is a misspelling of the word “reoccurring,” which is the present participle form of the verb “reoccur.”
Bear in mind that the words reoccurring and recurring both mean “happening again,” but “recurring” generally also implies frequent or regular repetition (e.g., “a recurring dream”).
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help avoid common misspellings such as “reaccuring.”
Reccuring is a common typo (misspelling) of the word “recurring” (spelled with one “c” and double “r”). “Recurring” is the adjective form of the verb “recur.”
Bear in mind that the adjectives recurring and reoccurring both mean “happening again,” but “recurring” also conveys the idea of frequent or periodic repetition (e.g., “a recurring nightmare”).
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help avoid common typos such as “reccuring.”
Can’t (the contraction of “cannot”) is spelled with an apostrophe between the “n” and the “t” (i.e., “cant” is a common misspelling of “can’t”).
Along the same lines, confusion over can not or cannot leads to the common misspelling of “cannot” as “can not” (two words).
The word “cant” (with no apostrophe, and pronounced so it rhymes with “ant”) is an uncountable noun referring to statements that are not genuinely believed by the person who makes them but said because they are the normal, accepted thing to say in the given situation (e.g., “His speech was filled with empty platitudes and cant”).
You can use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you avoid misspellings and typos such as “cant” for “can’t.”
Yes, can’t is the contraction of “cannot” (i.e., the negative form of the modal verb “can”).
It’s generally best to use “cannot” instead of “can’t” in formal writing.
Along the same lines, confusion over cannot vs can not sometimes leads to the misspelling of “cannot” as “can not” (two words instead of one).
“Cant” (with no apostrophe) is a noun referring to statements that the speaker doesn’t really believe in, often made because they are considered the usual, accepted thing to say in the given situation (e.g., “It was nothing more than cant; stock phrases and jargon that told us nothing new”).
You can use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you avoid missing out apostrophes in contractions like “can’t.”
Can’t is a contraction. It is the contraction of “cannot” (i.e., the negative form of the modal verb “can”).
Other commonly used contractions include “I’m,” “we’ve,” and “mustn’t.”
These short forms are very common in everyday speech, but they are generally avoided in formal writing (e.g., academic writing).
It’s important to note that “cannot” is not a contraction, and cannot and can not are not interchangeable. The correct negative form of “can” is “cannot” (written as one word).
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use contractions correctly in your writing.
Cannot is not a contraction. It is the full negative form of the modal verb “can” (e.g., “I cannot attend the meeting today”).
It’s important to note that cannot and can not are not interchangeable.
A contraction is a short form of word combinations we commonly use in speech. For instance, “I’m” is the contraction of “I am,” “let’s” is the contraction of “let us,” and “can’t” is the contraction of “cannot.”
Most contractions have an apostrophe where a part of the full form is left out, but some don’t (e.g., “gonna” for “going to).
We don’t generally use contractions in formal writing (e.g., academic writing).
You can use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use contractions appropriately in your writing.
The standard way of spelling entitled is with an “e”; intitled is an archaic (outdated) spelling.
On a similar note, if you can’t decide whether entitled or titled is correct for stating the title of a movie, book etc. (e.g., “The painting is titled/entitled Blue”), you can use either word because both are correct (although many style guides recommend using “titled” for this meaning).
A QuillBot Grammar Check will help you pick up spelling errors such as “intitled.”
Synonyms for the adjective titled when used to state the name of a title include:
Although you can use either titled or entitled in this context, many style guides recommend using “titled.”
Synonyms for titled when used to refer to a person with with an official/noble title include:
Try out QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to help you find the best synonym for “titled” in your specific context.
Synonyms for the adjective entitled when used to state the name of a title include:
While you can use either titled or entitled in this context, the recommendation in many style guides is “titled.”
Synonyms for entitled when it means “feeling privileged” include:
Why not try out QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to help you find the best synonym for “entitled” in your specific context?
Synonyms for the verb elicit include:
However, elicit and illicit cannot be used interchangeably. The adjective “illicit” is used to describe something as “forbidden,” “illegal” or “socially improper.”
Why not use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to help you find the best synonym for “elicit” in your specific context?
The adjective illicit means “illegal,” “not allowed,” or “culturally taboo” (e.g., “The police found illicit drugs in the trunk of the car”).
Be careful not to confuse elicit and illicit because they are not synonyms.
Try out QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use “illicit” correctly and naturally in the text you’re writing.
Ellicit is a common misspelling of the verb “elicit” (i.e., it should be spelled with only one “l”).
One of the reasons for this is that elicit and illicit are commonly confused, and “illicit” is spelled with double “l.”
“Elicit” means to “receive or obtain” a reaction, a response, or information. So, if you are attempting to elicit a reaction or information from someone, you are trying to obtain it, often in a subtle or indirect way.
A QuillBot Grammar Check can help you pick up typos such as “ellicit” in your writing.
Heroes is correctly spelled when it refers to various brave or commendable people. This plural comes from the singular “hero.”
But “hero” can also mean a type of sandwich. In that case, you spell the plural “heros,” without the “e.”
A QuillBot Grammar Check can help ensure you’re using heros or heroes correctly.
“Hero” is spelled the same in the singular form whether you’re referring to a brave champion or a large sandwich. But, in the plural, the people are “heroes” and the sandwiches are “heros.”
A QuillBot Grammar Check can help ensure you’re using heros or heroes correctly in your writing.
When “hero” means “an admirable person,” some other words are:
If talking about a “hero” in the context of a book, film, play, etc., some synonyms are:
A less common meaning of “hero” is “sandwich.” In this case, some synonyms are:
QuillBot’s Paraphraser can help you use synonyms for words like hero, heros, or heroes.
No, later is not a preposition.
“Later” functions as an adverb of time (e.g., “I will do it later”) and a comparative adjective (e.g., “Can we start the meeting a bit later tomorrow?”).
Be careful not to confuse later and latter. “Latter” means “toward the end” of a period or segment of something (e.g., “The product is in the latter stages of development) or refers back to the second/last thing in a list (e.g., “Of the two options, the latter makes much more sense”).
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use commonly confused words such as “later” and “latter” correctly in your writing.
The latter half means “the second half” of something, especially a period of time (e.g., “His work enjoyed a revival during the latter half of the 19th century”).
We don’t generally say “later half” to refer to the second half of something (later and latter are commonly confused words).
Looking for another way of expressing “latter half”? Why not try out QuillBot’s free Paraphraser?
You can use latter in a sentence as a noun to refer back to the second of two things or the last thing in a list (e.g. “Neither the former nor the latter of the two options were acceptable”).
It also functions as an adjective meaning “near the end” of a period or part of something (e.g., “The problem occurs during the latter stages of the process).
Be careful not to confuse later and latter because you can’t use them interchangeably.
Why not check that you’re using “latter” correctly in your sentence with QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker?
Embedded is the simple past tense form and past participle of the verb “embed,” which means to fix firmly in a material or to make something an important part of a larger whole.
The company embedded this principle in its corporate culture.
Embedded is also an adjective used to describe something that is firmly fixed or established in something else.
Social media has become embedded in modern life.
You can spell this word imbedded or embedded, but “embedded” is much more common.
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use the word “embedded” correctly in your writing.
Synonyms for embedded include:
“Imbedded” is not a synonym for “embedded” because imbedded and embedded are alternative spellings of the same word. “Embedded” has become the more standard spelling in modern English.
Why not use QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to help you find the best synonym for “embedded” in your specific context?
Embed is a verb that means to set or fix firmly in a material or to make something an integral, established part of something else.
The aim is to embed innovation within the company’s culture.
You can spell this word “imbed” or “embed” (or imbedded or embedded in their simple past tense and past participle forms), however “embed” is a much more common spelling.
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use the word “embed” naturally in your writing.
You can spell embedded with an “e” or an “i” (i.e., imbedded or embedded), but “embedded” is more common in modern English and recommended in many style guides. It is therefore best to spell it “embedded” in formal writing (e.g., academic writing).
QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re spelling “embedded/imbedded” correctly in your writing.
Some synonyms for the noun “people” include:
*When choosing between persons or people, consider that “persons” means “various individuals” while “people” means “a group of humans.”
The QuillBot Paraphraser can help you choose the best synonym for “people.”
The possessive noun peoples’ is correct when you want to talk about something that belongs to more than one cultural or ethnic group.
If you want to talk about something that belongs to one specific cultural or ethnic group, you would use the form people’s.
For example, “the Spanish people’s opinions” refers to the opinions of just the Spanish. But, “the French and Spanish peoples’ opinions” refers to the opinions of both groups.
If you are writing in a legal, official, or technical context, it may be better to use persons’ as the possessive plural. This is because “persons” is preferred to “people” as the plural of “person” in these contexts.
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can show you whether to use persons or people and if you’re using peoples’ and people’s correctly.
We can use persons or people in English to mean slightly different things.
“Persons” means “several individuals,” while “people” means “a group of humans.”
The slight difference in the meanings of these words comes from their Latin origins.
“Persons” comes from the Latin “persona,” meaning “mask,” or “character.” “Persona” evolved to mean “individual,” and that meaning is preserved in the English words “person” and “persons.”
“People” comes from the Latin “populus,” which means “population,” or “group of humans.” This is why the English “people” has its group-focused meaning.
QuillBot’s Grammar Checker can help you make sure you’re using persons or people correctly.
The plural noun of “person” can be persons or people, depending on the context.
“People” is the more common plural of “person” in general English. It means “human beings,” especially as a group (e.g., “Ten people came to my party,” or “English people love tea”).
“Persons” is found in formal, legal, technical, and official contexts. It means “various individuals” (e.g. “The court will try these four persons for their crimes,” or “Police are working to find the missing persons”).
If you’re not sure which word is the best choice in your writing, use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to check.
Que is a common misspelling of the words “queue” and “cue.”
It’s important to make the right choice when deciding if cue or queue is the correct word for a specific context because they have different meanings.
Que is also an abbreviation for the Canadian province Quebec.
Why not use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you pick up typos such as “que” instead of “queue” in your writing.
In the phrase cue the music, “cue” (not “queue”) is the correct spelling.
You say “cue the music” to instruct someone to start playing music at a specific point in a stage performance (e.g., a play) or a live broadcast (e.g., a radio show) or to add music to video or film at a specific point (e.g., “We should cue the music here when she opens the curtains”).
When deciding if cue or queue is the correct spelling for a particular context, it’s important to make the right choice because the two words have different meanings.
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you use commonly confused words such as cue and queue correctly in your writing.
In the phrase on cue, “cue” (not “queue”) is the correct spelling.
If something happens “on cue,” it happens precisely when expected or at a favorable time. People often use it ironically to mean “just my luck that that should happen at that particular time” (e.g., “And as if on cue, it started to rain just as I left my apartment”).
It’s important to choose the right word when deciding whether cue or queue is correct because they have different meanings.
Why not try out QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you avoid errors with commonly confused words such as “cue” and “queue”?
Ques is not a word (but is sometimes used as an abbreviation for the word “question”). Cues is the plural of the noun “cue” (e.g., “Visual cues of nervousness include fidgeting and avoiding eye contact” or “Do you sell pool cues?”).
The plural of the noun “queue” is “queues” (e.g., “There are always queues at the checkouts).
Making the right choice when deciding if cue or queue is the word you want is important because they have different meanings.
“Cues” is also the third-person singular form of the verb “cue” (e.g., “The sound engineer cues the music”).
Similarly, “queues” is the third-person singular form of the verb “queue” (e.g., “Sometimes she queues up for hours”).
Why not try out QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker? It will help you pick up errors in the spelling of tricky words such as “queue” and “cue.”
Synonyms for the noun peak include:
Synonyms for the verb peak include:
It’s sometimes tricky to decide if peek or peak is the correct spelling for a particular context because these two words are homophones (i.e. They are pronounced the same but have different meanings).
Why not try out QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to help you find the best synonym for “peak” in your specific context?
To pique your interest means to “make you curious.” So, if your interest has been “piqued” by something, you are now curious about it.
OK, so now you’ve piqued my interest—that sounds like a really exciting opportunity!
Knowing if pique, peek, or peak is the correct spelling for a particular context is tricky because all three of these words are pronounced in the same way but have different meanings.
Why not use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you pick up errors in the use of commonly confused words like “pique,” “peek,” and “peak” in your writing?
Pique (not peak) is the correct spelling in the phrase “pique someone’s interest,” which means to “arouse someone’s interest.”
I read the first few chapters, but it didn’t really pique my interest.
Knowing whether to spell it “pique,” peak, or pique is tricky because these words are homophones (i.e. They have different meanings but are pronounced in the same way).
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker? It’s a great tool for avoiding mistakes with commonly confused words like these.
“Go through” is a phrasal verb that can mean “to experience” or “to search through.”
For example, you could “be going through bad times” or you could “go through the user manual for your new refrigerator.”
As a synonym for “go through” meaning “to experience,” you could use:
When “go through” means “search through,” some synonyms are:
Don’t mix up the phrasal verb “go through” with other phrasal verbs using threw or through.
QuillBot’s Paraphraser can help you find other synonyms for “go through.”
Synonyms of “threw” include:
These synonyms are for “threw,” with the meaning, “send something through the air using the force of your arm or a tool.”
Threw and through are homophones—they sound the same—but each one has several different meanings.
Use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to ensure you’re using these words correctly for your intent.
Some synonyms of “through” are:
Through can be a preposition, adverb, or adjective and has many meanings. It is also commonly confused with the past tense verb threw, which sounds the same but has different meanings.
Use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to confidently and correctly use threw and through in your writing.
Both “walk thru” and “walk through” are acceptable depending on the context.
“Walk thru” and “walk through” mean the same thing:
The difference is that “thru” is the informal spelling of “through.” You’ll find “thru” in informal writing like text messages or social media posts, or in contexts where word count or space is limited, like signs.
So if you are texting a friend, you might say, “Want to walk thru the park on our way to class?”
But if you’re writing a report or a story, you would want to say, “The students walked through the park on their way to class.”
Don’t confuse “thru” and “through” with the verb “threw.” These words sound the same but have different meanings.
Use QuillBot’s Grammar Checker to see if you’re using threw, through, and thru correctly.
“Thru” is the informal spelling of “through.”
When talking about dates, “through” means “to and including.” So in a formal context, you could say, “We work Monday through Friday.” But if texting a friend, you could say, “We work Monday thru Friday.”
Don’t mix up “thru” and “through” with “threw,” the simple past tense of the verb “to throw.”
QuillBot’s Grammar Checker will fix any mistakes with threw, through, or thru in your writing.
We use the verb evoke to mean “cause” or “bring about” something, especially an emotional reaction.
Her statement has evoked an angry media backlash.
The smell evoked memories of their childhood.
Deciding whether invoke or evoke is the correct word choice can be tricky because the difference in meaning is very subtle in some contexts.
Have you tried out QuillBot’s free Grammar Check? It can help you make the right choices between commonly confused words.
Synonyms for the verb evoke include:
When making the choice between invoke or evoke, bear in mind that they are not synonyms, but have closely related meanings in some contexts.
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Paraphraser? It can help you find the best synonym for evoke in your specific context.
We use the verb invoke to mean “use” (a law, principle, or right), “reference” something (to support what we are saying or doing), or “call upon” (a god, spirit etc.).
The venue for the speech was deliberately chosen to invoke the memory of the historic gathering that took place there.
This ritual is performed to invoke the spirits for guidance and protection.
Deciding if invoke or evoke is the right word for a certain context can be difficult as the difference in meaning is sometimes quite subtle.
Try a free Grammar Check to help you make the right choice between commonly confused words.
Synonyms for the verb invoke in connection with laws, rules, and rights include:
Synonyms for invoke when used to mean “deliberately reference something” (in order to support what you are doing or saying) include:
Synonyms for invoke when used to mean “ask for help” from a supernatural force, spirit, or god include:
If you’re considering whether invoke or evoke in the correct choice for your context, bear in mind that, although they can have related meanings in some contexts, they are not synonyms.
QuillBot’s free Paraphraser can help you find the best synonym for “invoke” to fit your specific context.
The noun prevention describes actions and measures designed to stop something from happening, particularly in order to avoid a negative outcome or to reduce risk.
In the field of health care, “prevention” is sometimes used as a synonym for the term “preventive health care” when referring to policies, initiatives, and interventions aimed at reducing the risk of illness and disease.
Residents are calling for new prevention measures following the devastation of the floods.
On a related note, although you can use the adjectives preventive or preventative interchangeably to mean “intended to prevent,” many style guides recommend using “preventive” as it’s shorter and more commonly used, particularly in formal writing.
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker? You can use it to check if you’re using “prevention” correctly in your text.
Ma’am is short for “madam.”
It is a common way of formally and respectfully addressing a woman in spoken American English (e.g., in customer service settings). It is not used in combination with the woman’s name.
Certainly, ma’am. Whom should I say is calling?
On a related note, it’s important to make the right choice between madam or madame—only use the French word “madame” if you’re addressing a woman from a French-speaking country.
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The short form of madam is ma’am (e.g., “Good morning, ma’am. How can I help you?”).
On a related note, you can’t spell “madam” as either madam or madame—only use the French word “madame” to address a woman from a French-speaking country.
Why not run your texts through QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you pick up typos and grammar errors?
The correct spelling of the short form of “madam” is ma’am (e.g., “Good afternoon, ma’am. How are you today?”).
And bear in mind that you can’t spell “madam” as either madam or madame—only use the French title “Madame” when addressing a woman from a French-speaking country.
Have you tried QuillBot’s free Paraphraser to help you improve the fluency, vocabulary, tone, and style of your writing?
Synonyms for the preposition in between include:
On a related note, you can’t spell “in between” as either inbetween or in between—it’s always spelled as two words.
Have you tried Quillbot’s free Paraphraser? You can use it to help you find the best synonym for “in between” in your specific context.
Yes, between typically functions as a preposition (e.g., “There were short breaks between the lectures”).
However, it is classified as an adverb when placed at the end of a phrase like this: “There were three lectures with some short breaks between.”
“Between” is often interchangeable with “in between,” but note that you can’t spell “in between” as either inbetween or in between—it’s always spelled as two words.
A QuillBot Grammar Check can help ensure you’re using words like “between” correctly.
You can spell this word OK or okay; they are both correct spellings. The important thing is to use the same spelling consistently throughout your text. If you are using a style guide, check to see if it specifies a particular spelling.
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Yes, okay is a word; it is an alternative spelling of the word “OK.”
You can choose to spell it OK or okay, but make sure you’re consistent throughout your text.
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Yes, ok is an alternative spelling of the word “OK/okay.” But it is probably best to spell it OK or okay, as these are the most common variants.
Use QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker to help you check for spelling errors in your text.
Ok (more commonly OK or okay) is a word in its own right. It is not short for “okay,” which is simply a different spelling of the same word.
Experts believe that the roots of this word lie in the 19th century initialism “O.K.,” which was short for “oll korrect”—a humorous alteration of the phrase “all correct.”