The verb meaning to sign up or to register is spelled enroll in the U.S. Enrol, with one l, is the preferred spelling outside North America. The more American spelling is now preferred in Canadian news publications, but enrol was traditionally more common and still appears in many contexts. The ... Read more
Phial vs. vial (vs. vile)
Phial and vial are different forms of what is essentially the same word, referring to a small container for holding liquids. Both came to English in the 14th century from the same source---the French fiole, which in turn has roots in Latin---and both have appeared regularly ever since.1 Some people ... Read more
Disenfranchise vs. disfranchise
Disfranchise and disenfranchise mean the same: to deprive of rights or privileges. Disfranchise is the traditional form, but it has given way to disenfranchise over the last several decades, and the latter now prevails by a large margin. This is the case in all main varieties of English, and it is ... Read more
Inexplicable vs. unexplainable
Inexplicable and unexplainable are mostly interchangeable---both describe things that can't be explained---and using one in place of the other is never a serious error. They have differentiated slightly in modern use, though. Inexplicable tends to describe things that are seemingly without logic, ... Read more
Blessed vs. blest
Blessed is the past tense and past participle of bless. Blest is an archaic form that shows up mainly in references to old, mostly poetical texts and as a poetic affectation. Elsewhere, it has been pushed out of the language. This is the case throughout the English-speaking world. Both spellings ... Read more
Petrifaction vs. petrification
Both petrifaction and petrification are accepted and widely used, but some careful English users consider the shorter form more correct. The shorter one is indeed the older form and was once preferred by a large margin, but today the longer form prevails by a ratio of about 3:2. This is the case ... Read more
Got vs. gotten
In American and Canadian English, the past participle of the verb get is usually gotten. For example, we might say, "I have gotten behind on my work," or, "The book was not gotten easily." Got is the participle in some uses, though, such as where has got to or have got to means must (e.g., "We have ... Read more
Wintery vs wintry
In modern English, wintry is the preferred spelling of the adjective meaning of, like, or relating to winter. Wintery has a long history in English, but it has never been the preferred form, and it has no meanings of its own. In 21st-century books, it appears once for approximately every 20 ... Read more
Breastfeeding, breastfed, breastfeed, etc.
Breastfeed, breastfed, breastfeeding, etc. are sometimes spelled as two words (breast feed, etc.) or hyphenated (breast-feed, etc.), but they are increasingly spelled as one, unhyphenated word, especially outside the U.S. Some publications will continue to resist the trend (new compounds always face ... Read more
Appraise vs. apprise
To appraise something is to determine its value or to evaluate it. For instance, one might appraise an antique lamp to be worth $40. To apprise is to make someone aware of something. In this post, for example, we're apprising our readers of the difference between appraise and apprise. The two ... Read more
