Usage describes the way a language is used by native speakers, it is the application of grammar rules at a local level. English usage varies from region to region in multiple ways including word choice, syntax, spelling and the use of idioms.
Grammar and usage are inextricably linked. Grammar is a system of rules that dictates multiple ways in which sentences may be composed. Usage is the preferred way native speakers compose their sentences, within the rules of grammar. Usage changes quickly, driven by necessity, etiquette, expediency and whim. Sometimes, usage defies grammar. If a certain type of usage becomes widespread and entrenched in the language, it will eventually become part of the system of rules known as grammar.
English is a living language, proved by its ever-changing usage. Grammarist is here to explain the language we use today that is virtually unchanged for hundreds of years, as well as the newly coined language of today.
A
- Abandon vs. abandonment
- Abdicate, abnegate, abrogate
- Abided vs. abode
- Ability vs. capability vs. capacity
- Abject vs object
- Abjure vs. adjure
- Abolishment vs. abolition
- Aborted vs. abortive
- Abracadabra
- Absolve vs resolve
- Abstruse vs. obtuse
- Accell
- Access
- Access vs excess
- Accidental vs occidental
- Acclimate, acclimatise, acclimatize
- Acclimation vs acclamation
- Accord vs. accordance
- Achilles’ heel
- Acme vs acne
- Acquaintanceship
- Acronym vs anacronym
- Acute vs chronic
- Adaptable or adaptive
- Adaption vs. adaptation
- Adapt vs adopt
- Addicting vs. addictive
- Addiction vs. dependence
- Addition vs. edition
- Addlepated, addlebrained and addleheaded
- Adduce vs educe
- Adjudicate
- Administrate
- Admission vs. admittance
- Adolescence vs adolescents
- Adopted vs. adoptive
- Advance vs. advanced
- Advent
- Adverse vs. averse
- Advert vs. avert
- Advice vs. advise
- Ad hoc
- Ad Hominem Fallacy Examples and Definition
- Ad infinitum
- Ad nauseam
- Ad-lib and ad lib
- Aegis
- Aerie vs airy
- Aerobic vs anaerobic
- Aeroplane vs. airplane
- Aesthetic vs. ascetic
- Aetiology or etiology
- Affective vs. effective
- Affinity vs infinity
- Afflict vs. inflict
- African-American vs. black
- Afterward vs. afterwards
- Afterward vs. afterword
- Aggravate
- Aggravate vs aggregate
- Aggravate vs mitigate
- Aggression vs. aggressiveness
- Agnostic vs. atheist
- Agree
- Ahold
- Ailment vs aliment
- Ain’t
- Alas
- Albeit
- Alcoholism vs dipsomania
- Algorithm vs logarithm
- Alimentary vs elementary
- Allegation vs accusation
- Alleviate vs elevate
- Alligator vs. crocodile
- Alliterate, literate or illiterate
- Alliteration vs assonance
- Allude vs. elude
- Allusion vs. elusion vs. illusion
- Allusive, elusive or illusive
- All but
- All but vs anything but vs everything but
- All of a sudden or all of the sudden
- All right vs. alright
- All that
- All-around, all-round
- Alphabetic vs. alphabetical
- Alternately vs alternatively
- Alternate vs. alternative
- Alter ego
- Although vs. though
- Alumna, alumnae, alumni, alumnus
- Always vs all ways
- Amalgam vs. amalgamation
- Amative or amatory
- Amazeballs
- Amber vs ember
- Ambiguous vs ambivalent
- Ameliorate vs alleviate
- Amend vs. emend
- American
- American Indian vs Native American
- Amiable vs. amicable
- Among vs. amongst
- Among vs. between
- Amoral vs. immoral
- Amount vs. number
- Ampersand
- Amuse vs. bemuse
- Analogue vs. analogy
- Anamorphic
- Anathema
- Ancillary vs auxiliary
- And yet
- Anecdote vs antidote
- Angel vs angle
- Animal adjectives
- Animal collective nouns
- Animate vs adamant
- Annal vs annual
- Annual, perennial or biennial
- Anomalous vs anonymous
- Another think coming
- Antennae vs. antennas
- Antichrist
- Antlers vs horns
- Anyone or any one
- Anyplace
- Anyway vs. anyways
- An historic
- Apartment and flat
- Ape vs. monkey
- Apiary vs aviary
- Apocryphal vs canonical
- Apologetics
- Apoplectic vs apocalyptic
- Apostle
- Apotheosis
- Apposite vs opposite
- Appraise vs. apprise
- Apprehend vs apprehensive
- Apprehend vs comprehend
- Apprehensive vs reprehensive
- Approbation vs opprobrium
- Appropriate vs. expropriate
- April Fool’s or April Fools’
- Apropos
- Argot vs ergot
- Argumentative vs. argumentive
- Arise or rise
- Around the clock, round the clock
- Around vs. round
- Arouse vs. rouse
- Arrant vs. errant
- Arse vs. ass
- Artesian vs artisan
- Ascared
- Ascent vs. assent
- Ascent, ascendance, ascendancy, etc.
- Ascribe vs attribute
- Ascribe vs subscribe
- Askew vs eschew
- Aspersion vs dispersion
- Asphalt, cement, concrete, pavement
- Aspiration vs inspiration
- Aspire vs inspire
- Assail vs. assault
- Assent vs. consent
- Assume vs. presume
- Assure, ensure, insure
- Astrology vs astronomy
- Asylum
- As crook as Rookwood
- As far as
- As per
- As thick as thieves
- As yet, as of yet
- Atlas
- Attain vs. obtain
- At a loose end
- At loggerheads
- At the end of the day
- Aught
- August
- Auspicious vs suspicious
- Authoritative vs. authoritive
- Autobiography vs biography
- Autocorrect
- Autotune or Auto-Tune
- Autumn vs. fall
- Au contraire
- Au pair
- Avail
- Avant-garde
- Avenge vs. revenge
- Avocation vs. vocation
- Award vs reward
- Away vs a way
- Awfully
- Awry vs wry
- Aw or awe
- Axiom, adage or epigram
- A friend in need is a friend indeed
- A hold vs ahold
- Ã la carte
- A la (Ã la)
- A leg up
- A lot vs allot
- A miss is as good as a mile
- A or an
- A priori
- A stone’s throw
- A whole nother
- a.m. and p.m.
B
- Baby blues
- Backward vs backwards
- Backwater or backwaters
- Back in the day
- Back up vs. backup
- Bacteria vs virus
- Bad penny
- Bad rap vs. bad wrap
- Bae vs bay
- Bald-faced vs. boldface
- Balmy vs. barmy
- Baloney vs. bologna
- Bamboozle
- Band (together) vs. bandy (about)
- Ban vs. bar
- Barnstorm
- Bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah
- Basis (on a daily basis, on a regular basis, etc.)
- Bastion
- Bathos vs pathos
- Baton vs batten
- Batten the hatches
- Bawdy vs body
- Bawl out
- Bazaar vs. bizarre
- Bear market, bull market, bearish, bullish
- Beat around the bush
- Beeline
- Beggar belief
- Begrudge
- Beg the question (usage)
- Behalf
- Behest vs bequest
- Belated
- Belay vs belie
- Belie
- Bellwether
- Bellyache
- Benchmark
- Benefactor vs patron
- Bereaved vs. bereft
- Beside or besides
- Bête noire
- Betwixt
- Beyond the pale
- Bezel vs embezzle
- Be patient or have patience
- Biannual vs. biennial
- Biannual, biennial and semiannual
- Biceps and triceps
- Bid, bade, bidden
- Big-ups
- Bimonthly and semimonthly
- Binded vs. bound
- Binge-watch
- Bingo
- Bisect vs dissect
- Bisexual or pansexual
- Bitter pill to swallow and hard pill to swallow
- Bit vs. bitten
- Biweekly vs semiweekly
- Blackmail vs extortion
- Black market
- Black out vs blackout
- Blandish vs brandish
- Blatant vs. flagrant
- Blather vs blabber
- Blather vs. blither
- Blench vs blanch
- Bling
- Blond vs. blonde
- Bloviate
- Blowhard and windbag
- Blue blood
- Blue collar, white collar
- Bobbsey twins
- Bodega
- Boggle the mind and mind-boggling
- Bohemian
- Bona fide, bona fides
- Bone of contention
- Bone to pick
- Bone vs debone
- Bonhomie
- Boondoggle
- Boot camp
- Botanic vs. botanical
- Boughten
- Bound vs. bounded
- Bounteous vs bountiful
- Bourgeois, bourgeoisie
- Braid vs abrade
- Brainchild
- Brandish vs brand
- Brand spanking new
- Breach, breech, broach
- Breath vs. breadth (vs. width)
- Bric-a-brac and knick-knack
- Bridle vs. bridal
- Bring vs take
- Briton
- Broach vs. brooch
- Bromance
- Bromide
- Brung, brang
- Buck naked, butt naked
- Buffer vs. buffet
- Build up vs. buildup
- Bullion vs boullion
- Bullseye or bull’s eye
- Bully pulpit
- Bumpkin
- Bum-rush vs bum’s rush
- Bunk, bunkum, buncombe
- Bunny vs Bunnie
- Burgle vs. burglarize
- Burned vs. burnt
- Burnish vs tarnish
- Burnout vs. burn out
- Bursted
- Burthen
- Busybody
- Butterfingers
- Butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth
- Butt heads and bump heads
- But vs. yet
- Buzzword
- Byproduct
- By and by vs. by the by
- By dint of
C
- Cacao vs. cocoa
- Cache vs. cachet
- Cacti Vs Cactuses – Which Is The Correct Plural Usage
- Caduceus vs staff of Asclepius
- Callous vs. callus
- Call it a day and call it a night
- Calvary vs. cavalry
- Calves vs. calfs
- Canard
- Canary in the coalmine
- Candy corn
- Cannot or can not
- Canny vs uncanny
- Cantankerous
- Canvas vs. canvass
- Can goods or canned goods
- Can of worms vs pandora’s box
- Can vs may
- Can’t vs cant
- Capital vs. capitol
- Capitulate vs recapitulate
- Capstone, keystone or cornerstone
- Captivate vs capture
- Caramel vs carmel
- Carbon copy
- Card shark vs. card sharp
- Careen vs. career
- Caretaker vs caregiver
- Carnation vs incarnation
- Carnivore, herbivore or omnivore
- Carrot, carat, karat, caret
- Carte blanche
- Cartography
- Car park vs parking lot
- Casket vs coffin
- Cassandra
- Casted
- Caste vs cast
- Castigate vs castrate
- Cast the first stone
- Cast-iron stomach
- Catch-22
- Cattle vs chattel
- Catty-corner, kitty-corner
- Cauterize vs cauterise
- Cavalcade
- Cavalier
- Caveat
- Cease and desist
- Cease and surcease
- Cede vs. concede
- Celebrant or celebrator
- Celiac or coeliac
- Celiac vs celeraic
- Center around or center on
- Centrifugal vs. centripetal
- Centrifuge vs. subterfuge
- Centuries
- Ceremonial vs ceremonious
- Certainty vs. certitude
- Chafe vs. chaff
- Chain letter
- Chaise lounge and chaise longue
- Chalk up vs. chock
- Champing At The Bit Vs Chomping At The Bit & Meaning
- Character or caricature
- Charade and charades
- Charism vs charisma
- Charlatan
- Charnel house
- Chasten vs. chastise
- Cheek by jowl
- Cheek to cheek vs cheek-to-cheek
- Childish vs. childlike
- Chills down the spine
- Chimera
- Chink vs. kink
- Chinwag
- Chips vs. fries
- Choate or inchoate
- Chock-full
- Chopper vs. copter
- Chortle
- Chose vs. Choose – Usage With Examples
- Cisgender vs transgender
- Cistern vs sister
- Civil rights and human rights
- Clamor vs clamber
- Classic vs. classical
- Cleanup vs. clean up
- Clean vs. cleanse
- Cleave
- Clench vs. clinch
- Client vs. customer
- Cliffhanger
- Cliffs Notes
- Climactic vs. climatic
- Clone
- Closer vs closure
- Cloture vs closure
- Cloying and mawkish
- Cockamamie
- Coddle and mollycoddle
- Cognate and false cognate
- Coiffure vs coiffeur
- Cold-call
- Collaborate vs corroborate
- Collectible vs collectable
- College vs. university
- Collegial vs. collegiate
- Collision vs collusion
- Coma vs comma
- Comb-over
- Comedienne
- Comestible vs combustible
- Come over vs overcome
- Come-hither look
- Comic vs. comical
- Coming Down the Pike vs. Coming Down the Pipe
- Comity vs comedy
- Commencement
- Commend vs command
- Commentator vs. commenter
- Commiserate vs commensurate
- Compared to or compared with
- Compel vs. impel
- Complacent vs complicit
- Complacent vs. complaisant
- Complement vs. compliment
- Compose vs. comprise
- Comprise vs compromise
- Compunction vs compulsion
- Concave vs. convex
- Conceive vs. perceive
- Concerning
- Concerted
- Conches vs. conchs
- Concurrent vs consecutive
- Condemn vs. condone
- Confidant vs. confidante
- Confirmation bias
- Conflate vs conflagrate
- Conflict of interest
- Congruent vs. congruous
- Connect the dots and join the dots
- Connive vs contrive
- Connote vs. denote
- Conscience, conscious and self-conscious
- Consequential vs consensual
- Conservatory, solarium or sunroom
- Consolation vs constellation
- Conspiracy or collusion
- Contaminate vs contaminant
- Contemporaneous vs. contemporary
- Contemptible vs. contemptuous
- Content or contented
- Contiguous vs continuous
- Continental breakfast
- Contingency vs contingent
- Continual vs. continuous
- Contravene vs contradict
- Contronym and auto-antonym
- Conundrum
- Conversate
- Convivial vs congenial
- Convocation, commencement or invocation
- Coon’s age
- Coop, coup or coupe
- Cooties
- Copyright vs. copywrite
- Core, corps and corpse
- Cornet vs. coronet
- Corollary vs. correlation
- Corroborate vs cooperate
- Cosmetology vs. cosmology
- Cosset vs corset
- Cottage industry
- Couch-surf
- Could care less
- Could have, could’ve or could of
- Counsel vs consul
- Coups vs coos
- Coup de grace
- Covert vs overt
- Cover all the bases
- Covet vs covert
- Co-op vs. co-opt
- Crackerjack
- Crapshoot
- Crave vs craven
- Crayfish, crawfish, crawdad, etc.
- Crayon vs Crayola
- Cream of the crop
- Creature comfort
- Crèche and manger
- Credible vs. credulous
- Credible, creditable or credulous
- Creeped vs. crept
- Crevasse vs. crevice
- Crews vs cruise
- Crick (variant of creek)
- Criteria, criterion
- Cronyism
- Cross vs crucifix
- Crowdsourcing vs crowdfunding
- Cruciferous
- Cryptid
- Culpable vs liable
- Cul-de-sac
- Cum
- Curmudgeon
- Currently
- Curriculum vitae vs résumé
- Cursive vs coercive
- Cursory vs curse
- Custom vs costume
- Cute as a button
- Cut and dried
- Cut off your nose to spite your face
- Cut the mustard
- Cut to the chase
- Cut-throat
- Cyclist vs. biker
- Cynical
- C’est la vie
D
- Dampen, damper, dampener
- Damp squib
- Dance on someone’s grave
- Daresay
- Dark horse
- Data is or Data are? The Singular vs. Plural Debate
- Davy Jones’s locker
- Daylight Saving Time or British Summer Time
- Days vs daze
- Day in age (day and age)
- Deaf vs deft
- Dealt vs. dealed
- Dearth
- Debark or disembark
- Debauchery
- Decathlon, heptathlon, pentathlon, triathlon and biathlon
- Deceptively
- Decidedly
- Decimate
- Decisive vs divisive
- Deconstruction
- Decrepit vs deprecate
- Decry vs. descry
- Decussate vs desiccate
- Deduce vs. induce
- Deduct vs deduce
- Deep-seeded vs. deep-seated
- Defenestration
- Definite vs definitive
- Defuse vs. diffuse
- Deign
- Déjà vu
- Delegate vs relegate
- Delude vs dilute
- Delusions of grandeur
- Democracy vs republic
- Demon vs daemon
- Demur vs. demure
- Denounce vs. renounce
- Dent vs dint
- Depose vs dispose
- Deposition vs disposition
- Depository vs. repository
- Depravation vs deprivation
- Deprecate vs. depreciate
- Depute vs dispute
- Derision vs decision
- Descendant vs. descendent
- Desert vs dessert
- Desolate vs destitute
- Desperate vs disparate
- Despite vs. in spite of
- Destroy vs. destruct
- Deteriorate vs decline
- Detract vs. distract
- Device vs. devise
- Devil vs bedevil
- De facto
- De rigueur
- Dharma and karma
- Dialectal vs. dialectical
- Diamond in the rough
- Diaspora
- Dice Vs Die – Which Is Singular And Which Is Plural?
- Dichotomy vs discrepancy
- Dichotomy vs paradox
- Dickensian
- Didactic vs pedantic
- Dieresis and diaeresis
- Difference vs deference
- Different from, different than, different to
- Diktat
- Dilapidated
- Dilemma
- Directional words
- Dirigible or blimp
- Disabuse, misuse and abuse
- Disassemble vs. dissemble
- Disburse vs. disperse
- Discomfit vs. discomfort
- Disconnect
- Discrete vs. discreet
- Disenfranchise vs. disfranchise
- Disillusion vs. dissolution
- Disinterested vs. uninterested
- Disparity vs disparateness
- Dispense with vs. dispose of
- Disposed vs. predisposed
- Dissociate vs. disassociate
- Distaff
- Distinct vs. distinctive
- Distrust vs. mistrust
- Divers vs. diverse
- Divorcée, divorcé, divorcee
- Docent
- Dogged vs dogged
- Doggerel
- Dog days
- Dominant vs predominant
- Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth
- Don’t’s or don’ts
- Doodle
- Doomsday vs Domesday
- Doppelgänger
- Dossier
- Dos or do’s
- Dotage vs senility
- Dotard
- Double entendre
- Double jeopardy
- Double vs. redouble
- Double whammy vs whammy
- Double-edged sword
- Doubtlessly
- Dove vs. dived
- Downfall vs. downside
- Downplay or play down
- Downright vs outright
- Doyen or doyenne vs docent
- Do apologize
- Dragged vs. drug
- Draw a line in the sand
- Dreamed vs. dreamt
- Dredge vs drudge
- Dregs vs dredge
- Dribble vs. drivel
- Dribs and drabs
- Drier vs. dryer
- Drink drank drunk
- Drink the Kool-Aid
- Drive-by
- Droll
- Drop off vs. drop-off (vs. dropoff)
- Drop-dead vs drop dead!
- Dry goods
- Dudgeon vs dungeon
- Due to vs because of
- Duly noted
- Duly vs dully
- Dumb down
- Dumb waiter and dumbwaiter
- Duplicate vs duplicity
- Duplicate vs replicate
- During the course of
- Du jour
- Dwarfs vs. dwarves
- Dwelled vs. dwelt
- Dyed in the wool
- Dystopia or utopia
- D’oh
E
- Each other vs. one another
- Earmark
- Earnest vs Ernest
- Earthy vs. earthly
- Earworm
- Easter egg
- Easy pickings
- Ecclesiastical and ecclesiastic
- Eclipses vs ellipsis
- Economics vs. finance
- Economic vs. economical
- Effable vs affable
- Eggnog
- Egregious vs gregarious
- Either vs ether
- Either vs neither
- Elbow grease
- Elder, eldest
- Electric, electrical, electronic
- Elegy vs. eulogy
- Eleventh hour
- Elfs vs. elves
- Elocution vs. locution
- Embolization and embolisation
- Emeritus
- Emigrate vs. immigrate
- Eminent vs. immanent vs. imminent
- Emission vs omission
- Emolument vs emollient
- Empathetic vs. empathic
- Empathy vs. sympathy
- Empire vs umpire
- Endear
- Endeavor vs. endeavour
- Endemic vs. epidemic
- Endorphin
- Enervate vs energize
- Enervate vs. innervate
- England, Great Britain, United Kingdom
- Enjoin vs join
- Enormity vs. enormousness
- Ensconce vs sconce
- Enthuse
- Entitled vs. titled
- Entomology vs. etymology
- Entree vs entrée
- Envision vs. envisage
- En Dash vs. Em Dash vs. Hyphen – How to Properly Use Them
- En route
- En vogue, in vogue
- Épée, foil or sabre
- Epicenter
- Epic vs epoch
- Epidemic vs. Pandemic
- Epigram vs. epigraph
- Epiphany or Twelfth Night
- Epitaph vs epithet
- Epithet vs sobriquet
- Epitome vs epiphany
- Eponymous
- Equable, equatable, equitable
- Equator vs prime meridian
- Equinox vs solstice
- Equivalence vs. equivalency
- Equivocate vs prevaricate
- Ergo
- Ergonomics
- Erratum, addendum and corrigendum
- Ersatz
- Erupt vs irrupt
- Especially vs specially
- Espouse vs expound
- Espresso vs. expresso
- Estimate vs. estimation
- Ethereal vs ephemeral
- Ethics vs. morals
- Ethnicity vs. race
- Ethnic vs ethic
- Et Al Meaning, Punctuation and Usage With Examples
- Et cetera (etc.)
- Evacuate
- Evade vs invade
- Even keel
- Everyday vs. every day
- Everyone vs every one
- Evoke vs. invoke
- Exacerbate vs exasperate
- Exalt vs. exult
- Exceed vs accede
- Excited vs exited
- Excoriate vs execrate
- Excrete vs secrete
- Exculpate vs exonerate
- Exemplary
- Exercise vs. exorcise
- Exhibit vs. exhibition
- Exhort vs extort
- Existential
- Existent vs. extant
- Expatriate vs immigrant
- Expectant vs. expecting
- Expedient vs expeditious
- Expedite vs expedient
- Expiration date and expiry date
- Explicate vs expletive
- Explicit vs implicit
- Expose vs exposé
- Expound vs expand
- Extant vs extent
- Extemporaneous
- Extradite vs expedite
- Extraordinaire
- Extricate vs extirpate
- Exuberant vs exorbitant
- Ex post facto
- E.g. vs. i.e.
F
- Factious vs fractious
- Factoid
- Fail vs flunk
- Fain vs. feign
- Fairy-tale ending
- Fair vs. fare
- Fait accompli
- Faker vs fakir
- Fallow vs follow
- Falsehood, falsity, falseness
- Fame vs defame
- Famous, infamous and notorious
- Faraway vs far away
- Farther vs. further
- Far East, Middle East, Near East
- Fastly
- Fatal vs fateful
- Fatuous vs facetious
- Faux
- Faux pas
- Fay, fey
- Faze vs. phase
- Fearful vs. fearsome
- Feckless vs reckless
- Feminity vs. femininity
- Ferret out
- Fervent vs. fervid
- Festivus
- Fete
- Fewer vs. less
- Fiancé vs. fiancée
- Fictional vs. fictitious
- Fiction vs. nonfiction
- Fiefdom
- Fifth column
- Figurehead
- Filet vs. fillet
- Filibuster
- Financer vs. financier
- Finger-licking good
- Firefight
- Firefly and lightning bug
- Fireplace vs hearth
- Firing line vs. line of fire
- Firsthand and secondhand vs first-hand and second-hand
- Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly, etc.
- First aid
- First floor
- First World problem
- First-world, third-world
- Fish or Fishes – What is the Plural of Fish?
- Fit vs. fitted
- Flagellants vs flatulence
- Flair vs. flare
- Flammable vs. inflammable
- Flash in the pan
- Flat out
- Flaunt vs. flout
- Flautist vs. flutist
- Fleshly vs. fleshy
- Flesh out vs. flush out
- Flied
- Flip one’s lid vs. flip one’s wig
- Flora and fauna
- Flotsam and jetsam
- Flounder vs. founder
- Flummox
- Fluorescent vs incandescent
- Fly-by-night
- Fodder vs father
- Folderol
- Foley
- Follow up vs. Follow-up vs. Followup – Which is Correct?
- Font vs fount
- Food coma
- Foolproof vs. full-proof
- Fool’s errand
- Football fields
- Foot long
- Fora vs. forums
- Forbear vs. forebear
- Forbidding vs. foreboding
- Forceful vs forcible
- Force majeure
- Forego vs. forgo
- Formally vs formerly
- Former, latter
- Formulas vs formulae
- Fortnight
- Fortuitous vs. fortunate
- For heaven’s sake
- For the purpose of
- For, four and fore
- Fosbury flop
- Fox guarding the hen house
- Fractious vs fracas
- Fractious vs fraction
- Frankenstein’s monster
- Franken-
- Frankincense and myrrh
- Fraud or defraud
- Fraught
- Frenemy
- Freudian slip
- Fritter away
- Frivolity vs. frivolousness
- Full stop vs. period
- Full-fledged, fully fledged
- Fulsome
- Funereal
- Fungi vs. funguses
- Funner, funnest
- Furlough
- Furor vs. furore
- Fur vs fir
- Fusillade vs fuselage
- Fusion vs confusion
- Futz vs putz
G
- Gadfly
- Gaff vs. gaffe
- Gallimaufry
- Gallon vs galleon
- Gallop vs Gallup
- Gambit
- Gamut vs gambit
- Gantlet vs. gauntlet
- Garbage in, garbage out
- Gargle vs. gurgle
- Gargoyle or grotesque
- Garner vs garnish
- Garnish vs garnishee
- Garret vs garrote
- Gaslighting
- Gasses vs. Gases – Which is the Correct Plural?
- Gavel-to-gavel
- Gay
- Gender vs engender
- Gender vs. sex
- Gentle vs genteel
- Gentrification
- Geographic vs geographical
- German vs germane
- Gerrymander
- Gesture vs jester
- Getaway vs get away
- Get hitched
- Get religion
- Ghost vs ghoul
- Gibberish
- Gibe, jibe, jive
- Gift (as a verb)
- Gild the lily
- Gimlet eye and gimlet cocktail
- Gleam vs glean
- Glib
- Glitch
- Glom onto
- Gobsmacked
- Godspeed
- Goes without saying
- Goldbrick
- Golden ticket
- Gonna
- Goodly
- Good vs well
- Goose-step
- Got vs. gotten
- Gourmet vs gourmand
- Governance vs. government
- Go down a treat
- Go for the jugular
- Graffiti
- Grammar vs. usage
- Grandfather (as a verb)
- Grateful vs. gratified
- Gratis, gratuitous and gratuity
- Gravid vs grave
- Great Scott!
- Gregarious vs garrulous
- Grenadine vs grenade
- Grieve vs aggrieve
- Grill vs. grille
- Grinch
- Grinded
- Grok
- Gross vs net
- Ground zero
- Grub
- Gruel vs grueling
- Guarantee vs guaranty
- Gumption
- Guyline vs guideline
- Gymnasia vs. gymnasiums
H
- Habeas corpus
- Habit vs habitat
- Hail vs. hale
- Hairy vs. harry
- Half-mast vs. half-staff
- Halitosis
- Halve
- Handful, handfuls
- Handicap vs. handicapped
- Hands down
- Hand-me-down
- Hand-wash
- Hangar vs. hanger
- Hangdog
- Hanged vs. hung
- Hanker vs hunker
- Hanky-panky
- Happenstance
- Happy camper
- Harbinger
- Hardy vs. hearty
- Hare vs. rabbit
- Harridan and harpy
- Hash out, thrash out
- Haste makes waste
- Hatemonger and hate-mongering
- Hat trick
- Haughty vs hottie
- Hawk vs. hock
- Haymaker
- Hay vs straw
- Heads up
- Healthful vs. healthy
- Hear vs listen
- Heavens to Murgatroyd Idiom Definition
- Hector
- Heebie-jeebies
- Helpless vs hapless
- Helter skelter or helter-skelter
- Hence
- Henpeck
- Herbivorous vs herbaceous
- Heretofore or hitherto
- Heroin vs. heroine
- Heterogeneous vs. heterogenous
- Hew vs. hue
- Heyday
- Hie
- Hieratic
- Hieroglyph vs hierograph
- High five
- High on the hog
- Hijinks or high jinks
- Hippocratic vs hypocritical
- Hippogriff or griffin
- Hippopotami, hippopotamuses, hippos
- Historic vs. historical
- Histrionic, histrionics
- Hoax
- Hocus-pocus
- Hokey-pokey, hokey-cokey and hokey-tokey
- Hold my beer
- Hold someone’s feet to the fire
- Hold sway
- Holier-than-thou
- Holly vs holy
- Homely vs. homey
- Homily vs sermon
- Homogenous vs. homogeneous
- Homonym
- Homophones, homographs, and homonyms
- Homo sapiens
- Honcho
- Hoodwink
- Hoopla
- Hoover vs. vacuum
- Hooves or hoofs
- Hoping vs hopping
- Horn of plenty and cornucopia
- Horticulturist vs arborist
- Hot spot or hotspot
- How to Use Attend to vs. Tend to Correctly
- How to Use Await vs Wait Correctly
- How to Use Cannot See the Forest for the Trees Correctly
- How to Use Cue vs. Queue Correctly
- How to Use Forecast vs. Forecasted Correctly
- How to Use Get Down to Brass Tacks (Tax?) Correctly
- How to Use Learnings Correctly
- How to Use Stank vs. Stunk Correctly
- How To Use Transgender VS Transsexual VS Transvestite Correctly
- How’s it going
- Hubris
- Human vs humane
- Humblebrag
- Humorousness
- Hunter-gatherer
- Hunt-and-peck
- Hurrah, hooray, hurray
- Hurricane, typhoon and cyclone
- Hush puppy, hushpuppy or hush-puppy
- Hustle and side hustle
- Hybrid vs highbred
- Hygge
- Hyperbole
- Hyper- vs hypo-
I
- Iconoclast vs heretic
- Ideation vs idea
- Idea vs. ideal
- Ideologue
- Ides of March
- Idiom vs colloquialism
- Idiot savant or savant syndrome
- If you will
- Ignominious vs ignoble
- Illegible vs. unreadable
- Imaginary or imaginative
- Imbibe vs imbue
- Imitate vs emulate
- Imitate vs intimate
- Imitate vs intimidate
- Immaculate Conception vs. virgin birth
- Immolate vs emulate
- Immunity vs. impunity
- Impair vs impede
- Impassable vs. impassible
- Impassive vs. passive
- Impending vs. pending
- Impends vs impinge
- Imperial vs empirical
- Imperious vs. impervious
- Impetus vs emphasis
- Impinge vs. infringe
- Implosion vs explosion
- Imply vs. infer
- Impractical vs impracticable
- Imprecation vs implication
- Impromptu or improvised
- Impudent vs imprudent
- Impugn vs. impute
- Inalienable vs. unalienable
- Incarnation vs incarceration
- Incase or encase
- Incentivize, incent
- Incipient or inchoate
- Incipient vs. insipient (vs. insipid)
- Include, exclude or occlude
- Incommunicado
- Incomparable vs. uncomparable
- Incredible vs. incredulous
- Incubus, succubus
- Indeterminate vs indeterminable
- Indexes or Indices – The Plural Debate
- Indian corn
- Indian summer
- Indiscriminate vs undiscriminating
- Indubitably vs undoubtedly
- Inequality vs. inequity
- Inequity vs. iniquity
- Inexplicable vs. unexplainable
- Infectious vs contagious
- Infect vs. infest
- Inference vs interference
- Inflict vs inflect
- Infomercial
- Infraction vs infarction
- Infuse vs suffuse
- Ingenious vs. ingenuous
- Ingrate vs ingratiate
- Inhabit vs habituate
- Inherent vs inherit
- Innate vs enate
- Innocuous vs inoculate
- Inpatient or outpatient
- Inroad vs inroads
- Inside baseball
- Insidious vs invidious
- Insolent vs insolvent
- Insolent vs insulate
- Instantly vs. instantaneously
- Instigate vs incite
- Instigate vs investigate
- Instill vs install
- Instinctive vs. instinctual
- Intellectual property
- Interment vs. internment
- Internal vs eternal
- Internal vs infernal
- Intern vs inter
- Interpretative vs. interpretive
- Interview with Abed Elmansur
- Inter-, intra-
- Inure vs enure
- Invaluable vs. valuable
- Inveigh vs inveigle
- Invention vs intervention
- Inventive vs innovative
- Inveterate vs invertebrate
- Inviolable vs inviolate
- Invite (as a noun)
- In a manner of speaking
- In due course or in due time
- In excess of
- In kind
- In point of fact or in fact or as a matter of fact
- In terms of
- In the affirmative
- In the course of
- In the midst of
- In the offing
- In the process of
- In the throes of
- Ipso facto
- Irk
- Ironic
- Ironical
- Irregardless
- Is Costed a Word? What is the Past Tense of Cost?
- Itchy feet
- Iteration
- It’s not rocket science
- Ivy League
- I rest my case
J
- Jackalope
- Jackanapes
- Jack-in-the-box
- Jack-o’-lantern and Halloween lantern
- Jaded
- Jalousie window vs louvre window
- Jam vs. jamb
- Janus-faced
- Jaywalking
- Jealousy vs envy
- Jersey vs guernsey
- Jet lag
- Je ne sais quoi
- Jiggery-pokery
- Jig vs gig
- Jilt vs gilt
- Jingle vs jangle
- Jingoism
- Jolly Roger
- Jones
- Joshing
- Joyful and joyous
- Judicial vs. judicious
- Juggalo
- Juggernaut
- Junction vs. juncture
- Jury-rig, jerry-rig, jerry-built
- Juvenile vs juvenal
- Juxtapose
K
L
- Lagniappe
- Laird vs lord
- Laissez-faire
- Lambaste
- Lanyard
- Lassitude, lethargy and languor
- Latchkey kid and latchkey child
- Later vs latter
- Latitude vs longitude
- Latter vs ladder
- Laudable vs. laudatory
- Laughing stock
- Laundry list
- Lava vs magma
- Lay vs. lie
- Lazy Susan
- Lead vs. lede
- Leery vs leary
- Leeway
- Legal tender
- Legislator vs legislature
- Lended vs. lent
- Lend vs. loan
- Lessen vs lesson
- Lest
- Leviathan
- Liable vs libel
- Libel vs. slander
- Lie or lye
- Lighted vs. lit
- Like gangbusters
- Limbo
- Limelight vs spotlight
- Lipid vs limpid
- Lip-sync and lip-synch
- Literally vs. figuratively
- Liter or litre vs litter
- Litmus test
- Little to No or Little to None
- Lock out vs lockout
- Logo
- Log in vs. log on
- Lonely vs. lonesome
- Longetivity vs. longevity
- Long in the tooth
- Long johns vs union suit and combination suit
- Loose vs. lose
- Lorem Ipsum
- Lose the plot
- Lothario
- Lots of vs a lot of
- Lowlife
- Lo and Behold or Low and Behold
- Lucid vs lucent
- Lumber vs lumbar
- Luminary vs luminaria
- Lustful vs. lusty
- Luxuriant vs. luxurious
M
- Macabre
- Macaron vs. macaroon
- Machine gun vs. machine-gun
- Maddening vs. madding
- Magical realism
- Magnate vs. magnet
- Magnum opus
- Makeup, make-up or make up
- Make do vs. make due
- Make hay
- Maleficent vs. malevolent
- Malfeasance, misfeasance and nonfeasance
- Manic vs maniac
- Many vs. much
- Marginalize or marginalise vs minimize or minimise
- Marinade vs. marinate
- Marsala vs masala
- Massage vs message
- Masterful vs. masterly
- Materiel vs. material
- Matriculate vs graduate
- Matter of fact or matter-of-fact
- Matter of fact vs fact of the matter
- Maudlin vs modeling or modelling
- Maul vs. mull
- Maundy Thursday
- Maverick
- Maxima vs. maximums
- May be or maybe
- McGuffin
- Mealy-mouthed
- Means
- Mean vs mien
- Mea culpa
- Mediator vs. moderator
- Media vs. mediums
- Melted vs. molten
- Meme
- Memento mori
- Mendacity vs mendicity
- Meretricious vs meritorious
- Meritorious vs maritorious
- Merry Christmas vs Happy Christmas
- Meta
- Metaphor
- Meteoroid, meteor, meteorite (and meteoric)
- Methinks
- Mexican standoff
- Mice vs. mouses
- Microfinance, microcredit and microloan
- Micro- vs macro-
- Mic drop
- Might vs mite
- Milieu
- Minima vs. minimums
- Minimum vs minimal
- Minutia, minutiae
- Misinformed vs. uninformed
- Misogyny and misandry
- Misology vs mixology
- Mixtape
- Mob justice and mob rule
- Mob or demob
- Modern
- Modus operandi (m.o, MO)
- Mogul
- Mojo
- Molotov cocktail
- Momentarily
- Money-grabbing vs. money-grubbing
- Montage
- Moonlight
- Moonshine
- Moot vs. mute
- Morality vs mortality
- Moral vs morale
- Morays vs. mores
- Morbid vs moribund
- Moreso
- Mortar board
- Motive vs motif
- Mouthfuls
- Movable feast
- Mowed vs. mown
- Mr., Mrs., Ms. and Miss
- Muchly
- Muckamuck, mucky-muck and muckety-muck
- Muckraking
- Mumbo jumbo
- Murderers’ row
- Myriad
N
- Namby-pamby
- Namesake
- Nary a
- Naught vs. nought
- Nauseating vs. nauseous
- Naval vs. navel
- Nebula vs nebulous
- Neck and neck
- Necropsy and autopsy
- Necrosis
- Needle vs nettle
- Nefarious
- Negative prefixes
- Nepotism
- Nest egg
- Ne’er-do-well
- NGO vs GMO
- Nickname
- Niggle
- Night owl or early bird
- Nip in the bud
- Nitty-gritty
- Noblesse oblige
- Noble vs ignoble
- Nocturnal vs diurnal
- Noisome vs noisy
- Nomenclature
- Nonplussed
- Nonprofit vs. not-for-profit (vs. non-profit)
- Non sequitur
- Normalcy vs. normality
- Nosy Parker
- Notwithstanding
- Not hardly
- Not un-
- Noxious vs obnoxious
- No-brainer
- Nullify
- Number vs numeral
- Numinous vs luminous
- Nunchucks
O
- Object lesson
- Obliged vs. obligated
- Oblique
- Obsequious
- Observance vs. observation
- Obsolescent vs. obsolete
- Obstreperous
- Octopi vs. octopuses
- Odious vs odorous
- Oeuvre
- Offhand
- Off of
- Off the cuff
- Off-kilter and out of kilter
- Oftentimes
- Oh well
- Old Glory
- Old hat
- Oligarchy vs monarchy
- Olive branch
- Omnibus vs ombudsman
- Onboard vs. on board
- Once bitten, twice shy
- Once in a lifetime vs once-in-a-lifetime
- One and the same, one in the same
- One fell swoop
- One-hit wonder
- On accident vs by accident
- On cloud nine
- On steroids
- On tenterhooks
- On the fritz
- On the lam
- On the up and up
- On the wagon, off the wagon
- Oompa Loompa
- Oppress, repress, suppress
- Oracle vs auricle
- Oral vs. verbal
- Ordinance vs. ordnance
- Orientate
- Ouster
- Outset vs onset
- Outside of
- Outsource
- Out and out
- Out of pocket
- Out of the blue vs out of the woodwork
- Overlook vs look over
- Overly
- Overnight vs. over night
- Overrate vs overate
- Oversee vs overlook
- Overtake, take over and takeover
- Overthink vs think over
- Overtones vs. undertones
- Oxymorons
- O vs. oh
P
- Paddy wagon
- Paean, paeon, peon
- Pall vs. pallor
- Palpable vs palatable
- Pander vs ponder
- Panhandle
- Parade float
- Parallel vs perpendicular
- Paralympics
- Parameter vs perimeter
- Paramount vs. tantamount
- Parentheses vs brackets
- Pariah vs piranha
- Parlay vs. parley
- Parlor or parlour
- Parody vs parity
- Parricide vs. patricide
- Part and parcel
- Par excellence
- Passed vs. past
- Pass muster
- Pass the buck, the buck stops
- Pastiche vs pistachio
- Pastime vs past time
- Past master
- Pathetic vs apathetic
- Patois
- Patriotism vs nationalism
- Paucity
- Payback vs. pay back
- Pay the piper
- Peaceable vs. peaceful
- Peace of mind, piece of (one’s) mind
- Peccadillo
- Pecking order
- Pedal vs. peddle vs. petal
- Pediment vs impediment
- Pejorative
- Penal vs. penile
- Penchant vs pension
- Pendant vs. pendent
- Penny-pinching
- Pentimento vs pimento or pimiento
- Penultimate
- People vs. persons
- Peplum vs pablum
- Perchance
- Peremptory vs pre-emptory
- Perfect storm
- Perfunctory vs peremptory
- Periodic vs. periodical
- Peripatetic
- Perjury
- Perk vs perq
- Permit vs permit
- Pernickety vs. persnickety
- Perpetrate vs perpetuate
- Perquisite vs. prerequisite (vs. requisite)
- Persecute vs. prosecute
- Personage vs parsonage
- Personal vs personable
- Personal vs personnel
- Persona non grata
- Personification vs anthropomorphism
- Perspective vs. prospective
- Peruse
- Pervert vs subvert
- Per diem
- Per se
- Peter out
- Petrifaction vs. petrification
- Petroglyph vs pictograph
- Pettifogger
- Petulant vs impetuous
- Pet peeve
- Pet vs. petted
- Phenomena, phenomenon
- Phial vs. vial (vs. vile)
- Phony vs. phoney
- Phosphene
- Photogenic vs photographic
- Picaresque vs. picturesque
- Piebald, skewbald, pinto or paint
- Pied Piper
- Piggyback
- Piggy bank
- Pincer vs. pincher
- Pink slip
- Piping hot
- Pissant
- Pitchblende
- Pitcher vs picture
- Pith vs pit
- Placate vs placket
- Place card vs placard
- Plainclothes
- Plaintiff vs defendant
- Plaintive vs plaintiff
- Plain vs. plane
- Plaque vs plack
- Play by ear
- Pleaded vs. pled
- Plenary vs preliminary
- Plenitude vs. plentitude
- Plethora
- Plug-ugly vs pug-ugly
- Plutocrat vs autocrat
- Podium vs lectern
- Poetry vs prose
- Pogrom vs genocide
- Point in time
- Point of view, standpoint, viewpoint
- Point-blank
- Poisonous vs venomous
- Polemic vs. polemical
- Politics
- Polka dot
- Polygamy vs. polygyny vs. polyandry
- Ponderous
- Ponzi scheme and Ponzi game
- Poor sport, sore loser and sore winner
- Poo vs. pooh
- Popinjay
- Poppycock
- Pop culture
- Porch vs veranda or verandah
- Portend vs pretend
- Portend vs. portent
- Port vs. starboard
- Poseur vs poser
- Possibility vs probability
- Poster child
- Potentiality
- Practicable vs. practical
- Practical joke
- Pragmatism
- Praise vs preys
- Pram, baby carriage and baby buggy
- Prank call or crank call
- Precedence vs precedents
- Precede vs. proceed
- Precipitate vs precipitous
- Precocious vs precious
- Predict vs predicate
- Predominantly and predominately
- Premier vs. premiere
- Preposition vs. proposition
- Prescient vs present
- Prescribe vs. proscribe
- Preserve vs persevere
- Presumptive vs. presumptuous
- Pretentious vs portentous
- Preternatural vs supernatural
- Previous vs. prior
- Primal scream
- Private eye and gumshoe
- Proactive
- Problematic vs. problematical
- Procrastinate
- Prodigal and prodigy
- Prodigal son
- Progeny vs prodigy
- Proliferate vs profligate
- Promise vs premise
- Prom and The Proms
- Prone, prostrate, supine
- Proof is in the pudding
- Prophecy vs. prophesy
- Propitiate vs expiate
- Proportional vs. proportionate
- Proprietary vs propitiatory
- Prorogue vs prolong
- Prostate vs. prostrate
- Protagonist vs. Antagonist – Definitions and Examples
- Protean vs protein
- Protégé
- Proved vs. proven
- Proverbial vs figurative
- Proverb vs adage
- Providence vs province
- Province vs provenance
- Psalter vs salter
- Pseudo
- Psychiatry vs. psychology
- Psychopath vs. sociopath
- Psych vs. psyche
- Pullout, pull-out, pull out
- Pull strings
- Pull the rug out from under
- Punctilious vs punctual
- Pundit
- Puppy love or poppy love
- Purple prose
- Purposely vs. purposefully
- Purpose vs porpoise
- Pushing up daisies
- Putative vs punitive
- Put one’s best foot forward
- Put on heirs or airs
- Put though the wringer vs put through the ringer
Q
R
- Rack vs. wrack
- Raconteur
- Radical
- Raise vs rise
- Raison d’etre
- Ramshackle
- Rapt vs. wrapt
- Raring to
- Rational or rationale
- Ravaging vs. ravishing
- Raven vs ravenous
- Razzle-dazzle and razzmatazz
- Razzmatazz or razzamatazz
- Reactionary vs. reactive
- Realty vs reality
- Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic
- Rebuke vs refute
- Rebus
- Rebut vs refute
- Receipt vs recipe
- Recur vs. reoccur
- Recuse vs excuse
- Redact vs retract
- Redneck vs hick vs hillbilly
- Redress vs readdress
- Red herring
- Red tape
- Red-letter day
- Reed vs read
- Reforested wood
- Refugee vs immigrant
- Regard vs. regards
- Regimen vs regiment
- Regime vs. regimen
- Regrettable vs. regretful
- Regulate vs relegate
- Reindeer or caribou
- Rejig vs. rejigger
- Relevance vs. relevancy
- Reluctant vs reticent
- Repair vs reparation
- Repatriation vs reputation
- Repel vs. repulse
- Repetitive vs redundant
- Repudiate and refudiate
- Repudiate vs refute
- Repugnant vs pungent
- Reputedly vs reportedly
- Repute vs refute
- Requiem
- Resemble vs reassemble
- Resilience vs. resiliency
- Resolve vs solve
- Respective, respectively
- Restitution vs retribution
- Restrict vs constrict
- Résumé
- Retard
- Retrograde vs anterograde or antegrade
- Retronym
- Retrospect vs introspect
- Reverent vs reverend
- Ridded
- Rife vs. ripe
- Riffraff
- Riffraff vs riprap
- Riff vs. rift
- Righten
- Right-of-way
- Rigor mortis
- Riptide, rip current or undertow
- Risky vs risqué
- Road rage
- Robot, android or droid
- Rollout vs. roll out
- Rollover vs. roll over
- Roll up one’s sleeves
- Roman-Ã -clef
- Roofs vs. rooves
- Rookie
- Root vs. route vs. rout
- Rotate or revolve
- Rotund vs rotunda
- Rot vs wrought
- Round robin
- Roux, rue or roué
- Royal “we”
- Rule of thumb
- Rummy
- Runaway vs. run away
- Running on empty and running on fumes
S
- Sabbatical vs sabbath
- Sadism, masochism and sadomasochism
- Safe-deposit box
- Said
- Said the actress to the bishop
- Salacious
- Salubrious vs lugubrious
- Salvage vs selvage or selvedge
- Samovar vs scimitar
- Sanatorium vs sanatarium
- Sanctimonious vs sanctify
- Sanguine vs exsanguinate
- Sang froid
- Sang vs sung
- Sank vs. sunk
- Sans
- Sarcasm
- Sarcophagus vs mausoleum
- Sari vs sorry
- Sartorial vs satirical
- Satire vs satyr
- Satisficing vs satisfying
- Savant vs servant
- Savvy
- Sawed vs sod
- Say one’s peace vs piece
- Scared vs scarred
- Scarfs vs. scarves
- Scatological
- Scavenger hunt
- Scavenger, scavenge
- Schadenfreude
- Schmooze and shmooze
- Scion
- Scissors
- Screed
- Scrimp vs skimp
- Scrip vs script
- Scrooge
- Scrumdiddlyumptious
- Scuffle
- Sculpture vs sculptor
- Seasonable vs seasonal
- Secede vs. succeed
- Second that emotion or notion or motion
- Second-guess
- Secret Santa
- Secret vs. secretive
- Secular vs sacred
- Security blanket
- Sedimentary vs sedentary
- Sediment vs sentiment
- Sedition vs sedation
- Seldomly
- Self-quarantine vs self-isolation
- Seminal
- Sensual vs. sensuous
- Sentience vs sapience
- Sentient vs sentiment
- Separate vs separate
- Sepulcher, crypt, catacomb or mausoleum
- Sequacious
- Sequins vs sequence
- Series
- Serif vs seraph
- Serigraph vs lithograph
- Service (as a verb)
- Serviette or napkin
- Servitude vs certitude
- Sever vs severe
- Shaggy-dog story
- Shall vs. will
- Shame vs ashamed
- Shard or sherd
- Share and share alike vs per stirpes
- Shat vs. shitted
- Shaved vs. shaven
- Sheath vs. sheathe
- Shed vs. shedded
- Shelf vs. shelve
- Shell out
- Shenanigans
- Shill vs chill
- Shined vs. shone
- Shiplap
- Shopping cart or buggy
- Shop till you drop
- Shore vs sure
- Short shrift
- Shotgun vs rifle
- Should have, should’ve or should of
- Shoveled/shoveling vs. shovelled/shovelling
- Showboat
- Sic
- Sic vs. sick
- Significant other
- Sign up vs signup
- Silva vs silver
- Silver lining
- Silviculture
- Simile
- Sine qua non
- Sisyphean, Promethean or Herculean
- Sitting on a powder keg
- Sit vs set
- Skein vs scan
- Skunkworks
- Slam dunk
- Slap-happy
- Slayed or slew
- Sledge vs sludge
- Sleight of hand
- Slipshod
- Slumgullion and goulash
- Smart alec and smart aleck
- Smite, smote, smitten
- Smithereens
- Smooth vs. Smoothe vs. Smoothen
- Smorgasbord
- Snake oil, snake-oil salesman
- Snark
- Sneaked vs. snuck
- Snipe hunt
- Snitch
- Sob sister and sob story
- Social vs sociable
- Sojourn vs adjourn
- Solder vs soldier
- Soldiers, marines, airmen, sailors
- Soliloquy vs monologue
- Solitaire and patience games
- Somebody vs. someone
- Someday vs. some day
- Someplace vs. some place
- Sometime vs. some time
- Some odd
- Some way vs. someway
- Sooner rather than later
- Sophistry
- Sorted vs sordid
- Sort of
- SOS and Mayday
- Sound bite
- Sow wild oats
- So to speak
- Spanish fly
- Spartan
- Spatter vs. splatter
- Speak to
- Spearhead
- Speciality vs. specialty
- Species
- Spectra vs. spectrums
- Sped vs. speeded
- Spendthrift
- Spiel
- Spiffy
- Spilled vs. spilt
- Spinster
- Spin doctor
- Spite vs respite
- Spit and image vs. spitting image
- Spoiled vs. spoilt
- Spoof
- Spore vs spoor
- Spouse vs espouse
- Spreaded
- Spur vs spurn
- Spur vs. spurn
- Squinch
- Stadia vs. stadiums
- Stalactite, stalagmite
- Stanch vs. staunch
- Standby vs. stand by
- Stand alone vs standalone
- State of the art
- Stationary vs. stationery
- Statue vs statute
- Status quo
- Statute of limitations
- Stat vs now
- Stir-crazy
- Stockholm syndrome
- Stocking stuffer and stocking filler
- Stock vs stalk
- Stock, shares
- Stone cold and stone-cold
- Stool pigeon
- Straight from the horse’s mouth
- Straight vs. strait
- Stratagem vs. strategy
- Strategy vs tactic
- Striped/striping vs stripped/stripping
- Strived, striven, strove
- Stroller or pushchair
- Strop vs strap
- Stuffing vs dressing
- Stupefaction
- Subconscious vs. unconscious
- Subject to vs subjected to
- Subjugated vs subjected to
- Subordinating conjunctions
- Suborn
- Subpoena
- Substantial vs. substantive
- Subtext
- Sub rosa vs sub-rosa
- Sub vs infra
- Suffice it to say
- Suit vs suite
- Sui generis
- Sulk vs skulk
- Summa cum laude or magna cum laude
- Summons and summonses
- Supercilious
- Supermoon
- Superstorm
- Super vs ultra
- Supposably
- Surely vs surly
- Surgeon vs sturgeon
- Surplus vs surplice
- Surrogacy
- Suspect, person of interest or perpetrator
- Sutler vs settler
- Swanning around and swanning about
- Swan song
- Swatch vs swath
- Swath vs. swathe
- Sweat vs. sweated
- Swing for the fences
- Sword of Damocles
- Symbolic vs symbiotic
- Synonyms
- Systematic vs systematical
- Systematic vs. systemic
T
- Tacit vs taciturn
- Tack vs. tact
- Takeaway and takeout
- Taken aback
- Take a toll and take its toll
- Take the mickey out of someone
- Take the reins
- Talk turkey
- Tamper vs temper
- Tanker vs tankard
- Taper vs tapir
- Tariff
- Taro vs tarot
- Tartar or tartare
- Tar baby
- Tattletale vs telltale
- Tautology
- Taut vs taunt
- Tease out
- Teetotaler, teetotaller
- Telegram vs. telegraph
- Temblor, tremblor or trembler
- Temporal vs Templar
- Tenure vs tenor
- Terminate
- Terrific vs terrifying
- Terroir and terror
- Testament vs. testimony
- Tete-a-tete
- Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day
- Than vs. then
- That or who
- That vs. which
- That which
- Their, them, themselves, they (as singular pronouns)
- Them’s the breaks or brakes
- Therefore vs therefor
- The Bronx
- The die is cast
- The end justifies the means
- The jaws of life
- The late
- The penny dropped
- The pot calling the kettle black
- The rub
- The vs thee
- The $64,000 question
- Think outside the box
- Third rail
- Thong or flip-flop
- Thoroughbred vs purebred
- Tho, altho
- Thrall
- Throw the baby out with the bathwater
- Throw under the bus
- Thrust, thrusted
- Thumbs up and thumbs down
- Thusly
- Tic vs. tick
- Tiddlywinks and tiddleywinks
- Till, until, ’til
- Titular
- TMI
- Toe the line
- Toilette
- Toile vs toil
- Toile vs tulle
- Tolerance vs. toleration
- Tomayto, tomahto and potayto, potahto
- Tomfoolery
- Tongue-in-cheek
- Tontine
- Tool vs tulle
- Topography vs. typography
- Top banana and second banana
- Torrent vs torrid
- Torturous vs. tortuous
- Touch and go
- Touch base
- Tough row to hoe
- Tour de force
- Tout
- Toxicology vs. toxology
- To a T
- To boot
- To cry wolf
- To hear crickets
- To the bitter end
- To the nines
- To vs. too
- To wit
- Track and field and athletics
- Track vs tract
- Tractable vs trackable
- Tragedy vs travesty
- Training wheels vs stabilisers
- Traitor vs trader
- Translucent vs. transparent
- Transparent, translucent and opaque
- Transpire
- Transport vs. transportation
- Trap vs entrap
- Trawl vs. troll
- Treatise vs treaties
- Treble vs. triple
- Trepidation
- Triage
- Troglodyte
- Trolling
- Troop vs. troupe
- Truck with
- Truculent
- Trustee vs. trusty
- Tsk-tsk
- Tsunami vs tidal wave
- Turbid, turgid, torpid
- Turducken
- Turpitude vs turpentine
- Turtle, tortoise, terrapin
- Tussie-mussie vs nosegay
- Twee
- Tween or teen
- Two-bit
- Two-time
U
- Uber
- Ubiquitous
- Udder vs. utter
- Ulterior motive
- Unawares
- Uncle Sam
- Uncomparable adjectives
- Underlie or underline
- Undoubtably vs. undoubtedly
- Unexceptionable vs unexceptional
- Unfamous or infamous
- Union Jack
- Unique
- United States (plural or singular?)
- Unkempt, unkept
- Unknown quantity
- Unsung hero
- Unwitting vs unwilling
- Upfront vs. up front
- Upload vs download
- Upmost vs. utmost
- Upper crust
- Upshot
- Up to date
- Up to snuff
- Urban vs urbane
- Urban, suburban and rural
- Used to
- Usually always
- U.S. state demonyms
V
- Vacuous vs. vapid
- Vagina vs. vulva
- Valedictorian and salutatorian
- Vamoose
- Vanguard
- Variance vs variants
- Varied vs various
- Vaudeville
- Vegetarian vs vegan
- Venal vs venial
- Veracity vs. voracity
- Verbatim vs paraphrase
- Verbiage
- Vernacular
- Verses vs. versus
- Vertex vs. vortex
- Vertigo vs vertiginous
- Very
- Vested
- Veteran vs veterinarian
- Vice versa
- Vicissitude
- Vigilant vs vigilante
- Vim and vigor
- Violation vs volition
- Viral vs virile
- Visor vs vizier
- Vis-a-vis
- Vitiate
- Vitriol vs vitreous
- Vittle vs vital
- Viz.
- Vouchsafe
W
- Waddle vs. wattle
- Wainscot or chair rail
- Waiver vs. waver
- Waive vs. wave
- Wake vs awake
- Wallop and pack a wallop
- Wander vs. wonder
- Wane, wax
- Wangle vs wrangle
- Wanton vs. wonton
- Wary vs. weary
- Washed up or all washed up
- Wassail
- Was vs were
- Waterloo or meet one’s waterloo
- Water under the bridge
- Watt vs what
- Weakest link
- Weaved, wove, woven
- Website vs. web page
- Weekend
- Well-heeled
- Welsh
- Wench vs winch
- Were vs we’re
- Wet vs. whet
- Whatnot
- Whence vs. from whence
- Whereas
- Whig vs wig
- While away vs. wile away
- Whilst
- Whiny, whiney, whinny, Whinney
- Whippersnapper
- Whiskey vs. whisky
- White Christmas
- White lie
- Whoever vs. whomever
- Whoop vs. whup
- Who vs. whom
- Who’s vs. whose
- Who’s Who
- Widow, widower
- Wiki
- Will-o’-the-wisp
- Wink vs blink
- Win-win or lose-lose
- Wither vs. whither
- Wit vs. whit
- Wobble vs warble
- Wonder vs. wonderment
- Wont
- Wont vs won’t
- Woolgathering
- Word to the wise
- Workout vs. work out
- Work in progress vs work in process
- Worse comes to worst
- Worth one’s while
- Would have, would’ve or would of
- Would just as soon or assume
- Wrap one’s head around
- Wreak havoc (and wreaked vs. wrought)
- Wreak vs wreck
- Wrench and spanner
- Writer’s block
- Writ large
- Wrong vs. wrongly
- Wunderkind