Writing Tips

Commonly Misspelled/Misused Words

Let's face it--the English language is probably the stupidest thing on this earth.

English is the only language I speak fluently and I'm still like whyyyyy

So I thought this could help!

Blonde vs. blond

This one bothers me quite a bit.

Since this word is a French word, it has two different spellings: one to use when referring to a female's hair and one to use when referring to a male's hair.

Blonde is the feminine spelling. For example, "Brittany had long, blonde hair."

Blond is the masculine spelling. For example, "The couple was surprised when their firstborn son's hair turned out blond."

We're good? Good.

Then vs. than

This one reeeeaaaallllllyyyyyy bothers me.

So let me break it down for y'all.

Then is used to link two events that are chained together, or in other words, it transfers one action to the next.

For example...

"I will go to the grocery store, then I will go to the laundromat."

Than is used to compare two or more things.

For example...

"I like apples better than oranges."

Their vs. they're

Another annoying mistake.

Their is possessive; and it is used to describe something that belongs to more than one person.

For example...

"The rock band released their new album last fall."

They're is a contraction, a combination of the words "they" and "are" and describes the action of more than one person.

For example...

"They're going to the movies later on tonight."

Your vs. you're

Yet another annoying one.

It's the same case here as it was with the last one.

Your is possessive, someone else is describing something that belongs to you.

For example...

"Are you ready to present your project?"

You're is a contraction, like "they're." You're is a combination of "you" and "are." You use "you're" when you're referring to someone else's actions, or vice versa.

For example...

"You're going to the party on Friday, right?"

And that's about all I can think of right now, but I might add onto this if I think of more.