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Spelling: Common Words That Sound Alike: Summary
Spelling: Common Words That Sound Alike: Summary
Summary:
This resource covers common spelling errors including accept/except, ei/ie, noun plurals, and
ible/able.
Contributors:Purdue OWL
Last Edited: 2013-10-07 02:04:55
Many words sound alike but mean different things when put into writing. This list will help
you distinguish between some of the more common words that sound alike. Click on any of
the blue underlined links to open a longer and more complete definition of the word in a new
window.
Forms to remember
Accept, Except
We are currently updating these resources, but for more information on these words, plus
exercises, see our document on accept and except.
Affect, Effect
A memory-aid for affect and effect is RAVEN: Remember, Affect is a Verb and Effect is a
Noun.
We are currently updating these resources, but for more information on these words, plus
exercises, see our document on affect and effect.
Advise, Advice
advice = noun that means an opinion or recommendation about what could or should
be done:
Conscious, Conscience
Idea, Ideal
idea = noun meaning a thought, belief, or conception held in the mind, or a general
notion or conception formed by generalization:
Jennifer had a brilliant ideashe'd go to the Writing Lab for help with her papers!
Its, It's
(Pronouns have apostrophes only when two words are being shortened into
one.)
Lead, Led
led = past-tense and past-participle form of the verb to lead, meaning to guide or
direct:
Than, Then
(Pronouns have apostrophes only when two words are being shortened into one.)
Two, twelve, and between are all words related to the number 2, and all contain the letters tw.
Too can mean also or can be an intensifier, and you might say that it contains an extra o ("one
too many")
(Pronouns have apostrophes only when two words are being shortened into one.)
Where = location:
Your, You're
(Pronouns have apostrophes only when two words are being shortened into one.)
I/E Rule
Write I before E
Except after C
Exceptions
seize, either, weird, height, foreign, leisure, conscience, counterfeit, forfeit, neither, science,
species, sufficient
-ible -able
If the root is not a complete word, If the root is a complete word, add -able.
add -ible.
accept + able = acceptable
aud + ible = audible
Examples:
Examples:
fashionable
visible
laughable
horrible
suitable
terrible
dependable
possible
comfortable
edible
If the root is a complete word ending in -e, drop the
eligible final -e and add -able.
permissible Examples:
advisable
desirable
valuable
debatable
Some exceptions:
contemptible
digestible
flexible
responsible
irritable
inevitable
Please note we are in the process of revising our exercises. They will eventually be altered to
reflect those revisions.