50 Most Misused and Abused Words

ompliment, comple
imply, infer
farther, further
fect, effect
fewer
adverse, averse
allusion, illusion than, then
burse, disperse
accept, except
ssure, ensure, insure
all right, alright
heir, there, they’re
ose, loose principal, princip
continual, continuous
of, have disburse, disperse
its, it’s beside, besid
your, you’re acute, chronic
ResourcefulManager's 50 Most Misused And Abused Words
“The difference between the almost right

word and the right word is really a large
matter – it's the difference between the
lightning bug and the lightning.”
- Mark Twain
Twain was dead on. (No surprise there!) At the

very least, using the wrong word in a report,
proposal, paper or memo can be embarrassing.
At its worst, misusing words can damage your
credibility and even prove costly at times.
One big problem with language today is the way
we speak and the way we write are often two
different beasts.
Why else would the phrase “for all intents and
purposes” have metamorphosed into “for all
intensive purposes”? The same is true for “could
of” and “should of,” which don’t even make sense
if you think about it. But because that’s the way
we say it, that’s the way many of us end up writing
it on paper, instead of the proper “could have”
and “should have.”
What follows is a list of words and phrases we
commonly misuse. Hopefully, most of them won’t
be eye-openers, but a few may surprise you:
PAGE 2 / 10
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accept, except
accept – (verb) To agree with, take in, receive. Example: We

accept your decision.
except – (preposition) Apart from. Example: All committee

members are present except for Ms. Brown.
acute, chronic
acute – (adjective) Sharp, intense, critical. Example: The company

has an acute shortage of skilled workers right now.
chronic – (adjective) Constant, habitual, long- lasting. Example:

She is unable to work because of a chronic illness.
adverse, averse
adverse – (adjective) Unfavorable, opposing one’s interest.

Example: They found themselves in adverse circumstances.
averse – (adjective) Antipathy, repugnance, having the feeling

of being opposed. Example: She is not averse to increasing
her workload.
affect, effect
affect – (verb) To influence something. Example: How will that

affect the bottom line?
effect – (noun) The result of. (verb) to cause something to be.

Example: Her speech had the effect of motivating the listeners.
PAGE 3 / 10
allusion, illusion
allusion – (noun) A casual reference of mention of something.

Example: Was that an allusion to Hemingway?
illusion – (noun) Something that gives a false picture of reality.

Example: He believes democracy is an illusion.
all right, alright
all right – Fine, OK. Example: It’s all right to leave early.
alright – Incorrect spelling, but often shows up in

informal writing.
adverse, averse
adverse – (adjective) Unfavorable, opposing one’s interest.

Example: They found themselves in adverse circumstances.
averse – (adjective) Antipathy, repugnance, having the feeling of

being opposed. Example: She is not averse to increasing
her workload.
apprise, appraise
apprise – (verb) Give notice to. Example: Please apprise me of

the situation.
appraise – (verb) Determine the worth of something. Example:

The ring was appraised before we purchased it.
PAGE 4 / 10
assure, ensure, insure
assure – (verb) To state with confidence, pledge or promise.

Example: I assure you the check is in the mail.
ensure – (verb) To make certain. Example: Following the

instructions ensures you won’t get hurt.
insure – (verb) To purchase insurance. Example: Insure the

package before you mail it.
beside, besides
beside – (preposition) At the side of, next to, near. Example: Take
a seat beside me.
besides – (adverb) Furthermore, in addition
to. Example: Besides, several of us will be out of town

next week.
compliment, complement
compliment – (verb) To give praise. Example: I complimented

Steve on his speech.
complement – (verb) To complete something or match it well.

Example: Her skills complement the needs of our department.
continual, continuous
continual – (adjective) Often repeated, very frequent –

but occasionally interrupted. Example: They’ve received
continual complaints.
continuous – (adjective) Uninterrupted. Example: We couldn’t

hear over his continuous talking.
PAGE 5 / 10
disburse, disperse
disburse – (verb) To pay, distribute, scatter. Example: They

disbursed name tags to everyone attending the meeting.
disperse – (verb) To drive off, spread widely, cause to vanish.

Example: The throng of fans dispersed into the stands.
farther, further
farther – (adverb) At or to a greater distance. Example: We are

located farther down the highway.
further – (adverb) More or additional -- but not related to

distance. Example: We need to have further discussion on that.
fewer, less
fewer – (adjective) Of a small number, only used with countable

items. Example: He made fewer mistakes than last time.
less – (adjective or adverb) To a smaller extent, amount

or degree -- used with quantities that cannot be
individually counted. Example: If they made less noise,
we could concentrate.
imply, infer
imply – (verb) To suggest. Example: What are you implying by

that accusation?
infer – (verb) To deduce from evidence. Example: From the look

on your face, I can infer you’re not happy with the decision.
PAGE 6 / 10
its, it’s
its – (pronoun) Possessive form of “it.” Example: The machine

has lost its ability to scan documents.
it’s – Contraction of “it is.” Example: It’s not a question of

right or wrong.
lose, loose
lose – (verb) Fail to win, misplace. Example: Did you lose

your file?
loose – (adjective) Free from anything that restrains. Example:

Since losing weight, his clothes seem loose.
of, have
of – (preposition) Frequently confused with “have” since

“could’ve” is pronounced “could of.” But “of” cannot be
used as a verb.
have – (verb) Proper verb form for “could have,” “should have”
and “would have.”
principal, principle
principal – (noun) Person who has controlling authority.

(adjective) Something essential or important. Example: Let’s talk
about the principal reason we’re meeting today.
principle – (noun) Basic truth, policy or action. Example: It’s

important to stick to our principles.
PAGE 7 / 10
regardless, irregardless
regardless – (adjective or adverb) In spite of. Example: We are

leaving, regardless of whether you’re ready.
irregardless – This is not a word. (Yes, you may find it in your

dictionary, but you’re only embarrassing yourself if you use it.)
than, then
than – (preposition) In contrast to. Example: I’d rather speak

face-to-face than communicate by e-mail.
then – (adverb) Next. Example: We met for dinner, then went

to a movie.
their, there, they’re
their – (pronoun) Belonging to them. Example: Where is their

car?
there – (adverb) In a place. Example: Let’s visit there.
they’re – Contraction of “they are.” Example: They’re not leaving

without saying good-bye, are they?
PAGE 8 / 10
whose, who’s
whose – (pronoun) Possessive case of “who” or “which.”

Example: Whose keys are these?
who’s – Contraction of “who is.” Example: Who’s going to the

game after work?
your, you’re
your – (pronoun) Belonging to you. Example: Your briefcase is

over there.
you’re – Contraction of “you are.” Example: You’re not going to

believe this.
PAGE 9 / 10

50 Most Misused and Abused Words

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ompliment, comple

allusion, illusion than, then

ose, loose principal, princip

“The difference between the almost right

Twain was dead on. (No surprise there!) At the

accept – (verb) To agree with, take in, receive. Example: We

except – (preposition) Apart from. Example: All committee

acute – (adjective) Sharp, intense, critical. Example: The company

chronic – (adjective) Constant, habitual, long- lasting. Example:

adverse – (adjective) Unfavorable, opposing one’s interest.

averse – (adjective) Antipathy, repugnance, having the feeling

affect – (verb) To influence something. Example: How will that

effect – (noun) The result of. (verb) to cause something to be.

allusion – (noun) A casual reference of mention of something.

illusion – (noun) Something that gives a false picture of reality.

all right, alright

alright – Incorrect spelling, but often shows up in

adverse – (adjective) Unfavorable, opposing one’s interest.

averse – (adjective) Antipathy, repugnance, having the feeling of

apprise – (verb) Give notice to. Example: Please apprise me of

appraise – (verb) Determine the worth of something. Example:

assure, ensure, insure

assure – (verb) To state with confidence, pledge or promise.

ensure – (verb) To make certain. Example: Following the

insure – (verb) To purchase insurance. Example: Insure the

besides – (adverb) Furthermore, in addition

to. Example: Besides, several of us will be out of town

compliment – (verb) To give praise. Example: I complimented

complement – (verb) To complete something or match it well.

continual – (adjective) Often repeated, very frequent –

continuous – (adjective) Uninterrupted. Example: We couldn’t

disburse – (verb) To pay, distribute, scatter. Example: They

disperse – (verb) To drive off, spread widely, cause to vanish.

farther – (adverb) At or to a greater distance. Example: We are

further – (adverb) More or additional -- but not related to

fewer – (adjective) Of a small number, only used with countable

less – (adjective or adverb) To a smaller extent, amount

imply – (verb) To suggest. Example: What are you implying by

infer – (verb) To deduce from evidence. Example: From the look

its – (pronoun) Possessive form of “it.” Example: The machine

it’s – Contraction of “it is.” Example: It’s not a question of

lose – (verb) Fail to win, misplace. Example: Did you lose

loose – (adjective) Free from anything that restrains. Example:

of – (preposition) Frequently confused with “have” since

principal – (noun) Person who has controlling authority.

principle – (noun) Basic truth, policy or action. Example: It’s

regardless – (adjective or adverb) In spite of. Example: We are

irregardless – This is not a word. (Yes, you may find it in your

than – (preposition) In contrast to. Example: I’d rather speak

then – (adverb) Next. Example: We met for dinner, then went

their, there, they’re

their – (pronoun) Belonging to them. Example: Where is their

there – (adverb) In a place. Example: Let’s visit there.

they’re – Contraction of “they are.” Example: They’re not leaving

whose – (pronoun) Possessive case of “who” or “which.”

who’s – Contraction of “who is.” Example: Who’s going to the

your – (pronoun) Belonging to you. Example: Your briefcase is

you’re – Contraction of “you are.” Example: You’re not going to

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