Read about the book version of this site. The expanded and revised second edition is now available.
Read about the book version of this site. The expanded and revised second edition is now available.
Now available: the 2009 Common Errors in English Usage boxed daily calendar
Listen to Paul Brians' interview on the Voice of America Wordmaster program.
Click here for the text-only version of this site.
Preparing to review or recommend this site? Please read this first.
Public presentations by Paul Brians
Use the search below to find words and phrases on this site.
About this Search Engine
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
* 100s * 360 degrees * a/an * A.D. * AM/PM * abject * able to * about * absorbtion * abstruse/obtuse * academia * accede/exceed * accent marks * access * accessory * accept/except * accidently * accurate/precise * acronyms and apostrophes * acrossed * actionable/doable * actual fact/actually * ad/add * ad nauseum * addicting * adapt/adopt * administer/minister * administrate * adultry * advance/advanced * adverse/averse * advice/advise * adviser/advisor * advocate for * aesthetic/ascetic * affect/effect * affluence/effluence * African-American * afterall * afterwards/afterwords * agnostic/atheist * agreeance/agreement * ahold/hold * aid/aide * ain’t * aisle/isle * all * all and all * all be it * all for not * all goes well/augurs well * all of the sudden * all the farther * alleged, allegedly * alliterate/illiterate * alls * allude/elude * allude/refer * allusion/illusion * allusive/elusive/illusive * almost * along the same line * alot * aloud/allowed * already/all ready * alright * altar/alter * alterior * alternate/alternative * altogether/ all together * alumnus/alumni * amature * ambiguous/ambivalent * ambivalent/indifferent * American * amongst/among * amoral/immoral * amount/number * ampitheater * ancestor * and also * and/or * anecdote/antidote * angel/angle * another words * antihero * anxious/eager * any more * anytime * anyways * anywhere * anywheres * apart/a part * apiece/a piece * apostrophes * appauled * appraise/apprise * apropos/appropriate * around/about * arthuritis * artic * artisanal/artesian * ascribe/subscribe as best as * as far as * as follow * as of yet * as per * as such * as time progressed * ascared * asocial * aspect/respect * assure/ensure/insure * asterick * astrology/astronomy * aswell * at all * ATM machine * athlete * athiest * attain/obtain * attribute/contribute * aural/oral * auger/augur * autobiography/biography * avaidable * avenge/revenge * avocation/vocation * away/a way * awe, shucks * awhile/a while * ax * axel/axle *
back/forward/up in time * backslash/slash * backward/backwards * bail/bale * baited breath * baldfaced, boldfaced * ball/bawl * barb wire, bob wire * bare/bear * barter/haggle * base * based around, based off of * basicly * basises * bazaar/bizarre * beat/bead * beaurocracy * beckon call * begs the question * behaviors * being that * belief/believe * belief toward * below table * bemuse * benefactor/beneficiary * beside/besides * better * between * between you and I * beyond the pail * bias/biased * bible * bicep * biweekly/semiweekly * blatant * block/bloc * blunt/brunt * boarders/borders * bonafied * bored of * born/borne * born out of * borrow/loan * borrow off * both/each * bought/brought * boughten * bounce/bounds * bourgeois * bouyant * brainchild * brake/break * brand names * brang, brung * breach/breech * breath/breathe * bring/take * Britain/Briton * broach/brooch * broke/broken * brunt/butt * buttload * brussel sprout * build off of * bullion/bouillon * bully pulpit * bumrush * butt naked * buttox * by/’bye/buy * by far and away *
cache/cachet * caddy-corner * call the question * callous/callused * cheese quesadilla * calm, cool, and collective * Calvary/cavalry * can goods * Canadian geese * cannot/can not * canon/cannon * canvas/canvass * capital/capitol * caramel/carmel * carat/caret/carrot/karat * careen/career * caring * cast in stone * Catch 22 * CD-ROM disk * ceasar * celibate/chaste * celtic * cement/concrete * censor/censure/sensor/censer * center around * center of attraction * cents * chai tea * chaise longue * chalk-full * Champaign/Champagne * chauvinist * Check * chemicals * Chicano/Latino/Hispanic * chrispy * chose/choose * chuck/chunk * Church * cite/site/sight * classic/classical * cleanup/clean up * cliché/clichéd * click/clique * close/clothes * close proximity * closed-minded * coarse/course * coffee clutch * cold slaw * collaborate/corroborate * collage/college * collective plural * Colombia/Columbia * colons/semicolons * come with * commas * company names with apostrophes * compare and contrast * compare to/compare with * complement/compliment * complementary/complimentary * comprised of * concensus * concerning * concerted effort * conflicted/conflicting feelings * confusionism * congradulations * connote/denote * conscience, conscious, consciousness * conservativism * contaminates/contaminants * continual/continuous * contrary/contrast * contrasts/contrasts with * conversate * copywrite/copyright * core/corps/corpse * costumer/customer * could care less * could of/should of/would of * council/counsel/consul * couple/couple of * cowtow * Crackerjacks * crafts * credible/credulous * crescendo/climax * crevice/crevasse * crick/creek * criteria/criterion * criticism * critique/criticize * croissant * crowbar/wrecking bar * crucifiction * crucifix/cross * cue/queue * currant/current * curve your appetite * cursing through veins * cut and dry * cut and paste/copy and paste * cut of tea *
damped/dampened * damp squid * dangling and misplaced modifiers * daring-do * data * dateline/deadline * daylight savings time * death nail * debrief * deceptively * decimate * deep-seeded * defence * definate * deformation/defamation * defuse/diffuse * degrade/denigrate/downgrade * degree names * deja vu * democrat/democratic * denied of * depends * depreciate/deprecate * derisory/derisive * desert/dessert * deviant/deviate * device/devise * dew/do/doo/due * dialogue/discuss * dieties * differ/vary * different than * dilemma/difficulty * dire straights * disburse/disperse * disc/disk * disconcerning * discreet/discrete * discretion is the better part of valor * discussed/disgust * disease names * disgression * disinterested/uninterested * disrespect * dissemble/disassemble * do respect * do’s and don’ts * doctorial/doctoral * doesn’t supposed to * dolly/handcart * dominate/dominant * done/did * double negatives * doubt that/doubt whether/doubt if * doubtlessly/doubtless * dove/dived * downfall/drawback * download/upload * dozen of * drank/drunk * drastic/dramatic * dredge/drudge/trudge * drier/dryer * dribble/drivel * drips and drabs * drive/disk * drug/dragged * dual/duel * duck tape * due to the fact that * dyeing/dying *
e.g./i.e. * each * early adapter * earth, moon * easedrop * ecology/environment * economic/economical * ecstatic * ect. * -ed/-t * needs -ed/-ing * efforting * ei/ie * either/or, neither/nor * either are/either is * eighteen hundreds/nineteenth century * electrocute * elicit/illicit * ellipses * email * embaress * emergent/emergency * emigrate/immigrate * eminent/imminent/immanent * empathy/sympathy * emphasize on * emulate/imitate * end result * enamored by * endemic/epidemic * engine/motor * English/British * enjoy to * enormity/enormousness * enquire/inquire * ensuite * ensure/insure * enthuse * entomology/etymology * envelop/envelope * envious/jealous * enviroment * epic/epoch * epicenter * epigram/epigraph/epitaph/epithet * epitomy * eponymous * error/err * -es * et al. * ethics/morals/morale * ethnic * ever so often * every * every since * everyday * everyone/every one * everytime * evidence to * evoke * exact same * exalt/exult * exasperate/exacerbate * excape/escape * exceptional/exceptionable * excrable * exhileration * exorcise/exercise * exponential * expressed/express * expresso * expresses that/says that * extend/extent * extract revenge *
factoid * fair/fare * far be it for me * farther/further * fastly * fatal/fateful * faze/phase * fearful/fearsome * Febuary * feelings for/feelings about * feint/faint * female/woman * 50’s * fiance/fiancee * finalize * fine toothcomb * firey * first annual * firstable * fiscal/physical * fit the bill * fittest * fixing * flair/flare * flak/flack * flaunt/flout * flesh out/flush out * floppy disk/hard disk * flounder/founder * fluke * flys * focus around * followup * font/typeface * foot/feet * footnotes/endnotes * for/fore/four * for all intensive purposes * for free * for goodness’ sakes * for one/for one thing * for sale/on sale * for sell * for sure/sure * forbidding/foreboding/formidable * forceful/forcible/forced * forego/forgo * foresee/forsee * forever/for ever * formally/formerly * forward/forwards * fortuitous/fortunate * foul/fowl * fourty * fowl swoop * framework/groundwork * Frankenstein * frankly * French dip with au jus * freshman/freshmen * from . . . to * from the beginning of time * fully well * fulsome * -fuls/-ful * full proof/foolproof * functionality * furl/furrow * fushia *
GP practice * gaff/gaffe * gamut/gauntlet * gander/dander * gaurd * genius * gender * get me * Ghandi * gibe/jibe/jive * gift/give * gig/jig * gild/guild * goal/objective * god * goes * gone/went * gonna * good/well * got/gotten * government * graduate * grammer * gratis/gratuitous * gray/grey * greatful * grevious * grill cheese * grisly/grizzly * group (singular vs. plural) * ground zero * grow * guess who? * gyp *
had ought * hadn’t have * hail/hale * hairbrained * hand and hand * handicap/disability * hangar/hanger * hanged/hung * hanging indents * Hanukkah, Chanukah * hardly * hardly never * hardy/hearty * hark/hearken * HIV virus * he don’t * heading/bound * heal/heel * hear/here * hearing-impaired * heavily * heighth * help the problem * hence why * herbs/spices * hero/protagonist * heroin/heroine * highly looked upon/highly regarded * him, her/he, she * Hindi/Hindu * hippie/hippy * hisself * historic/historical * an historic * hoi polloi * hoard/horde * hold your peace/say your piece * hole/whole * holocaust * homophobic * home page * hone in * hors d’oeuvres * how to * hundreds/century * hyphenation * hyphens & dashes * hypocritical * hysterical/hilarious *
I me myself * -ic * idea/ideal * if/whether * if not * if I was/if I were * ignorant * Illinois * immaculate conception/virgin birth * impact * impactful * impertinent/irrelevant * imply/infer * in regards to * in route * in spite of/despite * in store * in terms of * in the fact that * in the mist * incase * incent, incentivize * incidences/incidents/instances * incredible * incredulous/incredible * indepth * Indian/Native American * individual * infact * infamous/notorious * infinite * inflammable * influencial * ink pen * input * in route * in shambles * in spite of/despite * insight/incite * install/instill * instances/instants * insundry * intend on * intense/intensive * intensifiers * intercession * interment/internment * Internet/intranet * interface * intergrate * intermural/intramural/extramural * interpretate * into/in to * intricate/integral * intrigue * invested interest * invite/invitation * Iraq * ironically * irregardless * is, is * islams * isn't it, innit * Isreal * issues * itch/scratch * it’s/its *
jack/plug * jam/jamb * jerry-built/jury-rigged * Jew/Jewish * jewelry * job titles * John Henry * John Hopkins * joint possessives * judgement * just assume *
key * kick-start * kindergarden * koala bear *
l/1 * l/ll * LCD Display * laissez-faire * land lover * languish/luxuriate * large * last name/family name * late/former * later/latter * laundry mat * lay/lie * leach/leech * lead/led * least/lest * leave/let * legend/myth * lense * less/fewer * lessen/lesson * let alone * lets/let’s * liable, libel * liaise * libary * light-year * lighted/lit * lightening/lightning * like * like for * likker * listserv * “lite” spelling * literally * little own * little to none * lived * loath/loathe * login * logon * lol * long story short * loose/lose * loser/looser * lozenger * lustful/lusty * luxuriant/luxurious *
MAC/Mac * macabre * magic bullet/silver bullet * majority are/majority is * majorly * make due * make pretend * mantle/mantel * manufacture * marital/martial * marshall * marshmellow * mash potatoes * mass * masseuse/masseur * material/materiel * mauve * may/might * maybe/may be * me either * mean/median * meantime/meanwhile * medal/metal/meddle/mettle * media * Medieval Ages * mediocre * medium/median * methodology/method * memorium * mfr./mfg. * mic * midrift * might could * might has well * might ought * militate/mitigate * mind of information * miner/minor * minority * minus * minus well * mischievious * misnomer * misplaced stress * mixed-up media * money is no option * mono e mono * moral/morale * morays * more importantly * moreso * most always * motherload * motion/move * Mount Fujiyama * much differently * muchly * mucus/mucous * mumble jumbo, mumbo jumble * music/singing * must of * mute point * myriad of * myself *
n’ * name, pronoun * nauseated/nauseous * naval/navel * near * neck in neck * needs -ed/-ing * neice * Nevada * nevermind * new lease of life * next, this * next store * nieve * niggard * ninty * nip it in the butt * no sooner when * no such a thing * Noble Prize * none * nonplussed * noone * not * not all * not all that * not hardly * notate/note * notorious * now and days * nuclear * number of verb * numbers * nuptual *
O/zero * obsolescent/obsolete * of * of ___’s * offense * offline * often * oggle * OK * old fashion * old-timer’s disease * old wise tale * on accident * on the lamb * on tomorrow * once * once and a while * one of the (singular) * one-dimensional * one in the same * one of the only * ongoingly * online/on line/in line * only * onto/on to * op-ed * open * opportunist * oppress/repress * oral/verbal * orders of magnitude * ordinance/ordnance * Oregon * organic * oriental * orientate * ostensively * over-exaggerated * oversee/overlook * overtake/take over * owness *
page/site * pair (number) * palate/palette/pallet * par excellance * parallel * parallelled/paralleled * parallelism in a series * paralyzation * parameters/perimeters * paramount/tantamount * paranoid * parentheses * parliment * partake/participate * passed/past * past time * pastorial * passive voice * patience/patients * pause for concern * pawn off/palm off * payed/paid * peace/piece * peak/peek/pique * peal out/peel out * peasant/pheasant * pedal/peddle * pedal to the medal * pen/pin * penultimate/next to last * peoples * per * percent, per cent * percent decrease * percipitation * pernickety/persnickety * perogative/prerogative * perpetrate/perpetuate * persay * persecute/prosecute * personal/personnel * personality * perspective/prospective * peruse * perverse/perverted * phenomena/phenomenon * Philippines/Filipinos * physical * picaresque/picturesque * pickup/pick up * picture * PIN number * pinned up * pit in my stomach * pith and vinegar * plain/plane * plays a factor * playwrite * plead innocent * please RSVP * plug-in * plus/add * podium/lectern * poinsetta * poisonous/venomous * point being is that * point in time * point of you * pole/poll * pompom/pompon * poo-poo * populace/populous * pore/pour * possessed of, by, with * prosperity/posterity * practice/practise * practicle * pray/prey * precede/proceed * precedence/precedents * precipitate/precipitous * precurse * predominant/predominate * predominately * preemptory * preferably * prejudice/prejudiced * pre-Madonna * premier/premiere * premise/premises * prepone * prepositions (repeated) * prepositions (wrong) * prescribe/proscribe * presently * pretty * primer * primevil * principal/principle * prioritize * priority * proactive * probably * prodigy, progeny, protégé * proof is in the pudding * prone * pronounciation * prophecy/prophesy * prostate/prostrate * protray * proved/proven * psychologist/psychiatrist/psychotherapist/psychoanalyst * pundint * purposely/purposefully *
Q/G * quantum leap * question/ask * queue * the quick and the dead * quiet/quite * quote * quotation marks *
RBIs * RPMs * racism * rack/wrack * raise/raze * rampart/rampant * ran/run * random * rapport * rate of speed * ratio * rational/rationale * rationale/rationalization * ravaging/ravishing/ravenous * recreate * reactionary/reactive * readably * real/really * realtor * reap what you sew * reason because * rebelling/revolting * rebut/refute * recent/resent * rediculous * redo it over * redundancies * reeking havoc * refrain/restrain * refridgerator * refute/reject * regard/regards * regime/regimen/regiment * regretfully/regrettably * reign/rein * reknown * religion * religion believes * religiosity * reluctant/reticent * remotely close * remuneration/renumeration * reoccurring * repel/repulse * replete/complete * reply back * report into * repungent * request/ask * resignate * resister/resistor * respiratory * respond back * restive * retch/wretch * reticent/hesitant * retrospective/retroactive * return back * revelant * revert/reply * revolve/rotate * revue/review * rhetorical questions * riffle/rifle * right of passage * ring its neck * Rio Grande River * risky/risqué * road to hoe * rob/steal * role/roll * rollover/roll over * romantic * rondezvous * root/rout/route * rouge/rogue * rubbage * Rueben * ruff * rural * rye/wry *
sacred/scared * sacreligious * safety deposit box * sail/sale/sell * salsa sauce * same difference * sarcastic/ironic * satellite * say/tell * sceptic/skeptic * schizophrenic * sci-fi * scone/sconce * Scotch * scotch free * scrapegoat * sea change * seam/seem * second of all * seen/saw * segway * select/selected * self-worth * sense/since * sensual/sensuous * sentence fragments * sergeant of arms * service/serve * set/sit * setup/set up * shall/will * shear/sheer * sheath/sheaf * sherbert * shimmy/shinny * shoe-in * shone/shown * shook/shaken * shrunk/shrank * shutter to think * sick/sic * Sierra Nevada Mountains * signaled out * silicon/silicone * simplistic * single quotes * sister-in-laws * skiddish * slight of hand * slog it out * slow gin * sluff off * snuck * so/very * so fun * soar/sore * social/societal * sojourn/journey * sole/soul * sometime/some time * sometimes not always * somewhat of a * song/work or composition * sooner * sooner than later * sort after * sort of * soup du jour of the day * sour grapes * sowcow * spaces after a period * spaded/spayed * span * spare of the moment * specially/especially * specie/species * spicket * spiritualism * spoke/said * spree * squash/quash * staid/stayed * stalactites/stalagmites * stand/stance * states/countries * stationary/stationery * statue of limitations * steep learning curve * step foot * stereo * stint/stent * stock and trade * stomp * stood/stayed * straight/strait * straightjacket * straight-laced * stress on * stricken/struck * strong suite * submittal/submission * substance-free * substitute with * suffer with * suit/suite * sulking/skulking * summary/summery * suped up * supercede * supposably, supposingly, supposively * suppose to * supremist * suspect/suspicious * surfing the Internet * swam/swum *
table * tad bit * take a different tact * taken back/taken aback * tattle-tail * taught/taut * taunt/taut/tout * tenant/tenet * tender hooks * tentative * than/then * thanks God * thankyou * that/than * that/which * that kind * theirselves * them * theory * there’s * they’re/their/there * therefor/therefore * these are them * these kind * these ones * they/their (singular) * think on * though/thought/through * threw/through * throne/thrown * through a mirror, darkly * throws of passion * thusfar * thusly * tick/tic * timber/timbre * time period * times smaller * tirimisù * today’s day and age * to/too/two * toe-headed * to home * to the manor born * to where * today’s modern society * tolled/told * tooken/took/taken * tounge * tongue and cheek * tore/torn * torturous/tortuous * touch bases * tow the line * toward/towards * track home * tradegy * tragedy/travesty * transition * tripple * trite and true * troop/troupe * try and * tussled/tousled * two to tangle *
UFO * ugly American * The Ukraine * unchartered/uncharted * unconscience * under the guise that * undermind * under weigh * underestimated * underlining * undo/undue * undoubtably * unkept * University of Indiana * unpleased * unrest * unthaw * untracked * upmost * upto * urine analysis * use/usage * use to * used to could * utilize *
vague reference * vain/vane/vein * various * vary/very * veil of tears * vendor * veracious/voracious * verbage * verb tense * verse/play against * verses/versus * very sort of, very kind of * very unique * vicious/viscous circle/cycle * video * vinegarette * vintage point * virii * vitae * viola/voila * volumptuous *
wail/whale * wait on * walk the talk * wander/wonder * warmongerer * warrantee/warranty * wary/weary/leery * was/were * wash * wax * way * ways * weak/week * weather/wether/whether * weather forecast calls for * weiner * Wensday * went/gone * we’re/were * were/where * wet your appetite * whacky/wacky * what * wheat * wheelbarrel * whenever/when * whereabouts are * where it’s at * wherefore * whether/whether or not * whilst/while * whim and a prayer * whimp * whip cream * whisky/whiskey * who/whom * who’s/whose * a whole ’nother * whole-hardily * whose-ever * wile away * -wise * within/among * woman/women * wonderkind * wont/won’t * working progress * World Wide Web * worse comes to worse * would have * wrangle/wangle * wrapped/rapt * wreckless * write me * writting *
ya’ll * ye * yea/yeah/yay * year end and year out * ying and yang * yoke/yolk * you can’t have your cake and eat it too * your/you * your guys’s * yourself * your/you’re * youse * you’ve got another thing coming *
zeroscape * zero-sum gain * zoology *
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
split infinitives * ending a sentence with a preposition * beginning a sentence with a conjunction * between vs. among * over vs. more than * gender vs. sex * who vs. that * since vs. because * hopefully * momentarily * lend vs. loan * near miss * “none’singular vs. plural * scan vs. skim * off of * gotten vs. got * till’ vs. ’til * teenage vs. teenaged * reference vs. cite * endquote vs. unquote * feeling bad * persuade vs. convince * You shouldn’t pronounce the “e” in “not my forte.” * normalcy vs. normality * aggravate vs. irritate * preventive vs. preventative * entitled vs. titled * People are healthy; vegetables are healthful. * Dinner is done; people are finished. * Crops are raised; children are reared. * “You’ve got mail” should be “you have mail.” * it’s “cut the muster,” not “cut the mustard.” * it’s “carrot on a stick,” not “carrot or stick.” * spitting image * “Lion’s share” means all of something, not the larger part of something. * connoisseur