accept/except:

• accept=to receive;

• except=excluding

affect/effect:

• affect=verb, to act upon OR to have an effect upon;

  • (can be a noun in psychology)

• effect=noun only, a change caused by an action

allude/elude:

• allude=to make reference to;

• elude=to escape/avoid

apart/a part:

• apart=1 word, separately, not together;

• a part=2 words, a part of or in, a role or share

bear/bare:

• bear=noun, animal OR verb, to carry;

• bare=unadorned

break/brake:

• break=verb or noun, to crack/fracture or a crack/fracture

  • OR vacation, respite; chance, opportunity;  decode, decypher

• brake=to stop or those devices on your car to help you stop

capital/capitol:

• capital=government seat or material wealth or uppercase letter;

• capitol=a building housing a government seat

cite/sight/site:

• cite=to make mention of or to quote as an example;

• sight=something seen or one of the five senses;

• site=a place or location (Web site)

complement/compliment:

• complement=something that finishes, goes with, completes (subject complement);

• compliment=to praise or flatter

conscience/conscious:

• conscience=noun, moral compass;

• conscious=adjective, aware, awake

coarse/course:

• coarse=rough;

• course=class OR route taken

counsel/council:

• counsel=noun, advice OR noun, a lawyer OR verb, to advise;

• council=a deliberative body

definitely/defiantly:

• “defiantly” is often mistakenly used for “definitely”

  • defiantly = disobediently, rebelliously

  • definitely = certainly, absolutely

• Spell-Check cannot help here -- actually, I think SC helps creates this when students choose the wrong suggestion that SC offers.

desert/dessert:

• desert=noun, barren land OR verb, to abandon;

• dessert=noun, after-dinner treat

elicit/illicit:

• elicit=verb, to bring out;

• illicit=adjective, illegal, unlawful

fair/fare:

• fair=adjective, just, reasonable OR noun, festival, carnival;

• fare=noun, ticket price OR noun, food OR verb, to get along

hanged/hung:

• hanged=past tense of "to hang - a person from a noose";

• hung=past tense of "to hang - any other object" (painting, i.e.)

later/latter:

• later=adverb, refers to a future time

• latter=refers to the second of the two

lead/led:

• lead=present tense of the verb, to guide OR noun, a heavy metal or graphite in a pencil

• led=past tense of the verb (pronounced like the noun)

loose/lose:

• loose=adjective, baggy, not tight;

• lose=verb, to misplace OR verb, to fail to win

moral/morale:

• moral=adjective, virtuous, good OR noun, lesson taught by a story

• morale=noun, mood, spirit, mental condition

patience/patients:

• patience=state of calmly waiting;

• patients=plural noun of person receiving medical care

personal/personnel:

• personal=adjective, private OR adjective, individual;

• personnel=noun, staff, workers

peace/piece:

• peace=serenity;

• piece=a part of a bigger portion

plain/plane:

• plain=adjective, unadorned, simple OR noun, level land;

• plane=short for airplane OR carpenter’s tool OR level surface

principal/principle:

• principal=noun, head of school OR noun, sum of money;

• principle=basic law or guideline

quiet/quite:

• quiet=adjective, silent, still

• quite=adverb, completely, entirely OR adverb, very, considerably

regardless/irregardless:

• regardless is the correct word

• irregardless = not a word

  • like snuck, a part of our poor speech

stationary/stationery:

• stationary=adjective, in a fixed position, immobile

• stationery=noun, writing supplies and especially paper

straight/strait:

• straight=adjective, not crooked/curved OR adjective, direct, truthful, honest OR adverb, directly

• strait=noun, channel between two large bodies of water OR noun, distress, difficulty

than/then:

• than=used in comparison;

• then=adverb, next

wear/where:  

• wear=verb, to dress, put on clothes OR to erode;

• where=location

weather/whether:

• weather=noun, climate;

• whether=if