Let’s hit the brakes and take a quick break to break down the difference between brake and break. We’ll answer all your questions, including: Did we just use all of those words correctly? What’s the difference between break and brake? Is it break down or brake down? Is it a break pedal or a brake pedal? In this article, we’ll cover multiple meanings of these …
Hold up, slow down—should it be spelled it whoa or woah? The “proper” spelling of this commonly used interjection of surprise is widely debated. Saddle up, because we’re about to break down the difference between whoa and woah by revealing which one came first and which of the two is considered the more standard choice. The word whoa is an interjection that’s used in a …
It’s common for the words reckless and wreck to be used in the same context, like in this sentence, for example: Many car wrecks are caused by reckless driving. But is wreckless a word? In this article, we’ll get to the bottom of the confusion between reckless and wreckless, including which one is used in common phrases—like those ending in driving and abandon. The adjective …
The words explicit and implicit can be easily confused. They sound similar, have the same ending, and are both abstract. Adding on to that, both words have multiple meanings—sometimes they’re opposites, and sometimes they simply mean different things. In this article, we’ll explain the different ways these two words are used, including which one means “implied” and which one means “expressed directly.” Don’t worry, we’ll …
It’s no wonder you might need advice when it comes to the difference between council and counsel. Not only are they pronounced identically, but they are both often used in the same contexts and sometimes even in the same sentence! However, these words do have different meanings, and one of them is always a noun while the other can be a noun or a verb. …
Diagnosis and prognosis can be scary words—and confusing ones. But once you understand the difference, they can actually provide reassurance. That’s because one is an explanation of what exactly is wrong and one is a prediction of how things will turn out. In this article, we’ll examine the difference between a diagnosis and a prognosis in medicine as well as in general use. In medicine, …
Throw a bunch of ingredients in a pot, add liquid, heat it up, and what do you get? That’s actually a harder question to answer than you might think. Dishes made in this way can be labeled soup, stew, broth, bisque, or chowder. When it comes to food, people have strong preferences not only about taste but also about what things are called. In this …
The words maternal and paternal pop up a lot in different phrases, including ones like maternal instincts, paternal grandmother, maternal leave, and paternal DNA. You probably know that both words have to do with mothers and fathers, but which is which? In this article, we’ll define the different meanings of maternal and paternal, explain the simple difference between them, and we’ll even cover the related …
Here’s the obvious thing about poison and venom: you don’t want either one in your body. But after that, things can get confusing. Although the two words are sometimes used interchangeably in casual use, a distinction is made between them in scientific contexts. In this article, we’ll look at the key differences between poison and venom as well as the adjective forms poisonous and venomous, …
Financial jargon can be intimidating, and that’s especially true of the stock market terminology. But even if you’re not an investor, many of these terms can be relevant to your life due to their bearing on the larger economy. You’ve probably heard the terms bull market and bear market, but what exactly do they mean, and what’s the difference? In this article, we’ll explain bull …
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Confused about annual vs. perennial plants? You’re not alone—it’s especially difficult to remember which is which because they sound like they might mean the same thing. To make matters worse, there’s also a third confusing term: biennial. Join us as we root out the differences and give examples of perennials, annuals, and biennials so you’ll always remember which is which. The word perennial is applied …
Advice and advise are closely related—they’re used in the same contexts and they’re separated by only one letter. But they’re pronounced differently. The challenge is really remembering which spelling to use for the noun and which spelling to use for the verb. Take our advice: after we advise you on the difference, you’ll never get them mixed up again. Advice is a noun that means …