Maybe you’ve heard the terms ethics and morals and wondered what the difference is. Is a moral precept the same as an ethical code? A lot of people think of them as being the same thing. While they’re closely related concepts, morals refer mainly to guiding principles, and ethics refer to specific rules and actions, or behaviors. In this article, we’ll explain the subtle differences between …
The trio of their, there, and they’re can flummox writers of all levels. It’s confusing; they are homophones, meaning they have the same pronunciation (sound) but differ in meaning and derivation (origin). In this article, we’ll explain the meanings of their, there, and they’re, how to use each word correctly, and provide example sentences for each term. We’ll also give some tips on how to remember …
Then and than are among the 100 most frequently used words in the English language. The fact that they’re so common means that they’re also commonly misused! Do you say, I will call you no later than 7 pm or then 7 pm? Would you say the company needs a good accountant more than (or then) ever? Some examples are trickier than others, but you can learn to distinguish …
To understand when to use that and when to use which, it’s important to keep in mind the difference between restrictive and nonrestrictive clauses. In formal American English, that is used in restrictive clauses, and which is used in nonrestrictive clauses. Not sure what that means? Let’s find out! How to use that vs. which A restrictive clause contains information that limits the meaning of …
If you’ve ever wondered whether it was spelled fiancé or fiancée, well, they’re both correct. And they’re both correct because they are actually different terms. English borrowed them from variants of the French verb fiancer (meaning “to get engaged”) in the mid-19th century. The masculine (fiancé) and feminine (fiancée) noun forms were both imported by English speakers, even though English doesn’t typically use gendered word endings. The extra E …
The terms empathy and sympathy are often confused, and with good reason. Both of the words deal with the relationship a person has to the feelings and experiences of another person. One involves feeling a certain way about a person, and the other involves feeling the same way that another person does. In this article, we’ll explain the subtle differences between sympathy and empathy, discuss …
In the context of religious and spiritual belief—or non-belief—there are two terms that often cause confusion: atheist and agnostic. But these terms do not mean the same thing. Read on to learn the distinction. agnostic vs. atheist There is a key distinction between these terms. An atheist doesn’t believe in the existence of a god or divine being. The word atheist originates with the Greek atheos, which is …
When you come across an unfamiliar word while reading, how do you try to understand its meaning? Chances are you use context clues—even if you’ve never heard of that term. Faced with a sea of unfamiliar words, beginning readers learn many techniques for decoding words and expanding their vocabularies. Teachers use the term decoding to refer to the ability to see a written word and read it …
If you’ve ever wondered why it’s spelled practice in some contexts and practise in others, it mainly comes down to British versus American spelling. But which is which? When to use practise or practice In American English, the spelling practice is the only one commonly used—and it’s used for both the noun (commonly meaning “habit or custom” or “repeated exercise to acquire a skill”) and the verb …
If you’re in the business of defining and explaining words (which we are), it’s important to know the difference between denotation and connotation. These two terms are easy to confuse because they refer to related concepts. And every word can have both denotation and connotation. So what do they mean? In this article, we’ll explain the difference, give you tips for how to remember it, …
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 …
English is absolutely full of words that sound or look the same but have different meanings. And we have words for these kinds of words: homophones, homographs, and homonyms. But remembering the difference can be its own challenge. In this article, we’ll break down the differences and the overlap and provide examples of all three. There is a helpful way to tell the difference between …
