Free Grammar Help — Words — Misused Words
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Below is a list of words that are commonly misspelled or otherwise abused. Some of them appear on other grammar pages on this site. Use the Question form to submit more.
Word |
Common Mistake |
---|---|
pain or pane |
pain refers to a feeling of discomfort pane is a framed sheet of glass in a window or door |
past, passed |
Past is a reference to time; something happened in the past. Passed is the past tense of the verb "to pass." I passed the slower car on the road. |
peak, peek, or pique |
People commonly substitute peak or peek for pique, so let's look at those words first. Peak is a noun meaning the top of a pointy thing. Like the peak of a roof, or the peak of a mountain. Peak can also be a verb meaning the maximum achievement. (I peaked too soon.) Peek means a quick look at something. I got a peek at the exam before the teacher handed it out. But pique is entirely different. Pique can be a passing feeling of wounded vanity. After a moment of pique, I admitted that I had in fact probably been responsible for the accident. The more common meaning for pique is "to arouse." The rustle in the bushes piqued my curiousity. A pica is a small mammal related to the rabbit found in mountainous areas of Western North America. The pica on the peak piqued my interest, so I moved closer to take a peek. |
pedal or petal |
A petal is part of a flower; a pedal (noun) is part of a bicycle; to pedal (verb) is to ride a bicycle. |
penultimate |
Next to last, or second last. The Latin root "paene" means "almost" as in "peninsula (almost island)" or "penumbra (almost shadow)." Often used incorrectly to mean the very last. |
plane or plain |
A plane is a flat area. Since machines that fly have flat wings, we call them airplanes, or planes. A machine that makes bumpy things flat is also known as a plane. But plain is ordinary, or unadorned. It's not fancy; it's plain. But a plain can also be a flat area of land. Central North America is also known as the great plains. If you have a plane that is not decorated, it could be called a plain plane. |
precedence, precedent, president |
A precedent is something that sets the bar that others will have to live up to: A court ruling sets a precedent. Precedence is something that comes before something else: Senior citizens have precedence for seating on the bus. A president is a person who is elected to a leadership position. The present president takes precedence over the preceding president. |
presence or prescience |
prescience comes from the sense of the word science as "knowing". So prescience is foreknowledge. (Like ESP.) Presence means being here. Your presence is appreciated. |
preventive or preventative |
Preventative is a corruption of preventive. Use preventive. This is a preventive measure to avoid grammar errors. |
rational or rationale |
Rational is an adjective. It describes one's state of mind. Rationale is a noun. It is the reason for doing something. |