Easily Confused Words

principle

A _____ is a standard, typically high. He has good _____.

principal

A _____ is the lead administrator at a school. The school is led by our _____

raise

A direct object comes after ______ Example: Our landlord _____ the rent every year.

besides

Besides means "in addition to." Who is going besides me?

loose

Loose means "baggy, not tight." This belt is really ____.

amount

Use ____ to refer to a singular word; The library has a large _____ of resource material on the Civil War.

whether

Use _____ as in the phrase "whether or not" I don't know _____ I want pizza or fries for lunch.

less

Use _____ for quantities that cannot be counted. _____ homework

fewer

Use _____ for things that can be counted. _____ calories

weather

Use _____ when referring to atmospheric or climatic conditions. I hate rainy _____.

to

___ is a preposition that means "in the direction of." Take the basket _____ Grammy's house.

capital

____ is the correct spelling for other meanings of the word other than for a governmental building. What is the _____ of Colorado? Begin a sentence with a _____ letter.

they're

_____ is a contraction meaning "they are." _____ my best friends.

their

_____ is a possessive pronoun, The girls lost _____ purses.

there

_____ is an adverb or expletive at the beginning of a sentence _____ is my bike! It is over there!

capitol

_____ is the spelling used for the government building We could see the _____ from our hotel building.

sit

_____ means " to be seated." _____ down!

further

_____ means "additional" or "to a greater extent." I need _____ advice.

past

_____ means "time that has gone by" You can't repeat the _____.

passed

_____ means "to die or go by." His grandfather _____ away yesterday. The car _____ me on the freeway.

set

_____ means "to put something in a certain place." _____ the books on the desk.

rise

_____ never has a direct object. The hot air balloons _____ above the trees.

farther

_____ refers to distance, My house is _____ away than yours.

two

a number I have ____ wishes left.

among

always implies three or more. The dog sat ____ the flowers.

than

is a comparison word. Mark is taller ____ me.

it's

is a contraction for "it is." ____ going to be a nice day today.

illusion

is a mistaken idea or a misleading appearance. Make-up can be used to create an _____.

advice

is a noun meaning "opinion." I asked my friend for ____ about my boyfriend.

its

is a possessive form of the word. The cat licked ____ paws.

advise

is a verb meaning "to give an opinion to." She ____ me to talk to him directly.

affect

is a verb meaning "to influence." The President's speech deeply ____ me.

too

is an adverb that means "extremely, overly" and "also." Leo has _____ many fish in his tank. I want to go _____!

allusion

is an indirect reference to something; In her stories, Flannery O'Connor makes numerous _____ to the Bible. The writer _____ to mistakes made by the editor when explaining his rejection letter.

between

is generally used with only two. The judge split the money ____ the two of us.

can

means "able to do something." ____ you swim across the lake?

beside

means "at the side of" or "close to." The garden is ____ the house.

altogether

means "completely" or "in all." The old television flickered once or twice then broke ____.

lose

means "to be defeated." The Raiders will ____ the game.

immigrate

means "to come into a country to live." My family _____ to the United States from Germany.

emigrate

means "to leave a country to live somewhere else." My family left and _____ from Germany

lay

means "to put" or "to place" and always has a direct object. Example: _____ the map on the table. Gretchen laid the map on the table.

lie

means "to rest" or "to be in a lying position." ____ never takes a direct object. NOTE: The past tense of lie is lay. _____ down and go to sleep. Olivia ____ down and kept quiet.

all together

means "together as a group." Let's sing the song ____.

allowed

means you are given permission.

aloud

out loud

then

signals time or order; I am going to the store and ____ home.

number

use _____ to refer to plural words. The library has a large _____ of magazines on the racks.

may

used when asking permission. Mom, _____ I go swimming?

effect

usually a noun, means "result." Occasionally, it's a verb meaning "to bring about" or "to cause." The ____ of pollution can be deadly.