Foodies, gardeners and musicians are probably well aware of the difference between a tuba and a tuber.
Tuba
Tuber
Accidentally writing about someone ‘playing a tuber’ would be unfortunate. My suggestion is to try to remember that a tuber grows underground.
The abbreviation cf. means ‘compare’. It is an abbreviation of the Latin word confer. Because cf. is a shortening of a single word, it requires one full point at the end and shouldn’t have a full point between the c and f.
Cf. should be used when you would like the reader to compare one piece of writing with another.
“Ekivrid’s shield … lacked the ‘umbo’, the metal-boss of Waltharius’s. (Cf. lines 772 and 776.)”
– K. J. Leyser, Medieval Germany and its Neighbours. 1982
There is a widespread tendency to use cf. to mean ‘see’ or ‘see also’. This usage is usually frowned upon (see New Hart’s, The Chicago Manual of Style, and the Penguin Guide to Punctuation).
I recommend using cf. only when you are directing the reader to look at something else in order to make a comparison; you should use see or see also when you are simply inviting them to read something else for more information. If you stick to this distinction, it should be clear to the reader why you have suggested they seek out the other work.
Coal and kohl are homophones. Coal is sometimes used when the writer actually means kohl, but I have never come across a ‘kohl mine’ or a ‘kohl fire’.
Coal
a black or brown rock consisting largely of carbonised vegetationKohl
I regularly see break and brake used incorrectly. They are homophones and it’s very easy to type the right letters in the wrong order.
Break has lots of meanings but I am going to list the core ones (I have also omitted brake’s rarer ones). If you would like a more extensive breakdown, you should visit Oxford Dictionaries online.
Brake
Break
Unfortunately, I don’t have a simple tip to help anyone who may struggle with using break and brake. If you have a suggestion, please share it in the comments!
Thank you to James J Harris for suggesting this post.
The use of dependant and dependent is a very good example of the constant changes taking place in the English language. Fellow users of British English are probably aware of the traditional distinction.
Dependant
Dependent
However, you might be surprised to learn that you can also use the spelling dependent for the noun. Dependent has recently muscled its way to the status of a standard variant spelling of dependant; dependent is now as common as dependant in the Oxford English Corpus (according to Fowler’s and the Oxford Dictionary online).
Dependent was already the standard spelling in American English. And dependent is the only standard spelling for the adjective.
Accept and except sound very similar, and the similarity causes confusion for some writers. If you are one of them, don’t feel bad about it. Accept and except have been muddled up for centuries; Fowler’s states that Queen Elizabeth I made the error in one of her letters.
Accept:
Except:
My tip to help you use the correct word is to try to remember that accept means agree and both words begin with a.
The similar spelling here makes it so easy to use the wrong word, accidentally type the wrong word, or miss the incorrect usage when you are reading over your own work.
Climactic means ‘forming a climax’:
Climatic means ‘relating to climate or weather’:
My advice is to try to remember there is no extra c in climatic because climate does not have an extra c. Or there’s a more complicated association with climactic and cinema (because that’s where you often watch films with big climactic scenes).
Here’s a faintly seasonal mix-up with an accompanying adorable picture.
Foul
Fowl
Ducklings are fowl and not foul. (Although, like all baby things, they are full of offensive matter that will go everywhere. And it stains. So I think that illustrates foul/fowl is a matter of perspective.)
Confusion over the use of practice and practise is common. For most varieties of English, practice is the spelling for the noun and practise is the spelling for the verb.
Verb:
I practise every day.
Noun:
It is my practice to write every day.
If it is a thing, use practice. If it is an action, use practise. I find it helpful to link them to advice and advise. Most English speakers instantly know the difference:
Verb:
Iadviceadvise you to stop.
Noun:
I gave you someadviseadvice.
The word with the -ice ending is a noun. The word ending with -ise is a verb. And you can apply that to practice and practise.
In American English, practice is the dominant spelling for the noun and the verb. However, the distinction is sometimes observed.
Pair, pare and pear are homophones. I sometimes see pair used when pare or pear would be appropriate. It depends on the context, but it can be very confusing when these words are used incorrectly.
Pair
Pare
Pear
Hannah McCall 