Confusing Words

When you see unkept and unkempt, you might think they are the same word with alternative spelling. The only difference is that one has an M. Perhaps one is an archaic version and the other the modern equivalent. But no, these two words are different, with separate meanings. Researching and extending your vocabulary English is…

Is it wreaked havoc or wrought havoc? At first glance, I thought both were correct, but that wrought sounded much better. Like you, perhaps, I thought wrought was the simple past verb for wreak, as with bring and brought or teach and taught. But after hitting the dictionaries, I discovered I was wrong as there…

The choice to use people or persons in writing depends on the context. In most cases, people is the accepted plural form of person. But there are situations when it’s correct to use persons when talking about a specific number of individuals. Peoples is a plural form of people but has limited use. The difference…

Which spelling is correct? Is it backward or backwards? The good news is that both of them are perfectly correct for this adverb. But it depends on whether you write in US or British English. For US writers, there is no S. But for UK and some other national varieties of English, there is an…

You’re waiting impatiently for news, but nothing arrives. Are you on tenterhooks or on tender hooks? Yes, the suspense is agonizing and unbearable. But in the meantime, it might help to know that the correct answer is that you are on tenterhooks. It’s hard to think of any type of hook that is tender. Just…

Yes, the correct answer is in regard to. It is incorrect to use in regards to. It’s so easy to make this mistake when writing, and it’s an error that you can miss when proofreading. But the grammar for regard and regards can be a little confusing because it is correct to use as regards.…

Continuously and continually are two very similar adverbs. However, there is a subtle difference between the meanings of the two words. Continuously means without interruption, whereas continually indicates repeatedly or at regular intervals. In many situations, you could use either one. It would make little difference to your readers. It’s not a classic grammar mistake.…

When you mince your words, you are not getting to the point, or you are speaking indirectly or vaguely. We use the expression in the negative form mostly. You might tell someone to stop mincing words and speak more clearly. But we generally associate the word mince with food when we grind, hash or chop…

Death throes is an expression that authors, in particular, might use in writing from time to time. What is odd is that the noun, throes, is a plural noun rarely seen in its singular form. In fact, many dictionaries don’t mention the singular form. It’s an unusual expression, but be careful not to confuse or…

Hazard a guess, has at a guess, or has it a guess? You often see these three expressions used in writing. However, the correct phrase is hazard a guess. Because the phrases sound almost the same when speaking, it’s very easy to get the expression wrong. But yes, to have a guess is perfectly correct.…