Online Writing Courses: Spelling and Usage

Welcome to my online writing courses! If you’re interested in making money as a freelancer, you need to be attentive to correct grammar and mechanics. Most publishers don’t want to spend a lot of time editing your articles. Of course, most writers won’t need refreshers like those found in my online writing classes, but they might be helpful for beginners. Also, I hope students will find my free online writing courses helpful.

After reading some of my online writing courses hubs, a fellow hubber asked me to write one about spelling. Many of the mistakes people refer to as spelling errors are actually usage errors. It’s not that the word is misspelled - it’s that the wrong word is used. Spellcheck doesn’t usually catch usage errors.

Below are some of the most common usage errors I’ve seen while teaching writing classes.

Alter and altar

Alter is a verb meaning “to change.”

Altar is a noun. You can find an altar in a church.

Crevice and crevasse

Both of these words mean “a split or crack.” A crevice is a small crack, and a crevasse is a large, deep crack, like in a glacier. Crevasse is a French word, so just think about French mountain climbers.

Dying and dyeing

Dying is what you do when your heart stops beating.

Dyeing is changing the color of something through the use of dye.

Hanged and hung

The murderer was hanged by the neck.

The stockings were hung by the chimney.

Click and clique

Click is what you do to your mouse.

A clique is an exclusive group.

Its and it’s

Its is a possessive personal pronoun.

The horse had its head in the bucket.

It’s is a contraction for it is.

It’s cold outside today.

Pique, peak, peek

Folks are always confusing pique with peak and peek.

Pique means “to prick.” Something piques your interest.

A peak is a “high point.”

To peek means “to catch a glimpse.” An easy way to remember this is that peek has two Es, just like “see.”

Wonder and wander

Wonder is a verb that means “to ponder.” It's easy to remember because it's spelled the same as "ponder" except for the first letter.

I wonder what we’re having for dinner.

Wonder can also be used as a noun, meaning “awe or amazement.”

The magician’s trick filled me with wonder.

Wander is a verb that means “to travel.”

I’m going to wander over to the party next door.

Aisle and isle

Aisle means “passageway.”

Isle means “a small piece of land surrounded by water.”

Prophecy and prophesy

Prophecy is a noun. I read the prophecy in the Bible.

Prophesy is a verb, meaning “to predict.” Can you prophesy about the future?

Their, there, and they’re

Their shows ownership. Their house is near the mall.

There is a place. The house is there.

They’re is a contraction for “they are.” They’re in the theater.

Hardly

Hardly means “with difficulty.”

Many people use a superfluous negative with hardly, as in “I can’t hardly wait until Christmas.” This is incorrect. The correct sentence would be “I can hardly wait until Christmas.”

Pitcher and picture

A pitcher is a vessel used for holding liquids.

A picture is an image.

Ought and aught

Ought means “should.”

Aught is an old word that means “nothing” or “zero.”

Counsel and council

Counsel can be a noun, meaning “advice,” or a verb that means “to advise.”

Council is an official group, like the President’s Council on Physical Fitness.

Bouillon and bullion

I get these two confused sometimes!

Bouillon is broth, as in chicken bouillon.

Bullion refers to precious metals like gold and silver.

Desert and dessert

Desert means “an arid land.”

Dessert is a sweet treat. Remember that dessert has two Ss – you’d like two desserts, but not two deserts.

Grisly and grizzly

Grisly means “bloody” or “horrible,” like a scene in a horror movie.

Grizzly is a type of bear.

Exercise and exorcise

You exercise by jogging, running, and doing jumping jacks.

You exorcise demons.

Mucous and mucus

Mucous is an adjective: The lungs contain a mucous membrane.

Mucus is a noun: The baby’s nose was full of mucus.

Cache and cachet

Cache is pronounced “cash” and means “a hiding place.”

Cachet is pronounced “cashay” and means “a mark of quality or prestige.”

Allusion and illusion

Allusion means “reference” and is often used in literature: Yeats used an allusion to Greek mythology in his poem.

Illusion means “mirage.” After being lost in the desert for days, I saw the illusion of a large lake.

Quite and quiet

Quite means “very.” I’m quite happy living here.

Quiet means “not loud.” You should be quiet in the library.

Epitaph and epithet

Epitaph means “tribute to the deceased.”

Epithet means “a term used to describe someone or something” or “an abusive word or phrase.”

Supposedly

This poor word is often replaced incorrectly with “supposably” or “supposively.”

Irregardless

Irregardless is nonstandard English. Use regardless, instead.

Conversate

Please don’t use this word. The correct word is “converse.”

Alot

The correct spelling is “a lot.”

English is a funny language!

I’ve always thought that English is a difficult language. After all, there are few hard and fast rules. For example, why is the plural of “ox” oxen, but the plural of “fox” isn’t foxen? Why are more than one mouse mice, but more than one house isn’t hice?

The examples above are just a few of the most frequent examples of usage errors I’ve seen. There are lots more! I might cover more in a future entry in my online writing courses. If you need help and haven’t checked out my other free online writing classes, you just might find them helpful. Click the links below to view other entries of my online writing courses.