The following words are often used incorrectly.

Accept/except

accept: verb (take or receive)
     I accept your advice about taking this course.

except: (not include)
     Everyone except the young man likes it.

Advice/advise

advice: noun ("c” has an “s” sound)
     She gives good advice.
     

advise: verb ("s” has a “z” sound)
     She advises several students every day.

Affect/effect

affect: verb
     He was affected by the new grading system.

effect: noun
     The effect was great.

Beside/besides

beside: preposition (location)
     Put the paper beside the desk.

besides: adverb (in addition)
     Besides the math problems, he also did his essay exam.

Ensure/Insure/Assure

ensure: verb (make sure of)
     If you want to ensure that you receive a good grade, do your homework every night.

insure: verb (protect oneself through insurance)
     Be sure to insure yourself against theft. (Have an insurance policy.)

assure: verb (cause someone to believe or trust in something)
     He assured me that his check was valid.
     I assure you that this medicine is good.

Farther/further

farther: adverb, adjective (distance) — notice the word “far” which will help you remember this word always has to do with distance.
     He walked farther than he intended.

further: adverb, adjective (more)
     There is nothing further to say.

Lie/Lay

(to) lie, lay (past), lain (participle): verb (be in a flat position or stay in a constant position)
     He was lying on the floor.
     The machines lay idle for 2 months. (past tense)

(to) lay, laid (past), laid (participle): verb (put down)
     Lay your coat over there.
     He laid his coat down on the desk.

(to) lie, lied (past) lied (participle): verb (tell an untruth)
     If you lie to me, I will find out.
     He lied to his teacher about his grade. (past tense)

lie: (noun) a false statement
     Never tell a lie to your mother.

May be/maybe

maybe: adverb (perhaps)
     Maybe I should ask the professor about it today.

may be: modal + verb (might be)
     He may be out of town for a week.

Passed/past

passed: verb (past tense of “to pass")
     He passed the materials out to the students.

past: adjective, preposition, or noun
     In the past, machines were larger and more cumbersome.
     In past years, life was more difficult.
     He went past the tall building without looking.

Precede/proceed

precede: verb (go before)
     The president’s speech preceded (went before) the other speeches.

proceed: verb (begin or continue)
     First show us your proposal and then proceed with the project.

Raise/rise/arise

raise: transitive verb—followed by object (move someone or something to a higher position)
     She raised the book up above her head.

rise: intransitive verb—not followed by object (go to a higher position)
     The tuition is rising higher each quarter.

arise: verb (come into being)
     A problem has arisen.

Than/then

than: preposition (used only in comparison)
     He had more than she did.

then: adverb (time)
     He went home. Then he went to bed.

Their/there/they’re

their: determiner of possession for “them"
     Their building was destroyed.

there: adverb or pronoun
     Then and there she quit trying to get a good grade.
     There is no other student as good as she.

they’re: contraction for “they are”
     They’re late again.

Who’s/whose

who’s: contraction for “who is”
     Who’s coming to visit?

whose: determiner pronoun
     Whose car is this?
     This is the man whose house burned down.

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