Using Commonly Confused Words Correctly

The following are words that are often confusing. Some, like coarse and course, are homonyms. They sound alike, but their meanings and spellings are different. Others, like lose and loose, are so similar in structure that they are often misused. Revise your work carefully to catch any errors you may have made involving these troublesome words.

breath - the air inhaled or exhaledy
breathe - to inhale or exhale
capital - main city, money or wealth
capitol - the building where legislators meet
cloths - pieces of fabric
clothes- garments that are worn
conscious - awake or aware
conscience - inner voice that distinguishes between right and wrong
course - a direction or field of study
coarse – rough, crude, or inferior
complement - to complete or to add a final touch
compliment - to flatter
council – a group of people making decisions
counsel - to give advice
lose - to misplace
loose - not tight
passed - moved beyond
past - time that occurred earlier
personal - private
personnel - people employed in a business
principal – main, chief, or primary
principle - a rule or code of conduct
right - a direction; correct
rite - a ritual
write – to record words
scene - a view or setting
seen - past participle of to see
sight – the ability to see; something that is seen
site - a location or place
cite - to quote or credit
stationary - not moving
stationery – writing paper
than - a word used in comparisons
then - at that time
there - in that place
their - possessive form of they
they’re - contraction for they are
to – in that direction
too – also; very
two - 2
whose - possessive form of who
who’s - contraction of who is or who has

Which sentence is correct? If you loose your notes from psychology class, you will have trouble preparing for the exam. If you lose your notes from psychology class, you will have trouble preparing for the exam.