I’m going to do a series of short posts, possibly daily, clarifying tricky pairs of words.
For example:
affect – effect
practise – practice
fewer – less
compliment – complement
I need loads of them – please comment with your favourite / least favourite / personally troublesome words and I’ll cover as many as I can and build up a nice resource for my readers!
LibroEditing proofreading, editing, transcription, localisation 
Geoff Elliott-Howell
May 11, 2011 at 8:27 am
I’ve always had trouble with the whole affect – effect thing!
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libroediting
May 11, 2011 at 9:01 am
Excellent – glad I’ll be covering that one, then!
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Jen
May 11, 2011 at 9:00 am
There’s ‘stationery’ and ‘stationary’ as well …
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libroediting
May 11, 2011 at 9:01 am
Jolly good! Keep them coming!
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Katweeble
May 11, 2011 at 7:57 pm
I was going to suggest this one too
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Sparrowgrass
May 11, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Principle – principal
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libroediting
May 11, 2011 at 1:35 pm
Ah, yes, that’s a good one! Nearly a week’s worth now …
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Chrystyna
May 11, 2011 at 3:58 pm
licence & license – have to keep a postit on my dictionary to remind me!
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libroediting
May 11, 2011 at 5:21 pm
Thanks Chrys – another good one!
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Julia
May 12, 2011 at 1:32 pm
relative and relation
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Julia
May 12, 2011 at 1:38 pm
query, inquiry and enquiry
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Sarah
May 22, 2011 at 12:53 pm
these are ones I’m really unsure about! especially important as I work in customer services answering queries/inquiries/enquiries – arrggh!
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Julia
May 12, 2011 at 1:42 pm
comparative comparable
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Julia
May 12, 2011 at 1:43 pm
inflammable flammable
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libroediting
May 12, 2011 at 1:49 pm
Goodness – thank you! Those will keep me going!
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Jen
May 13, 2011 at 1:08 pm
Oh yes and what about uninterested/disinterested?
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libroediting
May 16, 2011 at 11:54 am
Nice one – will include!
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Colleen
May 16, 2011 at 11:50 am
Not really like the others on your list but I never know the difference of when to use i.e. and e.g.
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libroediting
May 16, 2011 at 11:54 am
No, that works- thank you!
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Sandy Millin
May 21, 2011 at 10:15 am
Hi Liz,
Great idea! I’ll promote some of these to my language teaching pals on Twitter 🙂 Just a note – you spelt compliment – complement the same way in your original post (says the English teacher!)
Good luck!
Sandy
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libroediting
May 21, 2011 at 10:35 am
And so I did! Shows that even proof-readers need proof-readers! Thanks for promoting these posts; they should come out every Thursday or Friday till I’ve run out of ideas or suggestions!
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Amy
May 25, 2011 at 12:50 am
Perhaps too obvious, but what about Who and Whom? Very easy to sort out when to use one or the other, but I see and hear those two words used incorrectly so often – more in speech than writing, but way too often in writing.
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libroediting
May 25, 2011 at 2:29 am
Thanks Amy – not too obvious at all, given all the other ones I’m doing!
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Julia
May 25, 2011 at 7:28 am
How about client and customer.
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Julia
May 25, 2011 at 7:32 am
Lineage and linage – just hadn’t realised the second one existed.
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libroediting
May 25, 2011 at 7:41 am
Thanks for these two, Julia. I’ll do my best. Might have to do 2 a week at this rate!
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Peter
June 4, 2011 at 7:15 am
lie and lay are constantly confused by American speakers. And another triple: peek, peak, pique.
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Liz at Libro
June 4, 2011 at 8:50 am
Thanks for these – I’ll cover both sets in time (I’ve got lots written up but am releasing them twice a week!) I’m mainly working with British English but making a note when the American is substantially different, e.g. with practice and practise.
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