A

a, an
 A is used before words that begin with a consonant sound. I.e. a car, a glove
 An is used before words that begin with a vowel sound.  I.e. an igloo, an honour

a lot, alot
 Alot is not one word; a lot is two words. I.e.  I like a lot of ketchup on my fries.

accept, except
 Accept means to receive or believe.  I.e. I will accept your apology.
 Except means "other than".  I.e. I love all vegetables except broccoli.

affect, effect
 Affect means to influence.  I.e. Mark's outburst affected the class. (influenced)
 Effect  means "the result".  I.e. The effect of the bee sting was fatal. (result)

already, all ready
 Already means before this time or by this time.  I.e. My three year old sister reads already.
 All ready means fully prepared.  I.e. She is all ready for

alright, all right
There is no such word as alright!

anyway, anyways
There is no such word as anyways!

 school.

 

B

beside, besides
Beside means "by the side of".  I.e.  Your book is beside the computer.
Besides means "in addition to".  I.e.  Would you like anything besides coffee?

board, bored
Board is a piece of wood or an administrative group of people.  I.e. the School Board.
Bored means weary of dullness.  I.e.  He was so bored by the conversation he fell asleep.

brake, break
Brake is a device used to stop a vehicle. I.e. The brakes failed on my car.
Break means to destroy, but it can also mean a "brief rest period".  I.e.  During my coffee break I saw a young girl break everything in a china shop!

by, bye, buy:
Bye means farewell.  I.e. She waved good-bye to her uncle.
Buy means to purchase.  I.e. I’m going to buy a new hockey stick.
Use by if the meaning you want is not one of the first two.  I.e. The book is by Margaret Atwood or The house is by the sea.

C

cent, sent, scent:
Cent is a coin.  I.e. It cost 47 cents.
Sent is the past tense of send.  I.e. I sent the letter.
Scent is an odor or smell.  I.e. What is that scent coming from the kitchen?

chose, choose:
Chose is the past tense of choose.  I.e. I chose not to go to the movies.

coarse, course:
Coarse means rough or crude.  I.e.  Please don't use such coarse language.
Course refers to a direction or path taken. I.e. What course will you take when you cross the ocean?
It can also mean a class of study. I.e.  She's the professor of my English course.

conscious, conscience:
Conscious means alert, or awake.  I.e.  The patient was conscious when he arrived at the hospital.
Conscience is your sense of right and wrong, or your Jiminey Cricket.  I.e. The fact that she cheated weighed heavily on her conscience.

could of:
No such phrase.  should be could have or could've.

D

dear, deer:
Dear means loved or valued.
Deer is an animal.

desert, dessert:
Desert is a hot sandy place.
Dessert is the sweet course of a meal.  Hint to remember you always want a second helping of deSSert! (2 “s”)
I.e.  In the desert I only craved water, not dessert.

die, dye:
Die (dying) means to stop living.  I.e. Do the doctors think he will die?
Dye is used to change the color of something.  I.e. Can the shoemaker dye my shoes purple?"

E

F

for, fore, four:
Fore means earlier or the front.
Four is the number 4.
I.e.  The four penalties foreshadowed the result of the game.

G

H

heal, heel:
Heal means to mend or restore to health.
A Heel is the back part of the foot.
I.e.  Has the cut on your heel healed?

hear, here:
You hear with your ears.  Hint – the word “ear” is in hear.
Here refers to a location.
I.e. Can you hear the guest speaker from over here?

heard, herd:
Heard is past tense for “to hear”.
Herd is a large group of animals.
I.e.  We were miles away when we heard the herd of buffalo stampeding.

hole, whole:
A hole is a cavity or hollow place.  I.e.  Please dig the hole for the new bush.
Whole means complete.  I.e. Did he eat the whole cake?

 

I

it’s, its:
It’s means it is.  I.e.  It’s Friday!
Its indicates possession.  I.e. The dog is mine and its name is Fido.

J

K

knew, new:
Knew is the past tense of “to know”.  I.e.  She knew all the answers to the questions.
New means recent or opposite from old.  I.e. Is that a new sweater?

L

loose, lose:
Loose means not tight or unrestrained.  I.e.  The dog got loose or My pants are too loose.
Lose means to misplace.  I.e. Did you lose your keys?

 

M

meat, meet:
Meat is food.  Hint – “eat” is in the word meat.
Meet means to encounter or come upon.
I.e.  Would you like to meet me for dinner?
We can’t eat the meat because it has gone bad.

medal, metal:
Medal is an award.
Metal is an element like iron or gold.
I.e.  She won a gold medal at the Olympics.
       I’m allergic to the metal in my watch.

miner, minor:
A miner digs in the ground.
A minor is an underage person.
I.e.  They will not serve alcohol to minors.  His father was a miner in Cape Breton.

N

O

P

patients, patience:
Patients are the people doctors care for.
Patience is your willingness to wait.
I.e.  Please try to have some patience while the doctor waits on other patients.

peace, piece:
Peace means tranquility or freedom from war. I.e.  She dreams of world peace.
Piece means a part of or section of something.  Hint – the word “pie” is in the word piece.  I.e. Can I have another piece of pie?

plain, plane:
Plain means a flat area of  land.  I.e.  The Canadian Plains are in Saskatchewan.  It also means clearly understood, or  It can mean simple.  I.e. Her dress was very plain.
Plane means airplane.  I.e. It’s time to board the plane.

pore, pour, poor:
A pore is an opening in the skin.
Pour means a constant flow or stream.
Poor means needy.
Ie.  Please pour the poor man a glass of water.

principal, principle:
Principal means a school administrator.
Principle means a moral rule.  I.e. honesty
I.e.  The Principal stuck to her principles.

Q

quiet, quit, quite:
Quiet is the opposite of noisy.
Quit means to stop.
Quite means completely or entirely.
I.e.  I am quite sure that once the baby quits crying it will be quiet.

R

right, write:
Right means correct.  It also refers to the direction.
Write is what we do with pen and paper.
I.e.  Please write the right answer in the blanks.

S

scene, seen:
Scene refers to setting or location.  It also refers to part of a film.  I.e. This is where the scene from the movie was filmed.
Seen is part of the verb see.  I.e. I haven't seen your shoes.

seam, seem:
Seam is a line formed by joining to pieces.  I.e.  The two seams were sewn together.
Seem means to appear to exist or be.  I.e. She seems to be upset.

should of:
No such phrase.  Should be should have or should've.

sight, site, cite:
Sight has to do with seeing.  I.e. He lost his sight in the fire.
Site refers to location.  I.e. You can visit the construction site on the web site.
Cite means to refer to.  I.e.  If you take information from a source you must cite the source.

sole, soul:
Sole means single, or only.  It also refers to the bottom of the foot.  I.e.  The soles of her feet were aching, but she was the sole winner of the race.
Soul refers to the spiritual part of the person.  I.e. Those who believe we have a soul wonder what happens to it when we die.

some, sum:
Some refers to part of.  I.e. Would you like some cake?
Sum refers to the whole amount (you find the sum when you add).  I.e. What is the sum of all your bills?

stationary, stationery:
Stationary means not moveable.  I.e.  The desks in the classrooms are not stationary.
Stationery refers to paper and envelopes.  Hint - paper ends in "er".  Stationery, that means paper, has "er" in it.  I.e. He bought her personalized stationery for Christmas.

steal, steel:
Steal means to illegally take something. I.e. He went to jail for stealing.
Steel is a metal.  The entire house is made from steel.

suppose to:
No such phrase.  Should be supposed to.

T

than, then:
Than is used to compare things.  I.e.  The sequel to the movie was better than the original.
Then indicates when.  I.e. It was then that she realized she loved him.

their, there, they're:
Their indicates possession.
There indicates place.  Hint - there has the word "here" in it.
They're means "they are" (the apostrophe replaces the "a" in "are").
I.e.  It is there, in their house, that they're going to be married.

threw, through:
Threw is the past tense of throw.
Through means passing from one side of something to another.
I.e.  He threw the baseball through the window.

to, too, two:
Too means also or very.  I.e.  The water was too cold.
Two means the number 2.  I.e.  I'd like two cokes.
Use "to" for all other meanings.  I.e.  The letter is addressed to Cheryl or Are you going to the party?
 

U

Use to:
No such phrase.  It should be used to.

V

W

waist, waste:
Your waist is the place between your upper body and your lower body.  I.e.  Those pants are too big around your waist.
Waste is garbage, and can also mean to wear away, decay, or use ineffectively.  I.e. Only using one side of paper is a terrible waste or Please don't waste my time.

wait, weight:
Wait means staying somewhere expecting something.
Weight related to how heavy something is.
I.e.  Please wait while I check the weight of your luggage.

wear, where:
You wear clothing.
Where asks the question of location.
I.e.  What will you wear, and where should I meet you?

way, weigh:
Way means path or route.
Weigh means to measure weight.
I.e.  On your way to the check out, could you please weigh this bag of candy.

weather, whether:
Weather is the climate.
Whether refers to a possibility.
I.e.  The weather will decide whether or not we will be going on our trip.

who's, whose:
Who's means "who is" or "who has".
Whose refers to possession.
I.e. Who's going to the party, and whose house is it at?

wood, would:
Wood is the stuff trees are made of.
Would is part of the word "will".
I.e.  Would you mind passing me some wood for the fire?

would of:
No such phrase. Should be would have or would've. 

X

Y

you're, your:
You're means "you are".  If you can substitute what you are trying to say with "you are", then you are using the right form.
Your refers to possession.
I.e.  You're going to take your skates to the rink, right?