Commonly Confused Words II

Accept & Except
Accept means to take or receive
Except means with the exclusion of

Donald found it hard to accept the fact that everyone was invited to the party except him.

Aid & Aide
Aid is a verb that means to help or a noun that means assistance
Aide is a noun that means an assistant or helper

Laura's aide took the day off from work in order to aid the fire victims.

All Ready & Already
All ready means prepared
Already means previously or by now

Lee and Cindy are all ready for their vacation; in fact, they have already packed their bags.

Among & Between
Among is used when there are more than two involved
Between is used when only two are involved

Between the two households there were seven children, and among these seven children there were two sets of twins.

Loose & Lose
Loose is an adjective that means not rigidly fastened or securely attached
Lose is a verb that means to suffer the loss of or to miss

David was very unhappy when he realized that the hole in his pocket had caused him to lose all of his loose change.

Principal & Principle
Principal refers to the chief person or thing, such as the Principal of a school (remember the old saying, the Principal is your "pal")
Principle is a rule of conduct or a fundamental doctrine or tenet

The Principal of Northshore Elementary School taught a class on the principles of modern physics.

Fewer & Less
Fewer is used when the things you are describing are able to be counted
Less is used when describing things that cannot be counted, or abstract or imprecise things such as time, speed, and quality

Morgan is less active in the Boy Scout troop than the rest of his patrol, and consequently has earned fewer merit badges than the other boys.