Use the Right Word

Quick & Easy Guide to 158 Words Commonly Confused or Misused

Do you know the most common error made by today's writers? If you're thinking, "mistakes in spelling," that's logical. English spellings are far from being entirely phonetic, and for many years misspellings topped the list of writing errors - and by a large margin. But that's no longer true. Along with the increasing use of computers as a writing tool has come a decreasing

Even with an editing program, wrong words are hard to catch because they are legitimate words and are spelled correctly. Thus, it is up to the writer to recognize them and replace them with the right words.

What kinds of words are "wrong words"?
• Some sound the same as the "right words" but are spelled differently and have a different meaning: e.g., their, there, they're.
• Some have been used incorrectly so often that the wrong usage "sounds right " e.g., "Eat less calories to lose weight." (should be fewer)
• Some have a similar or related meaning to the "right word," but with a distinct difference: e.g., libel, slander.

USE THE RIGHT WORD is designed to help you . . .
• Recognize the words you are most likely to confuse or misuse.
  Pairs of easily confused words are arranged alphabetically in the Table of Contents and the Index.
  
• Quickly understand the distinction between the "wrong word" and its corresponding "right word."
  Each entry includes dictionary definitions with example sentences plus additional examples of real use by well-known people.
  
• Remember the distinction through memorable examples of correct usage by well-known people.
  E.g., the entry for accept versus except includes additional example sentences by: George Carlin, Albert Einstein, Audrey Hepburn, Jackie Robinson, Benjamin Franklin, and Oscar Wilde.
  

BONUS SECTION 495 WORDS THAT ARE COMMONLY MISSPELLED