A Language Expert Reveals The Most Common Writing Mistakes We All Make

English is often considered one of the hardest languages to master, and even native speakers struggle with certain words that crop up frequently in everyday writing.

The good news is there are simple tricks to help you remember these tricky words and improve your writing skills.

The team at QuillBot has compiled a list of the most commonly misspelt words, along with helpful tips to avoid common mistakes.

Effect vs. affect

A staggering 75,000 writers stumble each month when choosing between effect and affect, according to Google search data. The key distinction is that affect is usually a verb meaning to influence, while effect is a noun that refers to the result.

An easy acronym can help you remember: RAVEN:

R: Remember
A: Affect is a
V: Verb
E: Effect is a
N: Noun

By keeping this in mind, you can effectively choose which word will fit the best in your sentence.

Its vs. it’s

Despite how frequently we use its and it’s, even skilled writers often mix them up, with 44,000 people monthly Googling the difference between them.

Similar to your and you’re, an easy way to remember is by visualising the apostrophe in it’s as an imaginary letter I. Or, use this rhyme: If “it is” fits, choose it’s.

To vs. too

The to vs. too dilemma has confused people for centuries, and Google search data shows that 26,000 still struggle with this to this day. To indicates direction or intent, while too means excess or addition.

A helpful tip is to remember the extra O in too, connecting it to having “too” much of something.

Your vs. you’re

Confused by the difference between your and you’re? You’re not alone! Just under 10,000 people a month Google the difference between these homophones, but a quick mental check can save your sentences.

Your shows possession, while you’re means “you are.” A simple trick is to visualise the apostrophe in you’re as an invisible A, since it’s a contraction of you are.

Fewer vs. less

The difference between fewer and less may seem small, but it’s essential for clear communication. 3,000 people Google ‘Less or fewer?’ each month, solidifying its position as one of the trickier writing conundrums to get your head around.

Use fewer for countable items and less for uncountable quantities. For example, you may have “fewer cookies” but “less sugar” in the jar.

Accept vs. except

These two words often get confused and can trip up even experienced writers, so much so that the question ‘Accept or except?’ is Googled 1,000 times monthly worldwide.

While they sound similar, they mean almost the opposite of each other.

Accept means to receive something, whereas except means to exclude something. For example:

“I am happy to accept the shoes, except the brown ones.”

“A great way to remember this is by visualising the word ‘except’ with an X. Since it’s the negative of the two, think of the X as a mark in a checkbox.”

Capitalisation

Capitalisation rules can be tricky, and many writers overuse capital letters, which can detract from the message.

Only proper nouns, like people’s names, and the first words of a sentence need capitalisation. So, when you’re writing your next email or letter, remember to keep capitalisation in check to maintain professionalism.

Information supplied by Quillbot