English spelling is quite frankly a nightmare for many people. Just a point of curiosity: I am not aware of any other culture where spelling bee competitions are held among the younger generation, which goes to show how random English words can be. If spelling were easier, such competitions would surely be less entertaining. The truth is that becoming a good speller takes time and certainly patience! The obscurity of English spelling is most likely attributed to the fact that the English language is a “melting pot” of many different languages combined, constructed largely from the influences of Romance languages with Anglo-Saxon roots including French, Italian, Spanish, and German. This has undoubtedly resulted in the plethora of English spelling rules that can be tough to remember. You know, those rules that have been drilled into us in grade school, like: “You put the ‘i’ before ‘e’ except after ‘c’” – such as in the words receive and deceive.
Even more compelling is the existence of words that sound the same when spoken aloud but are spelled differently depending on context to express different meanings – these words are known as homophones. The following five spelling distinctions can be useful to keep in mind to avoid using the unintended words when writing something important, or just to write grammatically as much as possible! It should be noted that there are many other homophones in English, but these are just ten to start with.
1. Their, There, They’re
Their = Possessive pronoun; refers to a third party (e.g. them).
I went to their house in the evening.
There = Noun; a location.
My friend wanted to go to New York, but he could not travel there because of the snow storm.
They’re = Contraction of they + are.
They’re going to purchase a house in Hawaii next month.
2. Too, To
Too = Adverb; in addition; also.
I am interested in singing, too!
To = Preposition; to express a direction or destination.
They wanted to go to the movies after dinner.
3. Affect, Effect
Affect = Verb; to produce a change in something else.
The rain affected the size of the crops.
Effect = Noun; something that is produced by a cause.
The criticism of his musical performance had a devastating effect on his confidence.
4. Passed, Past
Passed = Adjective; to successfully pass something.
My friend passed the test with flying colors.
Past = Adjective; something that existed before the present time.
I have experienced many great memories in the past.
5. Capital, Capitol
Capital = Noun; refers to the city/town representing the head of a state; money or property.
The capital of California is Sacramento.
Capitol = Noun; a building.
I visited the state capitol in Washington D.C. during the summer.
Definitions refereced by: Dictionary.com
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