Last Updated on 1 May 2024

Which one is right? In what situations? These descriptions are based on numerous dictionaries.

Aw or Awe

• Aw – interjection used to express mild disappointment, sympathy or sentiment
• Awe – noun for an emotion combining elements of dread, veneration, and wonder

Bad or Badly

• Bad – adjective describing a noun. “I feel bad” means you feel sick or disappointed
• Badly – adverb describing a verb. “I feel badly” means your hands aren’t very sensitive

Capital or Capitol

• Capital – an uppercase letter, money, or a city where the seat of a government is located
• Capitol – the building where a legislature meets

Compliment or Complement

• Compliment – to say something nice to someone
• Complement – to complete or enhance something

Effect or Affect

• Effect – usually a noun, the result of the change
• Affect – usually a verb, to impact or change

Emigrate or Immigrate

• Emigrate – to move away from a country
• Immigrate – to move into a country from somewhere else

Ensure or Insure

• Ensure – to make certain
• Insure – to buy insurance

Farther or Further

• Farther – greater actual distance
• Further – greater metaphorical distance

Its or It’s

• Its – belonging to it
• It’s – “it is”

Lay or Lie

• Lay – to put or place something down
• Lie – to recline your body

Less or Fewer

• Less – used when the quantity is measured
• Fewer – used when the quantity is counted
• (Some items are measured as a group when counting them, like “250 words or less” or “less than 3 miles”.)

Lightning or Lightening

• Lightning – the electrical discharge usually accompanied by thunder
• Lightening – a form of the verb ‘lighten’, to make lighter

Principle or Principal

• Principle – a belief or philosophy
• Principal – main or major or the head of a school or the main investor in a business

Shephard or Shepherd

• Shephard – a last name
• Shepherd – an occupation taking care of sheep

That or Which

• That – never preceded by a comma; gives information that is necessary to the preceding noun
• Which – always preceded by a comma; gives additional information which, if removed, would not destroy the meaning of the sentence

That or Who

• That – pronoun used for objects. “I enjoy books that aren’t too long.”
• Who – pronoun used for people. “I met a person who was tall.”

There or Their or They’re

• There – generally an adverb indicating location or direction of movement
• Their – adjective that’s 3rd-person plural possessive, belonging to them
• They’re – contraction for “They are”

To or Too

• To – primarily a preposition indicating direction
• Too – “also”

Whose or Who’s

• Whose – “belonging to whom”
• Who’s – “who is”