Commonly Misused Words and Expressions
A.D.	anno domini means in the year of the Lord, so should come before the year: A.D. 2000; B.C. comes after the year: 32 B.C.
accomodate	should be accommodate
acronym	should be used only of initialisms that make pronounceable words, like radar or Nafta, not MRI or CIA
actionable	means that which is subject to legal action or litigation, and use should be restricted to law
aggravate	to worsen or increase in severity; does not mean to annoy or vex
agree	sometimes stripped of necessary prepositions; should be agree on, to or with, etc.
alright	should be all right
an	used before words, initials, etc., that have a vowel sound (regardless of the first letter): an MIA soldier; it is affected to use before historic and other words with a sounded initial h
anchors away	should be anchors aweigh
and/or	an ugly construction; state in some other way in newspaper writing
annoint	spelled with one n: anoint
anytime	not one word; spelled any time
approximate	often used unnecessarily for about to add false gravity to a statement
around	often used by consultants as a universal preposition in the erroneous belief that it sounds intelligent: problems around cost-cutting, questions around personnel issues
artic	should be arctic; so too with antarctic
as follows	not to be used before colons, as it is unnecessary
as per	used often as an inelegant and lazy introduction: As per your request, …
as to whether	as to should be omitted
baited breath	should be bated
balls of brass	the expression is bulls of brass, or the brazen bulls that guarded the golden fleece; balls of brass, as in fortitude symbolized by metallic male organs, is a bastard form
be it	this is the ugly subjunctive; avoid it: I will fight it, be it communism, Nazism…
begs the question	the logical fallacy of petitio principii: assuming as the premise the very thing to be proved; does not mean prompts the question, as in Budget talks beg the question of deficits.
bell-wether	a castrated sheep that wears a bell and leads the flock; a leader (pejorative)
blatant	originally meant noisy, obstreperous; also means obviously objectionable; should not be used to mean obvious
borrow	the verb describing receipt of a loan, not the making of it; you can’t borrow me some money
bribe	often used in an over-broad sense to encompass payment for goods and services; should be used pejoratively to indicate improper purchase of influence or favors
calender	should be calendar
catholic	lower-case, means universal, not strict or conservative, the views of the church notwithstanding
caveat	means warning or caution, not exception, reservation or clarification
cheap	the thing bought is cheap, not its price; it is nonsense to say the price was cheap; so with expensive
chomp	the expression is champ at the bit
claim	should be used in the sense lay claim to, rather than as a synonym for argue or state
commentate	should be comment
could care less	should be couldn’s care less as in, nothing is less important
could of	should be could have
crescendo	the crescendo is the rising action in music, not the climax itself
data/media	these are plurals, though perhaps not for long
different than	incorrect; should always be different from
dilemna	should be dilemma; as well for trilemma, polylemma etc.; refers to a unavoidable choice between two unattractive options, not just any decision
disconnect	a verb; the noun is disconnection
due to	should follow a form of be or be attached to a noun; Due to budget constraints, there will be no Christmas party is incorrect; The cancellation was due to weather is correct
e.g.	exempli gratia: for example; used to introduce an example; requires a following comma, not necessary to italicize
effete	exhausted, worn-out, lacking vigor or energy; does not mean effeminate
enervate	to rob or deplete of energy; to do the opposite is to innervate
et al.	means among others; when reading aloud, is read as among others rather than in Latin; not necessary to italicize
exception	the exception proves the rule does not mean that the exception is eventually determined to be the rule; prove in this case means test, so the exception tests the validity or universality of the rule
facet	refers to a face of a stone, not just any aspect of anything
feel badly	should be feel bad; linking verbs such as be, seem, smell, appear, feel, etc. take adjectives; an adverb would modify the manner in which you feel, not how you feel
fey	fated to die or soon to die
forbid	should be followed by to, not from, in all its forms; forbade is pronounced forbad
forte	the e is silent when used to mean one’s strong point; it is sounded when used in the music sense
frequent	robbed of its charm by overuse, and much misused; often illogically used to mean visit as a verb without regard to frequency
fulsome	means offensive through excess; not just a synonym for full or complete
gender	refers to the grammatical classification of a word only; sex is proper for male/female distinctions
graduate	a college takes this action, not a student, so one is graduated from college, one does not graduate college
grow	as a transitive verb, it should be restricted to agriculture: you can grow beets, but cannot grow the economy; however, the economy grew is correct
hale	the correct phrase is hail and farewell, not hale and farewell
harass	accenting the first syllable is an affectation that grew out of the Clarence Thomas hearings
however	this should not be used as a coordinating conjunction as and or but is; a sentence should still make sense it if is omitted
hypocrisy	feigning to be other and better than one is; assuming a false appearance or dissimulation of true nature or beliefs; not necessarily contradicting one’s words in one’s actions
i.e.	id est: that is; used to define, not to give an example; requires a following comma, not necessary to italicize
if and when	an ugly construction; usually the and when can be omitted
if I was	should be If I were; in conditional future (subjunctive), use the plural were even for singular nouns
ilk	of that ilk does not mean of that kind or sort; it is used when the proprietor and property have the same name (Fowler)
immolate	to destroy or sacrifice, not necessarily by fire; does not mean set fire to
impact	often used as a verb, though it is properly a noun; the verb to use is affect or influence
impeach	to impugn or charge with a misdemeanor; does not mean to remove from office
inflammable	means the same as flammable: able to catch flame
intensive purposes	should be intents and purposes
ironic/irony	does not mean coincidental, counterintuitive, strangely appropriate, unexpected, or poetically just; it is where the literal meaning and the intended meaning are in opposition, as a light form of sarcasm, usually understood by part of the audience and at the expense of the rest; or, a turn of events that is the opposite, and as if in mockery, of what was to be expected
irregardless	no such word; use regardless
judgment	no e
just assume	should be just as soon
just deserts	spelled with one s because it is what is deserved
lily	in Shakespeare’s King John, the lily is painted, not gilt: To gild refined gold, to paint the lily…
limpid	transparent, diaphonous; not a fancy synonym for limp
literally	does not mean very; means according to the literal meaning of words, not the figurative; if someone is literally a jackass then he has actually taken the form of donkey
livid	of a blue-leaden color, as if bruised
long-lived	means having a long life, long-lifed; should be pronounced like the adjective live, not the verb
lowest common denominator	a mathematical term, often incorrectly used to denote the worst or most base element: daytime t.v. appeals to the lowest common denominator
manor	the expression is to the manner born; does not mean privileged, but instead suited for the role
medieval	not spelled midevil or any other such way; eval means time or age
metaphysical	does not mean beyond physical, supernatural; speculative inquiry into the first principles of things, including such concepts as being, substance, essence, time, space, cause, identity, etc.
militate	to have weight or effect; usually used with against
millenium	spelled millennium, with two ns
mischievious	should be mischievous; pronounce without the third i,too
momento	should be memento
moot	open to discussion; academic or hypothetical (as in the practice sessions of law students); does not mean obviated by developments or circumstances; a moot point is still debatable, not rendered inconsequential
motivate	transitive, so it must take an object; I finally motivated to go out is a bad way to say I got off my arse; also, does not mean to state the motivation: Motivate your answer is an incorrect way to say Explain the reasoning behind your answer.
much to do	should be much ado about nothing
myself	should not be used to replace I or me; should only be used as a reflexive (action taken upon oneself: I kicked myself.) or intensive (for emphasis: I myself am honest.)
noisome	foul-smelling; harmful or injurious; related to annoy, not noise
nor	must be paired with neither, not in all negative constructions: he was not fat nor tall is incorrect
octupi	incorrect plural; the original Greek would be octopoda or octopodes, but octopuses is best
one in the same	should be one and the same
orientate	should be orient
penultimate	means next to last, not the ultimate or very most; antepenultimate means second to last, preantepenultimate means third from last
peruse	to thoroughly examine or read; often misused to mean take a cursory look
plethora	a favorite word of the semiliterate; means undesirable overabundance, not simply a multitude; from the disease plethora, a morbid overabundance of blood
plus	should be limited to its mathematically sense, and not substituted for and or in addition to: it is wrong to say I met my dad plus my mom.
predominately	should be predominantly
pudding	the expression is: the proof of the pudding is in the eating not the proof is in the pudding
reticent	often used too broadly; means quiet, reserved, not reluctant
seperate	should be separate
supposably	should be supposedly
suppositious	should be supposititious; means fraudulently substituted for the genuine thing or person; counterfeit, false
the fact that	should be avoided as a way to cautiously abstract a condition: I hate the fact that she dates someone else. Omit the fact.
they	incorrectly used as a gender-neutral third person singular; avoid this use by rephrasing the sentence
this point in time	redundant; at this point or at this time is sufficient
traduce	to slander; sense of to pervert, transmogrify is obsolete
transpire	to escape from secrecy; to become public: news quickly transpired; should not be used as a fancy alternative to happen or occur
try and	should be try to
upmost	should be utmost
utilize	often replaces use to vainly add gravity to a statement; use use
vacillate	means oscillating or tergiversating; changing one’s opinion; not simply delaying or avoiding, or many of the other meanings credited to it
wet	of an appetite, should be whet, meaning to sharpen or make more acute
whether or not	or not should be omitted
zoology	pronounced ZOH-ology, not ZOO-ology