As anyone who's ever tried to set up their home wireless network, explain the rules of ice hockey, watch the movie Inception, or put a straw in a Capri Sun can attest: life can be pretty confusing sometimes.
Fortunately, words don't have to be. That's because we at Shmoop have put together a list of some of the most commonly confused or misused words. Step right up (i.e., scroll down) to learn more about: bad vs. badly, between vs. among, different from vs. different than, each vs. every, farther vs. further, then vs. than, media vs. medium, and how to use literally, very, and regardless like a pro.
And after you're done here, check out our tips for combatting even more issues with word confusion and misuse:
- your vs. you're
- its vs. it's
- their vs. they're vs. there
- fewer vs. less
- good vs. well
- like vs. as
- bring vs. take
- can vs. may
- may vs. might
- lay vs. lie
- sit vs. set
- that vs. which
- that vs. who
- who vs. who
Bad vs. Badly
People just love to correct you on this one, don't they?Badly is an adverb, which means you can use it to describe adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs. Bad is an adjective, which means you c...
Between vs. Among
Ready to increase your preposition power? We're going to keep this short and sweet: Use between when you're talking about two things.Use among for more than two things.The end.
Different From vs. Different Than
In most writing scenarios, the general consensus is that different from is a better choice than different than. Why? No idea.Just kidding.The word from is a preposition, so all it needs is an obje...
Each vs. Every
Sometimes each and every mean the same thing. Sometimes they mean almost (but not quite) the same thing. Super helpful—we know.For instances where you only have two items, use the word each inst...
Farther vs. Further
Here's the short version: you use the word farther when you are talking about physical distance and further when you are talking about metaphorical or figurative distance. (For example, if your ex...
Then vs. Than
For two words that mean totally different things, then and than are mixed up pretty often. Why? Because visually, they're only off by one letter. It's like accidentally saying Paris when you mean...
Media vs. Medium
In the simplest terms, the noun medium is a go-between. In art, it's a material used to create, like oil paint or clay. In science, it's a substance through which something is transmitted, like air...
Literally
The word literally means in a literal sense. You know, as opposed to a figurative sense.Snooty grammarians love to call people out for overusing the word. Is your skin literally going to melt beca...
Very
Because we use the word very a ton in casual conversation, it tends to surface in our writing a lot, too. Does the fact that it's colloquial make it wrong? Nope.It can be used to add emphasis, and...
Regardless vs. Irregardless
The rules for using regardless and irregardless are easy.You use regardless as an adverb when you want to say anyway or without regard or concern, as in I have no idea how many people are coming to...