TYPICAL SPELLING CONFUSIONS

Another problem for businesspeople is distinguishing words that sound alike but have different spellings and may have similar meanings. Even your spell-check program can’t help you here. And there are many examples. For instance, your spell checker can’t distinguish between “except” and “accept” — both words sound the same yet they have different meanings:

He is willing to accept the new position.

We decided to send the entire department except John.

“Affect” means to influence something, and “effect” means to create a change, or, as a noun, it means the change itself:

We added equipment to effect higher productivity.

One beneficial effect of the new policy was fewer lawsuits.

To affect the organization’s future, speak out at the town meetings.

“Already” means before or at an earlier time but “all ready” means completely prepared:
Have you already mailed those letters?

The new materials will be all ready at 5:00 today.

Watch for the subtle difference between “imply,” meaning suggest, and “infer,” meaning deduce:

The CEO implied that we should expect layoffs.

From all the evidence, we can infer that Hazel has been promoted.

“Principal” means the most important, and “principle” means a guideline or ethic:

The principal characteristic most of our clients share is enthusiasm.

The principal of the business has an office in New York.

The basic principle behind our strategy is relationship building.

“Stationary” means unmoving, but “stationery” is the paper containing your letterhead:

Please leave all company stationery in the storage room.

For the engine to work, the green lever must be stationary.

“Forgoing” something means giving it up, while “foregoing” means preceding:

We will forgo short-term revenue.

The foregoing paragraph shows . . .