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Est. 1828

Grammar & Usage

On 'Biweekly' and 'Bimonthly'

Sorry, not sorry

Putting Adjectives in the Right Order

You do this without even thinking

What's the difference between 'sympathy' and 'empathy'?

You don't know how it feels
  • Commonly Confused
  • Usage Notes
  • Spelling & Pronunciation
  • Punctuation

Popular

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

How to pick the right one

Is it 'autumn' or 'fall'?

Why does this season have two different names?

Using Bullet Points ( • )

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Be dashing—and do it well

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

For example, the different ways to use them

Democracy or Republic: What's the difference?

And which is the United States?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly

Here's your explanation, and you're welcome

Every Letter Is Silent, Sometimes: A-Z List of Examples

When each letter can be seen but not heard

Commonly Confused

Commonly Confused

  • 'Awhile' vs. 'A While'

    There are rules, but who's listening?
  • Is it 'forty' or 'fourty'?

    This is usage
  • Is It 'jail' or 'prison'?

    How they differ and overlap
  • 'Deduction' vs. 'Induction' vs. 'Abduction'

    Mmm, logic
  • See All

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

We promise you're not the only one who has trouble with these words

Usage Notes

See More

Can you end a sentence with a preposition?

Yes, a preposition is something you can end with.

First, Second and Third Person Explained

First, second, and third person explained

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

Beyond 'simile' and 'metaphor'

Are 'funner' and 'funnest' real words?

We got a whole mess of fun here, folks

Can you use 'comprised of'?

It's been in use for centuries.
See More

Spelling & Pronunciation

Spelling & Pronunciation

  • Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

    A learned explanation that is not wicked hard
  • 10 Words You See But Don't Hear

    How to pronounce 10 words with unpredictable stress and vowel sounds
  • How to Remember the Spelling of 'Definitely'

    A definitive answer.
  • Why does English have so many silent letters?

    Inexplicable silent letters, explained
  • See All

The Many Plurals of 'Octopus'

But which is correct?

Punctuation

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

The shifting role of the apostrophe

A Guide to Using Colons

We'll get to semicolons later.

To Use or Not Use the "?" in Requests

"Would you read this, please."

All About Ellipses ...

How to use them … and talk about them

How to Use Word Division Dots and Syllable Hyphens

Dictionary secrets, revealed!
See More
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