Commonly confused words

tack vs tact

Tack is a course or direction, from sailing — a boat changes tack by turning across the wind. Tact is sensitiv...

taco vs burrito

A taco is a tortilla folded around a filling and open along the top — usually a small corn tortilla. A burrito...

taiga vs tundra

Taiga is the vast belt of coniferous forest across northern Eurasia and North America — cold, but warm enough...

tail vs tale

A tail is the part sticking out at the back — of an animal, a plane, a comet, a queue: "The dog thumped its ta...

taut vs taunt

Taut means stretched tight — a taut rope, taut muscles, and figuratively a taut thriller. To taunt is to mock...

teacher vs student

These are the two roles in the same relationship, not variants of one word. A teacher gives instruction; a stu...

teal vs turquoise

Both sit between blue and green. Teal is the darker and more muted of the two — a deep blue-green. Turquoise i...

tear vs tier

A tier is a level or row in something stacked or ranked: "The top tier of the cake." A tear, when it rhymes wi...

telepathy vs telekinesis

Telepathy is mind-to-mind communication — transferring thoughts without the senses. Telekinesis is moving phys...

tenant vs tenet

A tenant is someone who rents a property. A tenet is a principle or belief — a central tenet of the theory. "A...

tendon vs ligament

A tendon connects muscle to bone — it transmits the pull of a muscle so the bone moves. A ligament connects bo...

that vs this

'This' points to something close to you — in space, in time, or in the conversation: 'This coffee is cold.' 'T...

that vs which

Use <em>that</em> when the clause is essential to identifying what you mean: 'The report that arrived late was...

thee vs thou

Thou is the subject form — it does the action: "Thou art my witness." Thee is the object form — it receives th...

thee vs thy

Thee is an object pronoun — the old singular equivalent of "you" when it receives the action: "I give this to...

theft vs larceny

Theft is the broad, current term for dishonestly taking someone's property. Larceny is an older and narrower l...

their vs there

<em>Their</em> shows ownership: 'Their car broke down.' <em>There</em> means a place, or starts a statement ab...

then vs than

Use "than" for comparisons ("faster than", "better than"). Use "then" for time or sequence ("first this, then...

there vs their

There refers to a place or introduces a sentence — over there, there is a problem. Their shows possession — th...

tho vs though

They are the same word: <em>though</em> is the standard spelling, and <em>tho</em> is an informal respelling u...

thorough vs through

Thorough is an adjective meaning complete and detailed: "They carried out a thorough inspection." Through is a...

throne vs thrown

A throne is the ceremonial seat of a monarch. Thrown is the past participle of throw — <em>the ball was thrown...

thy vs thine

Both mean "your" in older English. Thy sits before a word beginning with a consonant: "thy kingdom". Thine is...

tibia vs fibula

The tibia is the shin bone: the thick bone at the front of the lower leg that carries your weight. The fibula...