Commonly confused words

til vs till

<em>Till</em> is a genuine, standard English word meaning <em>until</em>: <em>The shop stays open till nine.</...

til vs until

<em>Until</em> is the full standard word: <em>The offer runs until Friday.</em> <em>Til</em> is a nonstandard...

till vs until

Till and until mean the same thing and both are correct English: "We waited till dawn" and "We waited until da...

tinder vs kindling

Tinder is the finest, driest material — it catches a spark directly. Kindling is the next stage up: small stic...

titled vs entitled

Use titled for the name of a work: "a book titled Middlemarch." Use entitled for having a right to something:...

to vs too

<em>Too</em> means either 'also' or 'more than is wanted': 'I'm coming too' and 'This coat is too tight.' <em>...

to vs two

<em>Two</em> is the number 2: 'We booked two tickets.' <em>To</em> shows direction or introduces a verb: 'I'm...

toffee vs caramel

Both are cooked sugar. Caramel is taken to a lower temperature and usually includes cream or milk, so it stays...

too vs two

<em>Two</em> is the number 2: 'She has two sisters.' <em>Too</em> means 'also' or 'more than is wanted': 'I'll...

took vs taken

Took is the simple past tense and stands on its own: "I took the train." Taken is the past participle and cann...

toward vs towards

They mean the same thing and are used the same way — the only difference is which side of the Atlantic you are...

track vs tract

A track is a path, a course, or a recorded song. A tract is an expanse of land, a system in the body (the dige...

trail vs trial

A trail is a path or a track left behind. A trial is a test, or a legal proceeding in court. The letters are s...

transgender vs transsexual

Transgender is the current umbrella term for anyone whose gender identity differs from the sex they were assig...

transpiration vs evaporation

Evaporation is water becoming vapour from any surface — a puddle, a lake, wet clothing. Transpiration is the s...

traveled vs travelled

There is no difference in meaning: <em>traveled</em> is the American spelling and <em>travelled</em> is the Br...

traveling vs travelling

Same word, same meaning — only the spelling differs by country. Travelling (two l's) is standard in the UK, Ir...

troop vs troupe

A troop is a group — most often military, and also used of scouts and of some animals. A troupe is a company o...

trousers vs slacks

Trousers is the general term, standard in British English for any such garment. Slacks refers to casual or sem...

tsunami vs hurricane

A tsunami is a series of sea waves, usually triggered by an earthquake, landslide or volcanic eruption displac...

typhoon vs cyclone

The same storm with different regional names. A tropical cyclone is called a typhoon in the northwest Pacific...

typhoon vs tsunami

Completely unrelated events. A typhoon is a storm — a tropical cyclone in the northwest Pacific, made of wind...

typhoon vs hurricane

They are the same kind of storm — a tropical cyclone — and the name depends only on where it forms. In the Atl...

ultrasonic vs ultrasound

Ultrasound is the sound itself — vibration above the range of human hearing, roughly above 20 kHz. Ultrasonic...