artwork by Michelle Haas
Spell check is an amazing tool, but it can only do so much. No matter how many times a writer edits a draft, some words are commonly confused. I usually spend a ton of revision time doing a "search" of my Word doc to confirm I haven't mixed up a "their" or a "there" or a "they're." Below is my own personal list of least favorite tricky words worth a double-check, because sometimes my fingers type one thing while my brain is thinking something else.
Accept/Except
Accept - to agree to do or receive - e.g., I happily accept this book award.
Except - not including - e.g., Everyone is going to the library except you.
Bated/Baited
Bated - in suspense - e.g., I waited with bated breath for the next Robert Galbraith novel.
Baited - with bait attached - e.g., I baited my readers with the promise of a new revision blog by the end of the week.
Climactic/Climatic
Climactic - forming a climax - e.g., The thriller's climactic ending left me breathless.
Climatic - relating to climate - e.g., The suspense thriller, set during monsoon season, included climatic elements such as high winds and pouring rain.
Defuse/Diffuse
Defuse - to make a situation less tense - e.g., The librarian had to defuse a fight over who got to shake the best selling author's hand first during a reading.
Diffuse - spread over wide area - e.g., The librarian diffused the collection of board books, creating reading areas in every corner of the elementary school library.
Disinterested/Uninterested
Disinterested - impartial - e.g., Many writers have a disinterested group of beta readers, instead of a biased parent, take a look at a manuscript before sending it to an agent.
Uninterested - not interested - e.g., The young adult novelist was typically uninterested in writing picture books.
Flaunt/Flout
Flaunt - to display ostentatiously - e.g., I like to flaunt my book collection by storing all my titles in wall-to-wall shelves in each and every room.
Flout - disregard a rule - e.g., And I sometimes flout the rules and begin a sentence with a conjunction.
Loath/Loathe
Loath - reluctant - e.g., I am loath to put down a really good book.
Loathe - to hate - e.g., I loathe a poorly edited manuscript.
Peek/Peak
Peek - to glance or look quickly - e.g., I never peek at the last page until it's time.
Peak - highest point - e.g., J.K. Rowling is at the peak of her writing career.
Their/There/They're
Their - possessive - e.g., I like their book.
There - a place - e.g., I would go there to find a book.
They're - contraction of they and are - e.g., They're going to the library.
Your/You're/Yore
Your - possessive - e.g., I like your book.
You're - contraction of you and are - e.g., You're going to the library.
Yore - past or former times - e.g., The books of yore were written on parchment paper.
**Affect/Effect
Easily one of the most common, if not THE most common tricky word combos, I spent 20 minutes trying to do this justice and gave up. Essentially, affect is usually a verb, and effect is usually a noun, but there are exceptions. Go to Grammarly's full-length post on this for more details. And good luck!
With the new year just around the corner, here's hoping this helps all of you with personal goals of cleaning up that work-in-progress. Don't let those tricky words get you down.
Time to revise, my writerly friends!
Thank you, Michelle Storm Haas, for your always lovely artwork.
#amediting #amrevising #WIP #NaNoWriMo #amwriting #writingtips
Accept/Except
Accept - to agree to do or receive - e.g., I happily accept this book award.
Except - not including - e.g., Everyone is going to the library except you.
Bated/Baited
Bated - in suspense - e.g., I waited with bated breath for the next Robert Galbraith novel.
Baited - with bait attached - e.g., I baited my readers with the promise of a new revision blog by the end of the week.
Climactic/Climatic
Climactic - forming a climax - e.g., The thriller's climactic ending left me breathless.
Climatic - relating to climate - e.g., The suspense thriller, set during monsoon season, included climatic elements such as high winds and pouring rain.
Defuse/Diffuse
Defuse - to make a situation less tense - e.g., The librarian had to defuse a fight over who got to shake the best selling author's hand first during a reading.
Diffuse - spread over wide area - e.g., The librarian diffused the collection of board books, creating reading areas in every corner of the elementary school library.
Disinterested/Uninterested
Disinterested - impartial - e.g., Many writers have a disinterested group of beta readers, instead of a biased parent, take a look at a manuscript before sending it to an agent.
Uninterested - not interested - e.g., The young adult novelist was typically uninterested in writing picture books.
Flaunt/Flout
Flaunt - to display ostentatiously - e.g., I like to flaunt my book collection by storing all my titles in wall-to-wall shelves in each and every room.
Flout - disregard a rule - e.g., And I sometimes flout the rules and begin a sentence with a conjunction.
Loath/Loathe
Loath - reluctant - e.g., I am loath to put down a really good book.
Loathe - to hate - e.g., I loathe a poorly edited manuscript.
Peek/Peak
Peek - to glance or look quickly - e.g., I never peek at the last page until it's time.
Peak - highest point - e.g., J.K. Rowling is at the peak of her writing career.
Their/There/They're
Their - possessive - e.g., I like their book.
There - a place - e.g., I would go there to find a book.
They're - contraction of they and are - e.g., They're going to the library.
Your/You're/Yore
Your - possessive - e.g., I like your book.
You're - contraction of you and are - e.g., You're going to the library.
Yore - past or former times - e.g., The books of yore were written on parchment paper.
**Affect/Effect
Easily one of the most common, if not THE most common tricky word combos, I spent 20 minutes trying to do this justice and gave up. Essentially, affect is usually a verb, and effect is usually a noun, but there are exceptions. Go to Grammarly's full-length post on this for more details. And good luck!
With the new year just around the corner, here's hoping this helps all of you with personal goals of cleaning up that work-in-progress. Don't let those tricky words get you down.
Time to revise, my writerly friends!
Thank you, Michelle Storm Haas, for your always lovely artwork.
#amediting #amrevising #WIP #NaNoWriMo #amwriting #writingtips
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