AAR

[veasleyd1]

Memo to self as future dictator of the universe:

Make aspiring authors study homonyms. Plain is not plain, nor plane, nor plane. An unattractive girl does not fly in the air; an individual does not move upward to a higher piece of flat land.

Postscript to self as future dictator of the universe. Make aspiring authors study spelling while they are at it. A "pallette cleanser" does not improve the situation of the taste buds at the back of the throat, and is not even spelled correctly for cleaning the tray one uses while painting.

Thought for political program. Require all presses to employ competent proof-readers. To avoid considerations of possible censorship, if the editors plead poverty consider government subsidies.

[JMM]

I know. I just can't bare anymore grammer mistakes.

[nerdytalk]

Tell me about it. All you can do is shake you're head and hope they learned from there mistakes.

[dick]

Oh yeah! I cannot count the number of times I've been lead astray by someone's confusing the sounds of the past tense and the mineral.

[Mark]

This is a list of “Oops” words (homonym/homophone errors, some not quite homophones, and some outright mindos) that I add to when I notice problems while reading. Most of the entries are from published books, though a few (less than twenty entries) are from on-line discussions. I have added quoted context fragments of misuses for recent entries (since January 2005)—list additions before that were less systematic.
A lot / Allot
A lot / Alot (a non-word)
Abjure / Adjure “I have adjured [abjured] scandal”
Abscond / Appropriate "booth they'd absconded [appropriated]"
Accessed / Assessed "accessed [assessed] the damage"
Ad / Add
Adjoin / Adjourn "to adjoin [adjourn] to a"
Admirably / Admiringly “gazed admirably [admiringly]”
Adverse / Averse “never adverse [averse] to” “not adverse [averse] to”
Advert / Avert “his face adverted [averted]”
Advice / Advise
Aerial / Arial
Affect / Effect "heady affects [effects]"
Affliction / Infliction
After / Before “but not after [before] causing”
Again / Ago "a short time again [ago]"
Air / Hair "blast of hair [air]"
Algorithm / Logarithm "logarithm [algorithm] she'd been"
Alight / Slight
All / Call "They all [call] it changing their minds"
All ready / Already "all ready [already] visible"
All right / Alright
All together / Altogether
Allude / Elude “what you eluded at [alluded to] in”
Allusions / Delusions "allusions [delusions] of grandeur"
Almost / Most "a flight of fire arrows; almost [most] flickered out."
Alone / Along “take Fan alone [along]” “they were along [alone] again”
Alpha / Beta “half sleep of the beta [alpha]”
Altitude / Attitude “Altitude [Attitude] control jets”
Among / In “among [in] the vastness of space”
An / Or "conveyed without gray hair or lined face or [an] age greater than"
Ancestors / Descendants “his ancestors [descendents] were expecting”
Anecdote / Antidote “anecdote [antidote] for”
Antagonist / Protagonist "her late protagonist [antagonist]"
Ape / Apt “an apt [ape] leader”
Appalled look / Appellation "the appellation [appalled look] upon his features
Arbiter / Arbitrator "arbitrator [arbiter] of fashion"
Around / Ground "big concrete parade around [ground]"
Arrant / Errant “arrant [errant] lock of blond hair”
Ascent / Assent “the exhilarating assent [ascent]”
Ascertain / Ensure “duty to ascertain [ensure] that”
Ascertained / Assured/Certain "where I can be ascertained [assured/certain] you will not"
Aspersion / Dispersion "to cast dispersions [aspersions]"
Attach / Attack “one that you know I’d never attack [attach] myself”
Attendance / Attention
Aught / Ought
Avoid / Ovoid
Away / Way “stealing her breath way [away]” “it’s giving away [way] there”
Awe / Aww "Awe . . . [Aww . . .]
Baby / Mother “Emily’s baby [mother]”
Back / Pack “I pushed pack [back]”
Back / Heck “at his fleeing heck [back]”
Bailer / Baler
Baited / Bated “with baited [bated] breath”
Ball / Bawl
Banter / Barter “barteringly [banteringly]”
Bar / Bare "barred [bared] her teeth"
Bare / Bear “couldn’t bare [bear] it” “could bare [bear] his offspring”
Bases / Basis “covered her basis [bases]”
Bath / Bathe “bath [bathe] his forehead” "she could sponge bath [bathe] him"
Beau / Bow “Beau [Bow] Street Runner”
Beau Monde / Demimonde "than the beau [demi] monde"
Bed / Bend “rounded the bed [bend] of the stairs”
Bedeviled / Besotted “was too bedeviled [besotted] with the imp to care”
Beef / Beefy “a beef [beefy] fist”
Behaves / Behalves "both our behaves [behalves]"
Behind / Beside “sat silently behind [beside] her”
Belie / Betray “was haphazard, belying [betraying] the lack of time and planning”
Belie / Imply “belying [implying] another sleepless night”
Bellow / Below “fallen bellow [below] what”
Below / Blow "right blow [below] the lobe"
Between / In “between [in] her clenched cleft” “between [in] her deep cleavage”
Between / Through “The sun was just starting to slant between [through] the part in the heavy blue drapes.”
Big / Bit "bit [big] enough to hide a man"
Bile / Bilge “The familiar bilge [bile] in her stomach”
Bisect / Dissect "hallway that dissected [bisected]"
Black / Blank “blank-and-white [black-and-white] image”
Blare / Glare "two suns blaring [glaring]"
Bliss / Blithe “the blithe [bliss] of the kiss”
Blob / Blog "melted blog [blob] of metal"
Blue / Clue “the next blue [clue]”
Boarders / Borders “within its park boarders [borders]”
Board / Broad “the board [broad] strategy”
Boat / Book "book [boat] rocked alarmingly"
Bolt hold / Bolt hole
Boor / Bore "insensitive bore [boor]"
Born / Borne “had born [borne] the change” “incomprehension was borne [born] of”
Born / Horn "over the born [horn]"
Boughs / Bows “in the bows [boughs]” “beneath the bows [boughs] of a”
Brakes / Breaks “parking break [brake]” “hit the breaks [brakes]”
Braking / Breaking “breaking [braking] at a red light” "braking [breaking] it off at the tip"
Breath / Breathe
Brevity / Levity "much-needed brevity [levity]"
Brink / Drink "into the brink [drink]"
Bristle / Gristle "gristle [bristle] of his unshaven chin"
Broach / Brook “broaching [brooking] no argument”
Brooch / Brook “would brooch [brook] no arguments”
Brook / Defy “to brook [defy] convention”
Bruit / Brute
Buccaneer / Privateer “Buccaneers [Privateers] sailed with a commission”
Bus / Buss "wires from a buss [bus]"
Bushy / Busy “his busy [bushy] brows”
Busting / Bustling “busting [bustling] toward”
Buy / By “by [buy] it by” "went over buy [by] the fire"
By / My "secrets within by [my] bosom"
Cache / Cachet “had a certain cache [cachet] herself” “cache [cachet] to being late”
Cache / Cash “emergency cashes [caches]”
Cackle / Crackle “She’d crackled [cackled] and whispered”
Cadging / Caging "caging [cadging] meals at"
Callous / Callused “calloused [callous] observer” “hand . . . callous [callused]”
Calumny / Perfidy
Can / Cane "sugar-can [cane] brake"
Can / Had "so that he had [can] fight"
Canvas / Canvass “brown canvass [canvas]”
Carat / Caret / Carrot / Karat “three-karat [carat] diamond”
Cause / Cost “behavior that would cost [cause] her to lose her post.”
Censor / Censure “having your behavior censored [censured]” “censured [censored] for”
Censorship / Censure “compassion warring with censorship [censure]”
Censure / Stricture "to stricture [censure] her"
Chafe / Chaff “he was chaffing [chafing]” “chaff [chafe] against”
Chalice / Challis "glanced into his challis [chalice]"
Chart / Charter "had charted [chartered] [reference to a yacht]"
Chaser / Spacer “disconnected the spacer [chaser]”
Check / Cheek “put his check [cheek]”
Chop / Shop "had stolen a pork shop [chop]"
Chord / Cord
Circumspect / Suspect “there is nothing circumspect [suspect or suspicious] about”
Cite / Sight / Site “as erotic as the site [sight] of him” “landing sight [site]”
Claim / Clam "mussels and steamer claims [clams]"
Clamber / Clamor “clamored [clambered] up” “clambered [clamored] in his ears”
Clear / Cleave “cleared [cleaved] her sentence”
Clench / Clinch “jaws clinch [clench]” “he clinched [clenched] his teeth”
Cloak / Clock “round-the-cloak [round-the-clock]”
Close / Closet “his bedroom close [closet]”
Clothes / Cloths
Coarse / Course
Coat / Cot
Collaborate / Corroborate “should attempt to corroborate [collaborate]”
Come / Cone "Cone [Come] on"
Come / Some "ease away come [some] of [the] wrinkles"
Command / Commandeer “commandeering [commanding] the”
Commend / Commentate "even been commentated [commended] for my"
Comparable / Comparative “the comparable [comparative] ease of”
Complement / Compliment
Complacency / Complicity "charges of complacency [complicity]"
Complacently / Compliantly "hands out complacently [compliantly]"
Comprise / Compromise "bags that compromised [comprised]"
Conceive / Perceive “couldn’t perceive [conceive] of”
Concur / Demur “Francesca demurred [concurred]”
Confer / Defer "his wishes conferred to [deferred to]"
Conscientious / Contentious “was quite contentious [conscientious] in avoiding sweets”
Consume / Subsume “subsumed [consumed] by his heat”
Contact / Contract "area in contract [contact] with"
Contagious / Contiguous
Continua / Continual “space-time continual [continua]”
Corner / Coroner
Corner / Corridor "leading her down another corner [corridor]"
Council / Counsel “to council [counsel] me” “argument with the counsel [council]”
Countermand / Remand “remanding [countermanding] his order”
Courtesan / Courtier
Courtier / Couturier "couturiers [courtiers] closest to the crowns"
Cow / Cower "couldn't cower [cow] me"
Crest / Rest "the rest [crest] of the next hill"
Critic / Critique
Cross / Crucifix [crucifix includes Christ figure on cross]
Crumbled / Crumpled “quietly crumbled [crumpled] to the ground”
Cue / Queue “slipped into the cue [queue]”
Cull / Trull “common cull [trull]”
Currant / Current
Daze / Gaze “her daze [gaze] darting toward”
Dearly / Nearly "dearly [nearly] drowning her"
Deceased / Diseased
Decent / Descent
Decibel / Frequency “into the highest decibels [frequencies]”
Decompose / Discompose
Deduce / Deduct “I deduct [deduce] that”
Defuse / Diffuse “diffused [defused] the situation” “diffusing [defusing] her anger”
Demur / Demure
Demure / ? “quick to demure [context requires obey; did author intend defer?]”
Denizens / Environs “into the lower denizens [environs]”
Dentition / Detention “echolocation and detention [dentition]”
Descent / Dissent
Deserts / Desserts "receive their just desserts [deserts]"
Deuce / Deuced “deuce [deuced] uncomfortable”
Did / Happened "until it did [happened]"
Difficult / Diffident "most diffident [difficult] mining"
Dike / Dyke “plug a hole in a dyke [dike]”
Disassembled / Dissembled "dissembled [disassembled] components"
Discreet / Discrete
Disregard / Regard “so little disregard [regard] for”
Docilely / Dulcetly “followed her dulcetly [docilely]”
Dodge / Dog “who dodged [dogged] his every step” "dodge [dog] her footsteps"
Doing / Going "was doing [going] to be"
Domino / Dynamo “a tiny domino [dynamo]”
Don / Dress “Donned [Dressed] in a”
Dose / Doze “dosed [dozed] off” “just dosing [dozing] off”
Dour / Dower “being more dower [dour]”
Downwind / Upwind “we were upwind [downwind] of”
Draught / Drought "A stabilizing drought [draught]" "toss out the drought [draught]"
Draw / Drawer
Dried / Drip "The drip [dried] pith is"
Dual / Duel "the duel [dual] functions"
Duck / Dunk "Carlos dunked [ducked]"
Ear / Eye "roaring in her eyes [ears]"
Earnest / Honest "fight was in honest [earnest]"
East / West "dipping toward the east [west]"
Eaton / Eton
Eek / Eke “could eek [eke] out”
Either / Neither "that was either [neither] here nor there" "Either [Neither] do I"
Elicit / Illicit
Elusive / Illusive “they were both illusive [elusive]” “illusive [elusive] set of keys”
Emerged / Merged "two groups . . . emerged [merged] into a . . . mass"
Eminent / Immanent / Imminent
Eminently / Immanently / Imminently
Empire / Emperor "a empire [an emperor] ought to act regal"
Empire / Umpire “an empire [umpire] at the World Series”
Encounter / Endeavor “to encounter [endeavor] a waltz”
Enlighten / Illuminate “soon illuminate [enlighten] him”
Entangle / Untangle
Enviably / Enviously “enviously [enviably] thick eyelashes”
Epigram / Epithet “calls ‘original’ an epigram [epithet]”
Epitaph / Epithet “unladylike epitaph [epithet]” "a muttered epitaph [epithet]"
Equably / Equitably “saying equitably [equably]”
Equinox / Solstice “spring solstice [equinox]”
Even / Ever “ever [even] more”
Ever / Every “no one every [ever] actually said”
Ever / Never “How could he deny that his life would ever [never] be the same?”
Every / Very “Oh, every [very] funny!” "made sure that very [every] kid"
Evict / Vacate “had evicted [vacated] the shop window”
Except / Expect “he didn’t except [expect] a” “he’d eaten all the fruit expect [except]”
Exceptionable / Exceptional
Exchange / Extend “extending [exchanging] bone-crushing handgrips with us”
Exhibitionistic / Voyeuristic [context described being watched, not watching]
Expand / Expend "expand [expend] the energy to"
Expanse / Expense "the taut expense [expanse]"
Expose / Repose “it exposed [reposed] now”
Expostulate / Expound "expostulating [expounding] on"
Extricate / Intricate “extricate [intricate] lace”
Face / Fact “display her figure and her fact [face]”
Fair / Fare “how you fair [fare]” “would not fair [fare] well”
Far / For "how for [far] you have gone"
Fauna / Flora "surrounding fauna [flora]"
Faze / Phase “phased [fazed] her” "not the least phased [fazed]"
Feather / Fettle “in especially fine feather [fettle]”
Feel / Find “find [feel] it arrive”
Fell / Felt “His gaze felt [fell] to the exposed skin”
Fewer / Less
Fig / Fit “A fit for that [A fig for that]”
Fight / Light "fighting [lighting] candles"
Find / Fine “the find [fine] tendrils of hair” “you shall fine [find] it”
First / Fist “She pressed her first [fist] to”
First / Last “first [last] in, first out”
Flair / Flare
Flash / Flush “flashed [flushed] dark”
Flaunt / Flout “rules . . . One flaunts [flouts] them”
Flounce / Trounce "and trounced [flounced] off"
Flounder / Founder “floundering [foundering] boat” “had floundered [foundered]”
For ever / Forever “forever [for ever] so long now”
Forbode / Forbore
Forth / Fourth
Fortuitous / Fortunate
Foul / Fowl
France / Frank "like this letter franced [franked]"
Fridge / Frigid “fridge [frigid] night air”
Frisson / Frizzier "odd tensions and frizzier [frisson] shot through her"
Fungible / Impressionable “He’d been fungible [impressionable], and absorbed every word”
Fuse / Fuss “Zhena Trelu’ll fuse [fuss]”
Gain / Gainsay “trying to gainsay [gain] admittance”
Gait / Gate “the gait [gate] to the corral”
Gamble / Gambol “pups gambled [gamboled]”
Gamut / Gantlet "run the gamut [gantlet] of all the dim-witted debs"
Genteel / Gentile
Gild / Guild
Given / Giving "gas, given [giving] them further opportunities"
Gloaming / Glomming
Grace / Graze “ever grazed [graced] anything”
Grass / Graze “could grass [graze] on”
Gravity / Levity “the levity [gravity/seriousness] it deserved”
Grip / Gripe "griped [gripped] him firmly"
Grisly / Grizzly
Gunnery / Gurney “on the gunnery [gurney]”
Gutted / Guttered “candles gutted [guttered]”
Hack / Track “oncoming track [hack]”
Had / Hand “in his had [hand]”
Hair / Hare / Heir
Hair / Head “on top of her hair [head]”
Half / Have “costs about have [half] that”
Hallow / Hollow “hallows [hollows] of his face”
Hand / Hard "legged his horse to a hand [hard] gallop toward"
Hand / Head "his head [hand] resting"
Hank / Lank “a lank [hank] of dark blond hair”
Hard / Heard “having a heard [hard] enough time”
Haring / Herring "go herring [haring] off"
Harpoon / Lampoon “lampooning [harpooning] Constance with a steely glance”
He / His "He [His] strides took him"
Head / Heat “the head [heat] of passion”
Heap / Help “helped [heaped] his plate”
Hear / Here “Here, here [Hear, hear]” "Here [Hear] what she's"
Hence / Since “full month hence [since]” “gone . . . a year and a half hence [since]”
Henceforth / Hitherto “may he hitherto [henceforth] absent himself”
Her / Here “driven here here [driven her here]”
Heroin / Heroine
Herself / Himself "keep her from hurting himself [herself]"
Hew / Hue “rosy hew [hue]”
Hills / Hilt "blade shattered. The hills were [hilt was] red-hot"
Hips / Lips "his lips [hips] arched into"
His / Is "is [his] golden scales glinting"
His / This "smiled at this [his] confusion"
Hoard / Horde “leader to the hoard [horde]” “managed to horde [hoard]”
Hole / Hold “in the hole [hold] of a ship” "his bolt hold [hole]"
Hole / Whole “tiny wholes [holes] in the lace” “the hole [whole] thing”
Home / Hone “hone [home] in on”
Honor / Horror “watch it in fascinated honor [horror]” “stared in honor [horror]”
Honorarium / Honorific
Horridly / Hurriedly “glanced horridly [hurriedly] about”
Host / Lost "and a lost [host] of easily procured articles"
How / Now "see now [how] they work out"
Hurdle / Hurl / Hurtle “hurdled [hurled] herself into the fog” “hurdling [hurling/hurtling] more bottles”
Idle / Idyll
Impeded / Impended
Imply / Infer “infer [imply] that you would” “What . . . are you inferring? [implying]”
Importunate / Importune “importune [importunate] male”
Importune / Opportune
In / Inn
In / It "In [It] meant nothing"
Inc / Ink "Deston and Deston Ink [Inc]"
Inclination / Indication “if he had any inclination [indication] of his effect”
Incredible / Incredulous “As incredulous [incredible] as it sounded”
Incredibly / Incredulously “asked incredibly [incredulously]”
Incomprehensibility / Incomprehensiveness “vast incomprehensiveness [incomprehensibility]”
Incrimination / Recrimination "incriminations [recriminations] he heaped"
Inflect / Inflict “inflect [inflict] upon”
Innovated / Innovative “the innovated [innovative] artist”
Inside / Outside "follow her inside [outside]"
Integrate / Segregate
Intend / Tend “intend [tend] to inspire”
Intentions / Interests "Susanna's best intentions [interests] at heart"
In to / Into “to give into [in to] your request” “carried it into [in to] her little boy”
Iron / Irony “the iron [irony] of fate”
Irresistible / Irresistibly “sparkling irresistible [irresistibly]”
Its / It’s “without it’s [its] warmth” “because its [it’s] all”
Jacket / Packet "helmet, leather packet [jacket], leather breeches"
Jam / Jamb "the door jam [jamb]"
Jarvey / Jarvis
Jostler / Ostler "the jostlers [ostlers] as she surveyed the inn yard"
Jot / Jut "He jutted [jotted] something"
Kind / King “angry mythical kind [king]”
Kit / Sit “quick-patch sit [kit]”
Knew / New "something knew [new] and awful"
Knob / Nob
Know / Known
Know / No
Know / Now "leave you know [now]"
Label / Lapel
Laid / Lain “The others had long since laid [lain] down on”
Laid / Lay “She lay [laid] her head back” “lay [laid] her within” “she laid [lay] on her”
Lassitude / Latitude
Lathe / Lave “lathed [laved] the sensitive tips” "His tongue lathed [laved]"
Laud / Lord "delight in lauding [lording] over"
Lavishing / Lavishly “lavishly [lavishing] love on you”
Lay / Lie “to make . . . lay [lie] awake” “that so much power should lay [lie] helpless”
Lea / Lee “the lea [lee] of a hillock” “hunkered in the lea [lee] of”
Lead / Led “door that lead [led] to” “anything that lead [led]”
Least / Last "not the last [least] surprised"
Least / Lest “least [lest] the prisoners”
Led / Lid "lifted the led [lid]"
Left / Let "left [let] out a bellow"
Less / Lest “less [lest] he see”
Level / Lever "working the level [lever] over the sink"
Life / Lift "to life [lift] the receiver"
Life / Wife
Lightening / Lightning “Lightening [Lightning] quick”
Lines / Lives “threatens the welfare and even the lines [lives]”
Liquefy / Liquidate “liquidated [liquefied] healing sand”
Literal / Literate “simple, literate [literal] mind”
Lo / Low
Load / Loan "The load [loan] will be repaid"
Loath / Loathe “found herself loathe [loath] to” “I am loathe [loath] to”
Lob / Lop "lobbed [lopped] off another arm" "lobbing [lopping] my head off"
Loll / Lull “head lulled [lolled]”
Lone / Long “a long [lone] eagle”
Loop / Lope “loped [looped] the horse’s reins”
Loose / Lose “I loose [lose] consciousness” “loose [lose] her temper”
Loose / Loosen "loosening [loosing] thunder"
Lose / Lost “want to lost [lose]”
Lot / Sort "He was always such an [a] righteous lot [sort]."
Made / Maid
Magnanimous / Magnificent
Main / Mane “her main [mane] of glossy hair”
Mall / Maul "to properly mall [maul] you"
Manner / Manor “lady of the manner [manor]”
Marina / Marine “Inland from the marine [marina]”
Marquis / Marquise [male vs. female]
Marred / Mired
Marshal / Martial “martialed [marshaled] composure”
Master / Mater "great mater, [master,] Mallamy"
May / Way "That may [way] I might"
Medicant / Mendicant “devices and mendicants [medicants/medications]”
Megrims / Migraines "fit of the blue migraines [megrims]"
Mere / Were “the were [mere] act”
Meso- / Mezzo- “Mezzo-America [Meso-America]”
Might / Night “another man night [might] reserve for”
Mind / Mine “mine-shields [mind-shields]”
Ministrations / Ruminations “started his ruminations [ministrations] again”
Minutes / Mutes “for the last 45 mutes [minutes]”
Mix / Nix “mixed [nixed] further investigation”
Mode / Modem
Mode / Mood "cautiously changing his mood [mode] of transport"
Mold / Mould
Moonlight / Moonshine “rays of moonshine [moonlight]”
Moral / Morale
Moral / Mortal “moral [mortal] animals”
Morbid / Morose “His curiosity was every bit as morose [morbid] as”
Muslim / Muslin
Muzzled / Nuzzled “he muzzled [nuzzled]”
Naval / Navel “to his naval [navel]”
Negligent / Negligible "power loss would be negligent [negligible]"
Neural / Neutral "neutral [neural] tolerances of inimical local life-forms"
Neuter / Neutral "thought that the trolls will be neuter [neutral]"
Night / Right "no night [right] to"
No / Not "it's not [no] use moping
Not / Now "this was now [not] how things should be"
Notations / Notions
Of / Off “taking her mind of [off] her troubles” "words trail of [off]"
Of / Up “long waves up [of] it sweep up”
One / Once “one [once] pirate craft” "no once [one] could"
One / Won
Our / Out “Turns our [out] your mom”
Oust / Out “to oust [out] women who”
Outset / Outside "made it plain at the outside [outset]"
Pace / Place “the slow place [pace] of the” "all over the pace [place]"
Pained / Pined “her heart pained [pined] for him”
Palate / Pallet
Palatable / Palpable “palatable [palpable] in the room’s chilled air”
Palpate / Palpitate
Paramount / Tantamount “His reaction was paramount [tantamount] to that of”
Parish / Perish
Passed / Past “now that she’d past [passed] her twenty-first birthday” “She moved passed [past]”
Passed / Paused “she passed [paused] for breath”
Pat / Path "At the fifth path [pat]"
Pat / Put “put [pat] her rump”
Paw / Pawn “pawn [paw] them”
Peak / Peek / Pique “curiosity peaked [piqued]” “to peak [peek] into”
Peal / Pearl “inlaid peals [pearls]”
Peal / Peel "peels [peals] of laughter"
Peanuts / Peasants "Those peanuts [peasants] will"
Pec / Peck “amazing pecks [pecs/pectorals]” "to his pecks [pecs]"
Pedal / Peddle “Put the peddle [pedal]” "back-peddled [pedaled]"
Peremptory / Preemptory
Perjuring / Purging
Pernicious / Pertinacious "was pert, pernicious [pertinacious]"
Perspicuous / Perspicacious "far too perspicuous [perspicacious]"
Perspicuous / Prudent "more champagne last night than was perspicuous [prudent]"
Pig / Ping "she's a ping [pig]"
Placard / Placket
Place / Plate “rice onto a place [plate]” “Picking up her place [plate]”
Plate / Tee “stepped up to the tee [plate]”
Played / Prayed
Plumb / Plump "his plumb [plump] waist" "her plumb [plump] hand"
Poll / Pool "edge of the poll [pool]"
Pop / Top "top [pop] them free"
Pore / Pour “poured [pored] over every word” “pouring [poring] over a book”
Powder / Power “adding powered [powdered] coke”
Pray / Prey “would pray [prey] upon her”
Precede / Preclude “often precluded [preceded] a bout of”
Precede / Proceed “to proceed [precede] her” "preceded [proceeded] to move"
Pretense / Pretension “made no pretension [pretense] about his dislike”
Principal / Principle
Profligate / Proliferate “his proliferate, [profligate] spendthrift”
Propensity / Propinquity
Properly / Property “be property [properly] understood”
Properties / Proprieties “his eye fixed to the properties [proprieties]”
Proximity / Vicinity “vicinity [proximity] to the beach”
Puzzled / Puzzling “gave him a puzzling [puzzled] look”
Quaver / Quiver "making her quaver [quiver]"
Quay / Queue "hair . . . loose from its quay [queue]"
Questionably / Questioningly “look questionably [questioningly]”
Quiet / Quit “quit [quiet], mousy”
Raced / Reached “raced [reached] their destination”
Rack / Rock “rack [rock] face of the cliff”
Rack / Wrack “rack [wrack] and ruin” “wracking [racking] her brain”
Raise / Rase “rasing [raising] her sheets”
Raise / Rise "rising [raising] a finger"
Rampant / Rampart “lions rampart [rampant]”
Ranging / Rangy “tall, ranging [rangy] man”
Rap / Wrap “he wrapped [rapped] lightly on the ceiling”
Ratify / Rectify " which I intend ratifying [rectifying]"
Rationale / Rationality "cool rationale [rationality] would"
Raucous / Ruckus “causing such a raucous [ruckus] in”
Ravage / Ravish "To ravage [ravish] you" "been ravaged [ravished]"
Ravages / Vestiges
Reason / Season "baseball reason [season]"
Reek / Wreak “reek [wreak] . . . havoc” "had wreaked [reeked] of the"
Refrain / Restrain “wisely restrained [refrained] from saying”
Regime / Regimen “regime [regimen] of”
Reign / Rein “reign [rein] in her temper” “take up the reigns [reins]”
Relieve / Relive “will not relieve [relive] what was”
Remainder / Remaining "I'll not guarantee her remainder [remaining] there"
Rend / Rent “Tears from his daughter managed to rent [rend] his heart”
Repairs / Reparations
Respectful / Respective
Refrain / Restrain “to restrain [refrain] from”
Relieving / Reliving “once again relieving [reliving]”
Retch / Wretch “fall to her knees and wretch [retch]”
Retched / Wretched “while he wretched [retched]”
Retinue / Revenue “yearly retinue [revenue]”
Revered / Reverent “says in a revered [reverent] whisper”
Rife / Riff "was riff [rife] with sarcasm"
Rife / Rift “rift [rife] with emotions”
Right / Rite “allowed equal rites [rights]”
Right / Tight “had a tight [right] to her insanity”
Right / Write
Ring / Wing "the concrete ring [wing]"
Ring / Wring “ringing [wringing] a woman’s neck” "she'd ring [wring] their necks"
Ringer / Wringer “a ringer [wringer] washer”
Riverbank / Riverbed “threw it on the riverbed [riverbank]”
Road / Rode “he road [rode]”
Roast / Roost “rules the roast [roost]”
Rob / Rub "Dante robbed [rubbed] his face"
Rogue / Rouge “rakes and rouges [rogues]” "every rake, rouge [rogue]"
Role / Roll “into the roll [role] of” “the parish roles [rolls]”
Roof / Room "The room [roof] was steeply pitched"
Roof / Rough "dark grey rough [roof]"
Roseate / Rosette "faintly rosette [roseate] light"
Rouse / Ruse "sniff out a rouse [ruse]"
Rout / Route "a demoralized route [rout]"
Sad / Said
Saddle / Straddle "ended up straddled [saddled] with"
Salon / Saloon
Sanction / Sanctuary “retreated to seek sanction [sanctuary] in”
Sat / Set “She sat [set] it down” "She sat [set] about her tasks"
Saw / So “but so [saw] no sign”
Say / Stay "difficulty saying [staying] afloat"
Scabbard / Scaffold “attached his scaffold [scabbard] to his belt”
Scene / Scent “the scene [scent] became easier and easier to follow”
Scene / Seen
Score / Scour “she scoured [scored] his back with her nails”
Sear / Seer “feeling the seer [sear] of”
Seat / Set “splendid set [seat]”
Secret / Secrete “would not secret [secrete] himself” “secrets [secretes] himself away”
See / Seem “pleased to seem [see] them”
Seeded / Seedy “seeded [seedy] flat”
Seep / Sweep "to seep [sweep] her into his arms"
Set / Sot “smug and sot [set] in their ways”
Sew / Sow
Sewn / Sown
Sextant / Sexton “a brass sexton [sextant]” "how to use a sexton [sextant]"
Shaker / Shako "velvet shaker [shako] topped upon her curls"
She / The "as the [she] took the"
Shelf / Shelve “temporarily shelf [shelve]”
Shift / Shrift
Shone / Shown “stars shown [shone] clearly” “moonlight that shown [shone]”
Shoot / Shout "shouting [shooting] at us"
Show / Snow “swirling show [snow]”
Shudders / Shutters “wooden shudders [shutters] at the window”
Sigh / Sign "the greatest sigh [sign] of life displayed so far"
Sight / Site "A damn site [sight] more"
Silicon / Silicone “silicon [silicone] implants”
Sink / Slink “to slink [sink] beneath the table”
Sinned / Sinners “sinned [sinners] being cast”
Skew / Skewer “skewed [skewered] by a rhino” “skewered [skewed] her head around”
Skimmer / Swimmer “handed back the swimmer [skimmer]”
Skulking / Sulking
Slather / Slaver "slathering [slavering] fangs" "lunged for him, slathering [slavering]"
Slunk / Sunk “might have slunk [sunk] to the floor”
Smooth / Soothe "soothe [smooth] her aunt's covers"
Smug / Snug "gown that's a little too smug [snug]"
Snick / Snicker “the lock snickered [snicked]” "snicker [snick] of the blade"
Snob / Snub
Snorkled / Snorted "Bayard snorkled [snorted]"
So / Son "you're son [so] much"
So / Too "not too [so] quickly as to be"
Soar / Sour "on a soar [sour] note"
Sole / Soul
Solemnest / Solemnness "amount of solemnest [solemnity | solemnness]"
Son / Sun “son [sun] grows cold”
Sorry / Sort "folly of the worse sorry [sort]"
Sparing / Sparring “weakened sparing [sparring] partners”
Spin / Spine “down her spin [spine]”
Splurge / Surge
Spread / Strewn “She had been strewn [spread] out”
Spring / Sprig
Squabs / Squibs “flopped against the squibs [squabs]”
Staid / Stayed
Stain / Strain “bandages strained [stained]—soaked—with blood”
Stare / Start “started [stared] at the ceiling”
Stationary / Stationery
Staving / Straying "straying [staving] off the inevitable"
Stead / Steed “my stead [steed] will soar”
Steal / Steel “Stealing [Steeling] myself”
Step / Stop “her duty to stop [step] up and act”
Straightened / Straitened “straightened [straitened] financial circumstances”
Straights / Straits “financial straights [straits]”
Stricture [not a verb] her / Censure her?
Striped / Stripped “a stripped [striped] green waistcoat”
Studly / Study "your study [studly] body"
Sufferance / Suffering “such sufferance [suffering] to yourself”
Suggest / Suspect “strongly suggested [suspected]”
Sum / Sun “a farthing to the sun [sum]”
Surely / Surly "voice was surely [surly]"
Suspect / Suspicious "he'd still be suspect [suspicious] about"
Switch / Watch “The glare watched [switched] to me”
Swore / Sworn
Table / Towel “in nothing but a table [towel]”
Tack / Tact “taking the right tact [tack]” “a different tact [tack] ”
Tail / Tale “bushy tale [tail]”
Tan / Tun "brassbound tan [tun]"
Taught / Taut “taught [taut] and muscular”
Temerity / Timidity “temerity [timidity] and reserve”
Tenant / Tenet
Term / Turn "acting out of term [turn]"
Than / That “no more difficult that [than]” "safer words that [than] those that"
Than / Then “I am more then [than]” “No sooner had he spoken, then [than] he”
That / Those "teeth that angled backward like that [those]"
The / Them “all over them [the] place”
Their / There / They’re “there [their] continuity” "in their [there] sifting"
Thick / Think "a half-inch think [thick]"
Thing / Think “only reasonable think [thing] to do” “another thing [think] coming”
Thou / Though “Thus wouldst though [thou]”
Thought / Through “Another second's hard through [thought] brought”
Threw / Through “blew it out threw [through]” “burst threw [through] the door”
Thrice / Trice “in a thrice [trice]”
Throes / Throws "in the throws [throes] of"
Throne / Thrown
Thrust / Trust “trusting [thrusting] her breasts outward”
Tinkling / Twinkling “twinkling [tinkling] of music”
Tipped / Tippled “Her head tippled [tipped] back”
To / Too / Two “all to [too] well” “been to [too] thin for” “Two [Too] much thinking”
To / With “sharing . . . to [with] anyone”
Toe / Tow
Tombs / Tomes
Tortuous / Torturous “tortuous [torturous] two weeks”
Treacher / Trencher
Tread / Trod “could trod [tread]”
Truck / Trunk “against the tree truck [trunk]” “in the truck [trunk] of Clare’s car”
Tuff / Tuft "a tuff [tuft] of hair"
Tune / Turn “voice tuning [turning] husky” “He tuned [turned] sharply”
Undo / Undue “attracting undo [undue] attention” “an undo [undue] reaction” “to undue [undo] the mistakes”
Unexpected / Unsuspecting “The impact stung, as did the unsuspecting [unexpected] action.”
Urban / Urbane “the nonchalant, urban [urbane] rake”
Us / Use “Those of use [us] who”
Vail / Vale "a pot of vales [vails]"
Vaulted / Vaunted “vaulted [vaunted] logic was”
Veiled / Veined “thinly veined [veiled] satisfaction”
Verses / Versus “sang the other versus [verses]”
Vice / Vise “a velvet vice [vise]”
Vice / Visa “visa [vice] versa”
Violation / Volition “of its own violation [volition]”
Wage / Wager “wager [wage] solitary war”
Waist / Waste "didn't waist [waste] one more second"
Waive / Wave
Waiver / Waver “start to waiver [waver]” “composure did not waiver [waver]”
Want / Went “I went [want] to see it with you”
Want / What "give you want [what] you want"
Want / Wont "was in wont [want] of" "than was her want [wont]"
Weak / Week
Weather / Whether “out in this whether [weather]”
Wench / Winch “the box meant to wench [winch] goods up”
Wending / Winding
Went / When “groaned went [when] he”
Were / Where "What exactly where [were] they"
Wet / Whet
Whereas / Wherein “but wherein [whereas] he expected a confrontation”
Whig / Wig
Whiles / Wiles “defeated by the whiles [wiles] of”
Whine / Wine “the puppy wined [whined]”
Whit / Wit “one wit [whit]” "change you one wit [whit]"
Who / Whom
Who’s / Whose “who’s [whose] head” “Now whose [who’s] equating”
Widow / Window "widow [window] sash"
Winced / Winched “He winched [winced] when”
Winded / Wound “the peaking winded [wound] down”
Wining / Winning “on the wining [winning] side”
Winkle / Wrinkle “to wrinkle [winkle] defenders out”
Worse / Worst “to do her worse [worst]” “the worse [worst] thing”
Worth / Worthy
Wreak / Wreck “wrecked [wreaked] havoc”
Yoke / Yokel “thick-set yoke [yokel]”
Yoke / Yolk "embroidered yolk [yoke] of her nightgown" "runny yokes [yolks]"
A couple of the above deserve special mention:
Lathe/Lave is probably the most painful image from a word substitution, since it usually shows up in love scenes and changes a lick of intimate anatomy into reshaping by cutting.
Lay/lie confusion is VERY common. Lay, laid, laying is a transitive verb taking an object and meaning to put or place. Lie, lay, lain, lying is an intransitive verb not taking an object and meaning to be horizontal.
There are also a couple errors other than word substitutions that I see often enough that they deserve special mention.
Use of “between” with a singular noun.
Use of “grit” instead of “gritted” in past-tense text.

[JMM]

I received a letter from the local women's clinic saying that they would "except" cash payments for those who have no insurance.

[veasleyd1]

Thanks, Dick. I always appreciate your lists.

Another one that's been annoying me lately (and making me want to chant "Star Light, Star Bright") is the mixing up of usage between may and might. There was a reason that the child in the nursery rhyme used both of them, to cover all the possibilities.

[Charlotte McClain]

My dad and I used to collect and share miswordings we saw on signs around town. It was a fun game for us.

My publisher and I currently have a running conversation about alright/all right. According to house style, there's only all right (all correct) and they make me change alright (okay) every time making it wrong (or all wrong instead of all right.) Gah!

And consider "moot point." Originally a moot point was arguable, but it was misused so much that now it means the opposite. Don't get me started on mute point though.
_________________
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[Donna Lea Simpson]

Don't you hate it when writers flaunt the rules? And then they have the gaul to infer that its everyone else who has the problem.
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[Mark]

Actually, Virginia, I posted the long list, not Dick. His posts & mine rarely agree.
About may and might, two dictionaries I checked gave slightly different impressions.
The Oxford American Dictionary I checked has usage notes for may/might and for can/may. May/might is just a present tense/past tense difference, and apparently only loosely enforced. Can/may is the ability/permission difference I'm more familiar with, though their usage note says that both can legitimately be used for permission. May is considered more formal than can for requesting permission.
The Random House Dictionary of the English Language doesn't have the same sort of usage notes as the OAD. Under "can", the first three meanings relate to ability, the fourth to right or qualification, and the fifth to permission. Under "may", permission is the third meaning, and the fourth meaning (marked Archaic) is ability or power. Under "might", the verb entry is just the past tense of may and the noun entry relates to ability or power.
My take after looking at two dictionaries is that "can" and "may" and "might" are deeply intertwined. I am inclined to go along with the OAD presentation: I tend to use "may" instead of "can" only when speaking/writing more formally than casually, and I can't recall ever using "might" in a permission request context.

[dick]

May/might, though, do express the subjunctive far more clearly than can/could do, as the nursery rhyme suggests. The subjunctive nature of may/might, is probably, in fact, the reason for the formal distinction between can/may--the first expressing ability; the second requesting permission. One usually knows whether he is able; one has to doubt whether permission will be granted.

[JMM]

I remember my fourth grade teacher would correct our grammar every time.

Student: "Mrs. Bagswell, can I go to the bathroom?"

Mrs. Bagswell: *turns, FIERCE eyebrows together as everyone holds
breath* "I don't know, ARE you capable of going to the bathroom?"

Student: *looking like deer in headlights* "MAY I?"

Mrs. Bagswell: *Glowers* "You MAY."

[xina]

[JMM]

[xina]