If you are writing about university qualifications, it is easy to hesitate over bachelors or bachelor’s. The apostrophe changes the grammatical form and, in some contexts, the meaning. The good news is that the rule is straightforward: bachelor’s is the standard form when referring to a bachelor’s degree, while bachelors is simply the plural of…

It is easy to confuse family’s and families because they look almost identical, but they perform different grammatical jobs. One is a possessive form of the singular noun family, while the other is the plural form. There is also a third form, families’, which is the possessive form of families. Understanding these three forms makes…

When working with numbers, it is easy to wonder whether a number is rational or irrational. The terms sound as though they describe whether a number is sensible or logical, but in mathematics, they have a precise meaning. The difference comes down to whether a number can be written as a fraction of two integers….

“Lying” and “laying” are both real English words, but they come from different verbs and are used in different situations. The confusion becomes even greater because lay is also the past tense of lie. That is why sentences such as “I am lying down,” “I am laying the book down,” and “I lay down yesterday”…

If you are talking about a printed sheet used to advertise an event, business, sale, or service, you may wonder whether it should be called a flyer or a flier. The confusion is understandable because both spellings are legitimate English words, and dictionaries recognize both forms. The difference is mainly one of preference and context…

If you have ever wondered whether the plural of mango is mangos or mangoes, you are not alone. The two spellings look different, but the good news is that you do not have to choose between a correct and an incorrect form. Both “mangos” and “mangoes” are accepted plural spellings of “mango.” The main difference…

If you have ever hesitated between pricey and pricy, you are not alone. The two spellings look almost identical, sound the same, and refer to the same idea: something that costs a lot of money. The good news is that neither spelling is inherently wrong. Both pricey and pricy are accepted English words, although pricey…

If you have ever paused over gage or gauge, you are not alone. The two spellings are pronounced the same and can refer to measurement in some contexts, which makes the choice surprisingly easy to second-guess. The good news is that there is a simple rule for everyday writing: gauge is generally the preferred spelling…

If you have ever wondered whether to write yea or yeah, you are not alone. The two words look similar, and both can be connected with the idea of saying “yes.” However, they are not normally interchangeable in modern English. Yeah is the everyday, informal way to say “yes,” while yea is most commonly used…

If you have ever hesitated over whether to write burned or burnt, you are not alone. Both forms come from the verb burn, and both are accepted in standard English. The difference is mainly regional: burned is the usual choice in American English, while burnt is especially common in British English. There is also a…