You’re writing an email, essay, resume, or text and suddenly pause over a small spelling question: should you write In fact or Infact? Both forms may look familiar, but only one is standard English. Answer: “In fact” is the correct form. It is always written as two separate words. “Infact” is a common spelling mistake … Read more
You’re typing a grocery list, school assignment, recipe, email, or text when you pause over one simple question: is it potatoes or potatos? The two spellings look almost identical, but only one is correct in standard English. Answer: “Potatoes” is the correct plural spelling of “potato.” “Potatos” is a common misspelling and should not be … Read more
You’re writing an email, essay, resume, or text when you stop at one small question: should you write shiny or shiney? Both versions may look familiar, but only one is the standard spelling in English. Answer: Shiny is the correct standard spelling. Shiney is a common misspelling and should generally be avoided in formal and … Read more
You’re writing an email, essay, resume, or text and suddenly stop at one word: should you write “usage” or “useage”? The two spellings look almost identical, so it’s easy to wonder whether both are correct. The correct spelling is usage. Useage is a misspelling and should not be used in standard English. The word usage … Read more
You’re writing a text to a friend and want to describe someone who always wants to know what other people are doing. You type, “She’s so nosy,” but then you wonder: should it be nosy or nosey? Both spellings are found in English, but they don’t have the same level of use in every region. … Read more
You’re writing a resume, sending an email, or finishing an essay when you suddenly pause over a small spelling question: Onsite or On site? Both forms appear in English, so it can be difficult to know which one is correct. The confusion comes from the fact that English uses both on-site and on site, while … Read more
Writing an email, finishing an essay, or sending a quick text can sometimes stop you over one tiny spelling question: Is it ballon or balloon? The two forms look almost identical, so it’s easy to type the wrong one, especially when you’re writing quickly. If you’ve ever searched for ballon or balloon while checking your … Read more
You’re writing a resume, updating your LinkedIn profile, or finishing an essay, and you stop at one small question: skillset or skill set? Both forms appear online, so it can be hard to know which one belongs in polished English. The good news is that the answer is fairly simple. Skill set is the traditional … Read more
You’re writing an email, school essay, travel guide, or social media post and want to talk about more than one bus. Then you pause: Busses or Buses—which spelling should you choose? Buses is the standard plural of bus when you’re talking about vehicles that carry passengers. Busses is also a real English word, but it … Read more
You’re finishing an essay, report, thesis, or research paper and reach the section at the back. You want to refer to more than one appendix, but then you pause: Appendices or Appendixes—which plural form is correct? Both appendices and appendixes are correct plural forms of appendix. The difference is mainly one of style, tradition, and … Read more