Spelling & Word Origins
Etymology and commonly-confused words, demystified.
telephone
The word "telephone" was created when Alexander Graham Bell invented the device. He combined Greek words meaning "far" and "sound" to describe a machine…
Read →biography
The ancient Greeks loved to record the lives of important people. They combined "bio" (life) with "graph" (write) to create this word.
Read →dictionary
From Latin "dictionarium," meaning a collection of words and phrases. The root "dict" means "to say," so a dictionary is literally a collection of things…
Read →transport
Romans used this word to describe carrying goods across their empire. It comes from Latin roots meaning "across" and "carry."
Read →photograph
When photography was invented, scientists combined Greek words for "light" and "write" because photographs are essentially written by light.
Read →to vs too vs two
These words sound alike but mean different things. Here's how to keep them straight.
Read →there vs their vs they're
These words sound alike but mean different things. Here's how to keep them straight.
Read →your vs you're
These words sound alike but mean different things. Here's how to keep them straight.
Read →its vs it's
These words sound alike but mean different things. Here's how to keep them straight.
Read →accept vs except
These words sound alike but mean different things. Here's how to keep them straight.
Read →affect vs effect
These words sound alike but mean different things. Here's how to keep them straight.
Read →principal vs principle
These words sound alike but mean different things. Here's how to keep them straight.
Read →stationary vs stationery
These words sound alike but mean different things. Here's how to keep them straight.
Read →complement vs compliment
These words sound alike but mean different things. Here's how to keep them straight.
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