My most frequently confused word did not make the list. I don’t know be happy or sad about this.
For me, it’s peek and peak.
Even with the see and peek pneumonic (both have a double-e and both relate to vision), I still have to pause and consider the distinction whenever I use either word.
I can also never remember how to spell calendar.
So I understand when a writer confuses words.
But the one word pair that makes the list that should never be confused is its and it’s, because using them correctly is simply a matter of effort.
It’s is a conjunction, and therefore it stands for two words, it is. Substitute it is in any sentence containing it’s or its and you’ll know if you’ve chosen correctly.
After years of writing, I still have to do this from time to time in order to ensure that I am using it properly.
And after years of writing, I have still been known to use these words incorrectly. But whenever I do, it should be attributed to laziness and not an inability to understand the distinction between the words.
And if you’re the kind of person who struggles with these kinds of confusions, I am available on retainer for a very reasonable fee.
