passed / past
Passed is the past tense and past participle of pass. Past refers to time gone by; it is also a preposition meaning beyond. “In the past decade, I passed over countless opportunities; I was determined not to let them get past me again.”
patience / patient(s)
Patience is the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like. "She has so much patience. I don't know how she can be so patient." Patient(s) is a person or persons who require medical care."Mrs. Jones is a patient of Dr. Smith." Being patient and a medical patient is spelled the same way but have different meanings.
precede / proceed
The verb precede means to come before. Proceed means to move forward. “He preceded me into the room; once I caught up with him I proceeded to tell him off.”
principal / principle
Principal is a noun that means a person who holds a high position or plays an important role. “The school principal has 20 years of teaching experience.” Principal is also an adjective that means chief or leading. “The necessity of moving to another city was the principal reason I turned down the job offer.” Principle is a noun that means a rule or standard. “They refused to compromise their principles.”
sight / site
Sight is the power or faculty of seeing; perception of objects by use of the eyes. "Superman's sight is amazing and he can see through walls." Site is a noun meaning location: “They chose a new site for the factory just outside town.” Site is also used in website and it is one word, website.
stationary / stationery
Stationary is an adjective that means fixed or unmoving. “They maneuvered around the stationary barrier in the road.” Stationery is a noun that means writing materials. “We printed the letters on company stationery.”
their / there / they're
Their is the possessive form of they; there refers to place; and they're is the contraction of they are. “They're going there because their mother insisted they get a good education.”
than / then
Than is used in comparative statements. "I would rather live at the beach than the mountains." Then is used either as a time marker or with a sequence of events. "We will go to the mountains, and then to the beach."
through / thru / threw
Through means to pass to another end, "The rope went through the tube to the the other side." or being finished with something, "I am through cooking for the day." Although thru is a word, it is mostly slang. The only time you should use thru is with a word like drive-thru. Do not use it in your writing as a short form of through. Threw means to throw. "She threw the ball to me."
we're / were / where
We're in the contraction of we are. "We're going to the store when we get through at the doctor's office." Were is the plural form of was."I was at the doctor, but they were at the store."Where refers to the question about the location of something. "Where did you park my car?
who's / whose
Who's is the contraction of who is. Whose is the possessive form of who. “Who's (who is) going to figure out whose job it is to clean the stables?”
your / you're
Your is the possessive form of you; you're is the contraction you are. “If you're planning on swimming, then be sure to bring your life vest and flippers.”
Passed is the past tense and past participle of pass. Past refers to time gone by; it is also a preposition meaning beyond. “In the past decade, I passed over countless opportunities; I was determined not to let them get past me again.”
patience / patient(s)
Patience is the quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like. "She has so much patience. I don't know how she can be so patient." Patient(s) is a person or persons who require medical care."Mrs. Jones is a patient of Dr. Smith." Being patient and a medical patient is spelled the same way but have different meanings.
precede / proceed
The verb precede means to come before. Proceed means to move forward. “He preceded me into the room; once I caught up with him I proceeded to tell him off.”
principal / principle
Principal is a noun that means a person who holds a high position or plays an important role. “The school principal has 20 years of teaching experience.” Principal is also an adjective that means chief or leading. “The necessity of moving to another city was the principal reason I turned down the job offer.” Principle is a noun that means a rule or standard. “They refused to compromise their principles.”
sight / site
Sight is the power or faculty of seeing; perception of objects by use of the eyes. "Superman's sight is amazing and he can see through walls." Site is a noun meaning location: “They chose a new site for the factory just outside town.” Site is also used in website and it is one word, website.
stationary / stationery
Stationary is an adjective that means fixed or unmoving. “They maneuvered around the stationary barrier in the road.” Stationery is a noun that means writing materials. “We printed the letters on company stationery.”
their / there / they're
Their is the possessive form of they; there refers to place; and they're is the contraction of they are. “They're going there because their mother insisted they get a good education.”
than / then
Than is used in comparative statements. "I would rather live at the beach than the mountains." Then is used either as a time marker or with a sequence of events. "We will go to the mountains, and then to the beach."
through / thru / threw
Through means to pass to another end, "The rope went through the tube to the the other side." or being finished with something, "I am through cooking for the day." Although thru is a word, it is mostly slang. The only time you should use thru is with a word like drive-thru. Do not use it in your writing as a short form of through. Threw means to throw. "She threw the ball to me."
we're / were / where
We're in the contraction of we are. "We're going to the store when we get through at the doctor's office." Were is the plural form of was."I was at the doctor, but they were at the store."Where refers to the question about the location of something. "Where did you park my car?
who's / whose
Who's is the contraction of who is. Whose is the possessive form of who. “Who's (who is) going to figure out whose job it is to clean the stables?”
your / you're
Your is the possessive form of you; you're is the contraction you are. “If you're planning on swimming, then be sure to bring your life vest and flippers.”
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