Commonly Misused Words

These are words which are commonly misused in writing. Often the word will have many words which sound or are spelled similarly.

Then, Than

 * Then is used to capture what happens next in a scene. (And then, Joseph reached over and grabbed the pistol!)
 * Than is used to compare two objects. (That rock is bigger than I am!)

It's, Its

 * It's is a contraction meaning "it is". (It's not a good idea.)
 * Its shows possession of an object. (That dog looks mean. I wouldn't go near its doghouse.)

Your, You're

 * Your is used to show possession of an object. (That's your dinner.)
 * You're is a contraction meaning "you are". (You're not going to do that, are you?)

To, two, too

 * To is used for showing an action, the purpose of an action, or the purpose of an object. (I went to the store to get milk.) (Let's use that to fix the pipes.)
 * Two is used to show that there are two objects.
 * Too is used like "also". (I want one too!)

Where, Were, We're

 * Where is used when asking about an object's location. (Where is the computer?)
 * Were is used to show a past action. (We were about to head over.)
 * We're is a contraction meaning "we are". "We're going there right now."

Affect, Effect

 * Affect is a verb. (The explosion affected the entire city.)
 * Effect is a noun. (Let's see the effect of the explosion.)

Would/Could/Should
Also, the proper way to use them is "would/could/should have", not "w/c/s of".
 * Would means that a person had the desire to perform a certain action, but didn't. (I would have bought some chips.)
 * Could means that a person had the ability to o something, but didn't. (I could have bought some more pens, but I didn't want to.)
 * Should means that a person had an obligation to do something, but didn't. (Yeah, I know I should have cleaned my room).