Commonly Confused Words

These thirteen words form six contrasts that continue to cause errors in longer 4th Grade writing: there/their/they’re, its/it’s, than/then, accept/except, affect/effect, and principal/principle. Some sound alike; others look similar or occur in similar sentences. In every group, sentence meaning identifies the intended word, and then the student must spell that word accurately.

Keep two kinds of error separate. A selection error happens when a learner writes a real word correctly but chooses the wrong member, such as their for there. A spelling error happens when the intended member is clear but its letters are wrong. The first calls for a quick meaning check; the second calls for focused spelling correction.

How to practice this list

Practice one contrast group with short oral sentences. Ask what the sentence means, have your child name the intended word, and then remove the model before they write it. For there/their/they’re and its/it’s, a brief expansion check can identify the contraction; stop there rather than turning the activity into a grammar lesson.

When the wrong member is selected, do not mark it as a misspelling. Ask a short question that restores the intended meaning—place, belonging to them, or they are, for example—and let them replace the word. When the intended member is misspelled, keep the choice and correct only its uncertain letters or apostrophe. Retest the complete word later in a different sentence.

Choosing the wrong member of a pair is a different kind of mistake from a true misspelling, and naming that difference out loud keeps it from feeling like a bigger error than it is.

Mix all six groups once individual contrasts are secure. The learner is ready to continue when they can select and spell the intended member in new sentences, explain whether a mistake was a choice or a spelling error, and use the matching correction without prompting.