THERE’LL vs THEY’LL: which is which? Learn the difference

THERE’LL and THEY’LL are often confused but remembering the difference is easy when you know how. These simple tips will help you decide which word you need.

When to use there’ll

THERE’LL is a contraction of the words there + will = THERE’LL

The apostrophe in the word there’ll shows that there are letters missing – in this case, w and i.

Here are a couple of examples of the word there’ll used in a sentence:

“There’ll be trouble!” = “There will be trouble!”

“There’ll be blue birds over the white cliffs of Dover” = “There will be blue birds over the white cliffs of Dover”

When to use they’ll

THEY’LL is a contraction of the words they + will = they’ll.

It is the short version of:

Here’s how they’ll is used in a sentence:

“They’ll be late!” = “They will be late!”

“They’ll need a lie-in after their late night” = “They’ll need a lie-in after their late night”

In a nutshell, to remember the difference between there’ll and they’ll, start by writing the contraction in full, to see if you mean there or they.

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The words BEAR and BARE are easy to confuse – particularly when you’re using the expression bear with me, when there’s a world of a difference in meaning! This is one you really don’t want to get wrong!

Here are my simple tips to remember the difference between BEAR and BARE.

When to use bear

BEAR can be a noun or a verb.

As a verb, it means to carry or endure. You can use it in a sentence like this:

“Please bear with me for a moment.”

OR

“The pressure was hard to bear.”

As a noun, bear is a large animal.

For example:

“Winnie-the-Pooh is a famous bear.”

When to use bare

BARE can be a verb or an adjective.

As a verb, bare means to expose, like this:

“I will bare my soul and be completely honest.”

As an adjective, bare means exposed, like this:

“The gorilla beat his bare chest.”

Now you know the difference between bear and bare you can see that the phrases “bear with me” (please be patient) and “bare with me” (let’s get naked) should never be mixed up! I hope these tips help you to remember the difference between these commonly confused spellings in the future.

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TOO vs TO vs TWO – simple tips to remember the difference

TOO, TO and TWO are easy to confuse. They may sound the same but they have different uses. These simple tips will help you decide which word you need.

When to use too

TOO is an adverb meaning as well or excessively.

For example:

“I’m going to the park too.”
OR
“I can’t go because it’s too far.”

To help you remember which spelling you need, think O + O = as + well
OR
Two Ss in exceSSive and two Os in too

When to use to

To is a useful preposition that has several meanings. It’s also the most common of the three spellings.

It can be used to indicate a direction, goal, place of arrival or a period of time.

For example:

“I’m going to the shop.”
“The shop is open from 7am to 9pm.”

To can also be used to show the infinitive form of a verb, like this:

“I’m going to buy a newspaper” = to buy
“She needs to leave soon” = to leave

When to use two

Though it’s far less likely to be confused with to and too, the spelling two is the easy one to remember, as it’s only ever the number 2 spelled out.

For example:

“The park is two miles away.”
OR
“Just the two of us.”

I hope these tips help you remember the difference between too, to and two. Feel free to share your tips if you have a different way of remembering.

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WHOSE vs WHO’S – learn the difference between these two commonly confused spellings.

WHOSE and WHO’S are easy to confuse. Though they sound the same – and both have their root in the word WHO – they have different meanings. These simple tips will help you learn the difference.

When to use whose

WHOSE is a possessive pronoun used to ask or tell whom something belongs to.

For example:

“Whose pencil is this?”
OR
“JK Rowling is an author whose books are loved by millions.”

When to use who’s

WHO’S is a contraction of who + is or who + has.

For example:

“Who’s coming with me?” = “Who is coming with me?”
OR
“Shall I see who’s gone with him?” = “Shall I see who has gone with him?”

In a nutshell, if you can replace the word you’re writing with either who is or who has, always use WHO’S.

I hope this guidance helps you remember the difference between whose and who’s. Let me know how you get on.

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HOARD and HORDE: which is which? Learn the difference between these identical-sounding words.

HOARD and HORDE are easy to confuse. The fact that the two words sound the same – they’re homophones – means people commonly mix them up.

Here, I outline the difference between HOARD and HORDE.

When to use hoard

HOARD is a verb meaning to never throw anything away.

For example:

“I love to hoard old magazines.”

When to use horde

HORDE is a noun, meaning a crowd of people. It’s often used by the tabloid press in a negative way. It’s a little tenuous, but you can use this knowledge to remember which spelling you need, if you think of the word ordeal:

For example:

“She was chased out of the building by a horde of angry people. It was quite an ordeal.”

Want more writing tips?

For more language love, join my Clever Copy Club and get monthly updates direct to your inbox. Alternatively, email me, follow me on Twitter, connect on LinkedIn or like my page on Facebook.

Get more tips in The Little Book of Confusables