Common Errors Starting with G
ghandi vs gandhi
Mohandas K. Gandhi’s name has an H after the D, not after the G. Note that “Mahatma” (“great soul”) is an honorific title, not actually part of his birth name. The proper pronunciation of the first s…
Read Moregander vs dander
When you get really angry you “get your dander up.” The derivation of “dander” in this expression is uncertain, but you can’t replace it with “dandruff” or “gander.” The only way to get a gander up i…
Read Moregauge vs gouge
“Gauge” is an unusual spelling in English, and the word frequently gets misspelled. Your spelling-checker will catch “gague” (believe it!), but won’t catch “gouge,” which occurs more often than you m…
Read Moregood-by vs good-bye vs goodby vs goodbye
All of these spellings are legitimate; but if you want to go with the most popular one, it’s “goodbye.” This spelling has the advantage of recalling the word’s origins in phrases like “God be with ye…
Read Moregaff vs gaffe
Gaffe is a French word meaning “embarrassing mistake,” and should not bemixed up with “gaff”: a large hook.
Read Moregamut vs gauntlet
To “run a gamut” is to go through the whole scale or spectrum of something. To “run the gauntlet” (also gantlet) is to run between two lines of people who are trying to beat you. And don’t confuse “g…
Read Moregaurd vs guard
<p>If you see an advertisement from "Tiger Security Gaurd Services", please ask them to guard their language first. Gaurd is a misspelling. Guard is correct.</p><p>A guard is described as an individu…
Read Moregenius vs brilliant
In standard English “genius” is a noun, but not an adjective. In slang, people often say things like “Telling Mom your English teacher is requiring the class to get HBO was genius!” The standard way …
Read Moreget me vs get myself
“I gotta get me a new carburetor,” says Joe-Bob. Translated into standard English, this would be “I have to get myself a new carburetor.” Even better: leave out the “myself.”
Read Moregibe vs jibe vs jive
“Gibe” is a now rare term meaning “to tease.” “Jibe” means “to agree,” but is usually used negatively, as in “the alibis of the two crooks didn’t jibe.” The latter word is often confused with “jive,”…
Read Moregift vs give
Conservatives are annoyed by the use of “gift” as a verb. If the ad says “gift her with jewelry this Valentine’s Day,” she might prefer that you give it to her.
Read Moregig vs jig
“The jig is up” is an old slang expression meaning “the game isover—we’re caught.” A musician’s job is a gig.
Read Moregild vs guild
You gild an object by covering it with gold; you can join anorganization like the Theatre Guild.
Read Moregoal vs objective
Most language authorities consider “goal” to be a synonym of “objective,” and some dismiss the popular bureaucratic phrase “goals and objectives” as a meaningless redundancy.However, if you have to d…
Read Moregoal vs gaol
UK writers are increasingly using the American spelling “jail” instead of “gaol.” This should be helpful for those who sometimes absentmindedly type “goal” when they mean to write “gaol.”
Read Moregone vs went
This is one of those cases in which a common word has a past participle which is not formed by the simple addition of -ED and which often trip people up. “I should have went to the business meeting, …
Read Moregonna vs going to
How do you pronounce “going to” in phrases like “going to walk the dog”? “Gonna,” right? Almost everyone uses this slurred pronunciation, but it’s not acceptable in formal writing except when you’re …
Read Moregood vs well
You do something well, but a thing is good. The exception is verbs of sensation in phrases such as “the pie smells good,” or “I feel good.” Despite the arguments of nigglers, this is standard usage. …
Read Moregot vs gotten
In the UK, the old word “gotten” dropped out of use except in suchstock phrases as “ill-gotten” and “gotten up,” but in the US it isfrequently used as the past participle of “get.” sometimes the two …
Read Moregot to vs have got to
“Gotta go now. Bye!” This is a common casual way to end a phone conversation. But it’s good to remember that it’s a slangy abbreviation of the more formal “I have got to go now.” In writing, at least…
Read Moregp practice vs general practice
“GP” stands for “general practitioner,” so a “GP practice is a “general practitioner practice,” which isn’t exactly redundant, but strikes some people as awkward. However, if you don’t want to spell …
Read Moregraduate vs graduate from
In certain dialects (notably that of New York City) it is common to say“he is going to graduate school in June” rather than the more standard“graduate from.” When writing for a national or internatio…
Read Moregrammer vs grammar
<p>Grammar is a system of rules and principles guiding the speaking and writing of a language. It entails the basic rules and composition of a sentence (syntax), internal structure of words (morpholo…
Read Moregrasping for straws vs grasping at straws
To grasp at straws is to make desperate but futile attempts to escape from a problem. The image is of a drowning person wildly thrashing about trying to find something to keep afloat with, madly gras…
Read Moregratis vs gratuitous
If you do something nice without being paid, you do it “gratis.” Technically, such a deed can also be “gratuitous"; but if you do or say something obnoxious and uncalled for, it’s always “gratuitous,…
Read Moregray vs grey
<p>‘Gray’ and ‘grey’ are both considered to be a correct spelling of the color that combines white and black. ‘Gray’ tends to be the spelling favored by U.S. native English speakers, while ‘grey’ is …
Read Moregreatful vs grateful
<p>Grateful has no evident link to greatness but to gratitude. It means someone is thankful or appreciative of a kind or warm gesture shown.</p> <pre>"<i>I am grateful for the opportunity to work on…
Read Moregrievious vs grievous
There are just two syllables in “grievous,” and it’s pronounced“grieve-us.”
Read Moregrill cheese vs grilled cheese
The popular fried sandwich is properly called “grilled cheese.”
Read Moregrill vs grille
You cook on a grill (perhaps in a “bar and grill”), but the word for a metal framework over the front of an opening is most often grille. When speaking of intensive questioning “grill” is used becaus…
Read Moregrisly vs grizzly
“Grisly” means “horrible”; a “grizzly” is a bear. “The grizzly left behind the grisly remains of his victim.” “Grizzled,” means “having gray hairs,” not to be confused with “gristly,” full of gristle.
Read Moregroup (plural vs. singular)
When the group is being considered as a whole, it can be treated as asingle entity: “the group was ready to go on stage.” But when theindividuality of its members is being emphasized, “group” is plur…
Read Moreguess who? vs guess who!
Since “Guess who” is a command rather than a real question, technically it should not be followed by a question mark. A period or exclamation point will do fine. Similarly, there should be no questio…
Read Moregull vs gall
<p>Gull is used to refer to a dishonest person or cheating act, it could also be the name of a particular sea bird.</p><pre>"Joseph is a heartless gull."</pre><p>Gall on the other hand refers to nerv…
Read Moregut-rending, heart-wrenching vs gut-wrenching, heart-rending
To wrench is to twist, to rend is to tear. Upsetting events can be stomach- or gut-wrenching (agonizing) or heart-rending (heartbreaking, making you feel terribly sad); but many people confuse the tw…
Read Moregyp vs cheat
Gypsies complain that “gyp” (“cheat”) reflects bias; but the word is sowell entrenched and its origin so obscure to most users that there islittle hope of eliminating it from standard use any time so…
Read Moreground zero
“Ground zero” refers to the point at the center of the impact of a nuclear bomb, so it is improper to talk about “building from ground zero” as if it were a place of new beginnings. You can start fro…
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