Victoria Langford

The question of in summer vs in the summer often comes up because English speakers use both expressions. The short answer is that both can be correct. The difference usually depends on whether you are talking about summer as a general season or referring to a particular summer or a specific period. For example, you … Read more

in route vs en route is a common English usage question because the two expressions look close in meaning but don’t have the same status in standard English. The established expression is en route, which means on the way to a destination or while traveling toward a place. In most standard English writing, in route … Read more

The confusion between in line or inline usually comes from the fact that the two forms look almost identical. They are both correct English expressions, but they do different jobs. In line is normally a two word phrase that describes position, arrangement, agreement, or waiting in a queue, while inline is usually a single adjective … Read more

jynx vs jinx looks like a simple spelling question, but the answer depends on what you mean. If you’re talking about bad luck, a person or thing believed to cause bad luck, or the act of bringing bad luck to something, jinx is the standard English word. Jynx has a specific use as the name … Read more

Indexes or indices can be confusing because both forms are correct. The difference isn’t that one is right and the other is wrong. Instead each plural form tends to appear in different contexts and can carry a slightly different sense depending on the subject. Indexes is the more common choice in general English. You’ll often … Read more

jersies or jerseys is an easy spelling question because the singular word ends in y. When people turn it into a plural, they may remember the common English rule that changes a consonant plus y to ies. In this case, that rule does not apply. Jerseys is the correct standard plural form of jersey, while … Read more

home made or homemade can look like a small spelling question, but the answer depends on how the phrase works in a sentence. Homemade is the standard form when you mean something made at home rather than commercially produced. The one word form is especially common when the expression works as an adjective before a … Read more

If you’ve ever wondered how are you faring or fairing is the right expression, the answer is straightforward. The correct form is how are you faring when you’re asking someone how they are doing or how they are managing a situation. Fairing is a different word with a different meaning and doesn’t fit this everyday … Read more

hight or height can be confusing because the two forms look almost identical and sound the same in some historical and modern dictionary entries. If you mean the distance from the bottom of something to the top, the standard modern spelling is height. The spelling hight is not the normal modern form for this meaning. … Read more

hustle or hussle is an easy spelling question to stumble over because the word contains a sound that can make the middle letters feel uncertain. The correct standard spelling is hustle. Hussle is generally a misspelling and should not be used in standard English writing when you mean hustle. The confusion often comes from pronunciation. … Read more