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12 Commonly Misused Words on Resumes

Do you misuse these commonly used words on your resume or any of your writing, for that matter? Learn how to identify them, learn the proper words to use, and discover the true definition of these words. It is common to find mistakes like these on a resume or cover letter that was written by a person that is not very careful about what they do. It also could expose your lack of proper education regarding homonyms and homophones.

Do You Misuse These Words?

commonly misused words on resumes This article will point out these commonly misused words and also the differences between them, in both their usage and their definitions. If you don't know what a word means, you can't expect to use it correctly. When writing a resume, it is most important to double-check all aspects of your writing. That includes the accuracy of the facts you write, your usage of grammar, and how you spell your words. A spell checker can tell you if a word has the correct spelling. However, if you use the wrong form of a word, but that word has the correct spelling, the checker may not detect the error. Enter this article; once you know how to navigate your way through these mistakes, it will reduce your tendency to overlook them. The last thing an applicant wants to do is to submit a resume that has mistakes on it. Now, on to homonyms.

Keep an Eye Out for These Words

Homonyms are words that sound the same but have different meanings. There are homophones, which are homonyms that also have different spellings to break it down even further. Then, we have homographs, which are also homonyms, which have the same spelling but have different meanings. That is how it is possible to use a correctly spelled word, but not the right form of the word. Below you will find 12 examples of common homonyms that are a great source of confusion for writers.
  1. There, Their and They're
    There refers to a location, "Go over there."
    Their is the possessive form of they, "This is their cover letter."
    They're is the contraction of they are, "They're arriving later."
  2. To, Too and Two
    To is a location, "Go to the store."
    Too means also, "She wants to go too."
    Two is a number, "Two cars are in the parking lot."
  3. It's and Its
    It's is the contraction of it is, "It's a nice day today."
    Its is the possessive form of it, "Its paint is peeling off."
  4. Your and You're
    Your indicates possession, " Where is your car?"
    You're is a contraction of you are, "You're going to the party."
  5. Then and Than
    Then tells what time something occurs, "I will pack the car, then I will go to the beach."
    Than introduces a comparison or exception, "I like candy better than cake."
  6. Accept and Except
    Accept means to receive, "I will accept the job."
    Except means to exclude something, "It is a nice day except for the rain."
  7. Threw and Through
    Threw is the past tense of throw, "He threw the ball."
    Through is a path of travel, moving into one side and exiting from the other side, "Drive through the tunnel."
  8. Hear and Here
    Hear is the act of listening, "Did you hear what I said?"
    Here is a location, "The book is over here."
  9. Are and Our
    Are means to be, "Are you all right?"
    Our means to belong to us, "Our house is white."
  10. Affect and Effect
    Affect means to influence, "A dirty air filter in a car can negatively affect gas mileage."
    Effect is a change resulting from an action, "The effect of replacing a dirty air filter is better gas mileage."
  11. Which and Witch
    Which is used to choose from a group of choices, "Which color should I paint the room?"
    Witch is generally thought of as a person who casts spells, "The witch flew away on her broom."
  12. Know and No
    Know refers to possessing information in one's mind, "I know how to get to the market."
    No is a negative response to a question, "No, I don't want to wash the dishes."
As you can see from these examples, it can be very easy to mix up these words when using them on your resume and cover letter. It is critical that you do your best to verify that you are writing the words that convey what you actually mean. This article can be a step in the right direction. It is always helpful to have someone other than yourself proofread your writing. Apply these same grammar rules to your cover letter and any other job-related letters as well. Moreover, don't forget about the spelling! It's great to use the correct words so don't fall short by misspelling them. And finally, if you are interested in more grammar rules we have a page about that too.