List of English words with disputed usage

Some English words are often used in ways that are contentious between writers on usage and prescriptive commentators. The contentious usages are especially common in spoken English, and descriptive linguists point out they are accepted by many listeners. While in some circles the usages below may make the speaker sound uneducated or illiterate, in other circles the more standard or more traditional usage may make the speaker sound stilted or pretentious.

For a list of disputes more complicated than the usage of a single word or phrase, see English usage controversies.

Abbreviations of dictionaries cited
Abbrev. Dictionary Further details
AHD4 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 4th Edition
AHD5 The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language 5th Edition, 2013, online
CHAMBERS Chambers 21st Century Dictionary 2006
COD11 Concise Oxford English Dictionary 11th Edition
COED Compact Oxford English Dictionary AskOxford.com
ENCARTA Encarta World English Dictionary online
FOWLER The New Fowler's Modern English Usage Revised 3rd Edition (1998)
MAU Garner's Modern American Usage 3rd Edition (2009)
M-W Merriam-Webster online
OED Oxford English Dictionary online
RH Random House Unabridged Dictionary 2006; at Dictionary.com
Contents :

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I


L

M

N

O

P

Q

In biology, the non-standard usage "quaternary structure" is so firmly entrenched that to refer to "quartary structure" would be unfamiliar.

R

S

There is also the unrelated verb scotch (also lower-cased), as in the following example from Shakespeare's Macbeth:
  • Undisputed usage: "We have scotched the snake, not killed it."
  • Undisputed usage: "Seek and ye shall find."

T

U

  • Disputed usage: "As documented in depth by the Boston Globe, Massachusetts high schools feature some of the most uniquely oriented fields in all of baseball." "None of those may be more unique than the field that Braintree (Mass.) High calls home." "The setting has required some rather unique rule modifications to work in the town hall." "While French's Common may be the Bay State's most unique park, it certainly isn't alone."[120]


W

Contents :

Further reading

References

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