Category: Confusing words

People sometimes get confused between lay and lie and say something like, “I need to lay down.”

Would you say kudos are due? You shouldn’t.

just deserts

Your just deserts are the consequences you justly deserve. It’s a single S. Sometimes people incorrectly write “just desserts”.

Many Latin terms are misused, e.g. “i.e.”

People sometimes write “i.e.” when they mean “e.g.” in the mistaken belief that the terms are interchangeable. They’re not.

I read in a recent newspaper article: “Footage of densely crowded streets and crammed queues in London showed hoards of shoppers ignoring, or unable to obey, social distancing measures.”