It can be a little confusing to know whether to use axe or ax as the spelling of this noun or verb. Very often with alternate spellings, there is a clear distinction between British English and American English spellings.
However, this is not necessarily the case with axe/ax.
Axe/ax is a verb and noun. The noun describes a sharpened metal-bladed tool with a handle that is designed for chopping. The verb refers to using such a tool to chop, literally or figuratively (e.g., “A total of 25 jobs were axed”).
In British English, the correct spelling is always axe. In American English, you can use either axe or ax. It seems that towards the end of the 20th century, ax was the preferred spelling, but now axe is more common.
However, it is worth checking the style guide of any institution you are writing for, as some still prefer the ax spelling.
Axe or ax in a sentence examples
American English
British English
Making sure your ax/axe is sharp will save you a lot of effort.
The sunlight glinted off the razor-sharp edge of the ax/axe.
Leslie was devastated to discover he’d been given the ax/axe.
Making sure your axe is sharp will save you a lot of effort.
The sunlight glinted off the razor-sharp edge of the axe.
Leslie was devastated to discover he’d been given the axe.
Carat and karat are both nouns that relate to the world of jewelry, and they can cause confusion. This is partly because their use and meaning are different in British English and American English.
Carat vs karat in British English and American English
Meaning
Correct word in British English and American English
The simple past tense form and past participle of the verb spill can cause some confusion. And the answer to “Is it spilt or spilled?” is “It depends where you are.”
American English has the easiest answer: you won’t go wrong if you choose spilled. British English is more complicated. Not every authority agrees, but generally, spilled is the simple past form, and spilt is the past participle.
Past tense of spill in a sentence examples
AmericanEnglish
British English
The crowd was so large that it spilled out into the street.
The crowd was so large that it spilled out into the street.
It was too late; Michael had spilled the beans!
It was too late; Michael had spilt the beans!
By looking for where the juice had been spilled, it was easy to see where little Jimmy had gone!
By looking for where the juice had been spilt, it was easy to see where little Jimmy had gone!
The noun that derives from the verb “acknowledge” is spelled differently in British English and American English. The spelling is almost identical; the only difference is what happens to the final “e” in “acknowledge.” The pronunciation and meaning remain the same.
British English keeps the “e” and uses acknowledgement, while American English drops the final “e” and uses acknowledgment.
Acknowledgement/acknowledgment in a sentence examplesBella didn’t do it for the thanks, but nonetheless, it was nice to receive an acknowledgement/acknowledgmentof her efforts.
Jenny’s first rule of management was to make sure her colleagues received due acknowledgement/acknowledgmentfor their hard work.
Along with the email came an acknowledgement/acknowledgmentof receipt of my payment.
Cheque and check are two words that sound the same and have the same meaning (i.e., a slip of paper issued by a bank that can be used as a means of payment) but are spelled differently in American and British English.
Check has quite a number of meanings, both as a verb and a noun, and it is only in this one specific meaning where the spelling is different.
Cheque vs check in a sentence examples
American English
British English
I gave the builder a checkfor the full amount.
I gave the builder a chequefor the full amount.
Stan had to go for a health checkfor his new job.
Stan had to go for a health checkfor his new job.
Sian always carries out a final checkbefore leaving work.
Sian always carries out a final checkbefore leaving work.
The past tense of the verblay, meaning “place something in a horizontal position,” is laid. Laid is both the simple past tense form of the verb and the past participle.
The simple past tense is used to describe actions that have taken place in the past. The past participle is used for forming the perfect tenses and the passive voice.
Lay is a transitive verb, so it always takes a direct object. It can also be used figuratively (e.g., “The principal laid down the law at the start of the new year”) or more abstractly (e.g., “After a full day in the studio, we had laid down only two tracks”).
Laid in a sentence examples
Laid as simple past tense
Laid as past participle
I laid the clothes out on the bed, ready for the morning.
Exhausted, Marie finally laid the baby down to sleep.
The camp leader laid out the rules for us.
The free-range hens had laid many more eggs than the caged birds.
The past tense of the verbteach, meaning “help someone learn, impart knowledge,” is taught. Teach is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t add “-ed” to form the past tenses.
Because it is an irregular verb, read doesn’t follow the regular pattern of adding “-ed” to form the past tenses.
Read in a sentence examples
Read as simple past tense
Read as past participle
Celina read the timetable carefully to make sure she didn’t miss her bus.
It’s exciting to know how many people have read your books.
You could hear a pin drop as Tom read the poem to the class.
You could see by the pages that this book had been read by dozens of people.
My children loved it when we read to them at bedtime.
Gilly had read the contracts and annotated them for the rest of the team.
NoteAlthough the spelling doesn’t change, the pronunciation of read does change for the past tense and past participle. The infinitive is pronounced [reed], but the past tense and past participle are pronounced [red].
This follows a similar pattern to the irregular verb lead, meaning “go in front,” as the past tense of lead is led.
The two verbsbought and brought are spelled and pronounced almost identically, and they are both the past tenses of irregular verbs. However, they are completely different words and cannot be used interchangeably.
Bought is the simple past tense form and past participle of buy, meaning “purchase.”
Brought is the simple past tense form and past participle of bring, meaning “carry or cause something to come with you.”
Sometimes the difference is not completely clear (e.g., in the sentence “Ali brought a new hat for everyone when she arrived,” we infer that Ali also bought the new hats). But that doesn’t mean that the words are synonyms.
Bought vs brought
Bought in a sentence examples
Brought in a sentence examples
Yesterday I bought a new car.
The clear skies brought out all the sun worshippers!
Simone had bought the laptop 5 years ago, and it seemed very old now.
Bite is an irregular verb, so it doesn’t add “-ed” to form the past tenses. In American English, you can also use bit as the past participle.
Past tense of bite in a sentence examples
Simple past of bite
Past participle of bite
The girth was too tight and bit into the horse’s flank.
The cake was so delicious that Mo had bitten off too much for one mouthful.
As night fell, the bugs bit us like crazy.
If I hadn’t shut the door, the dog would have bitten me.
The moment you bit into the steak you could taste its perfection.
Jean had been bitten by the marathon bug and was about to take part in her fifth race.
NoteBit is also a noun, meaning “part of something,” or “metal bar in a horse’s mouth used to control its head.” Bite is a noun too, meaning the “part of something that has been bitten,” the “act of biting,” or the “smallest unit of data in computing.”
