Quick Grammar Guide!
Inspired by mctabby's post of Pet Peeve Icons as well as my own fucking insomnia teacherly inclinations-

An HP writer's guide to commonly mistaken/mixed up words.

This isn't exhaustive and is really just fast guidelines for most situations- with random fandom specific examples.



Its/It's
Its = possessive ungendered pronoun (Giant squid waved its tentacles.)
It's = contraction of 'it is' (It's dangerous to eat Hagrid's cakes.)

There/Their/They're
There = specifies location or existence (There are five Hufflepuffs over there by the lake.)
Their = possessive plural pronoun (The five Hufflepuffs have their wands drawn.)
They're = contraction of 'they are' (They're the Hufflepuff Mafia!)

Your/You're
Your = possessive pronoun (Don't get your wand in a knot!)
You're = contraction of 'you are' (You're going to get us all killed... or worse yet, expelled!)

Whose/Who's
Whose = possessive pronoun (Whose cauldrons are these?)
Who's = contraction of 'who is' (Who's going to Hogsmeade?)

Loose/Lose
Loose = adjective meaning 'not tight' or 'not confined' (Seamus couldn't catch the loose pixies because his shoes were too loose.)
Lose = the opposite of 'to win' or 'to find' (Will Ravenclaw lose the game? / Nevile always loses his toad.)

Affect/Effect
Affect = typically a verb meaning 'to alter or impact' (Mixing order affects potion results.)
Effect = typically a noun meaning 'the result' (Pepper-up potion has many side effects.)

Accept/Except
Accept = to take or receive or to believe (Hermione refused to accept that the Ministry wasn't accepting bribes.)
Except = but (All the Weasleys lived except Fred.)

Lay/Lie
Lay: To place an OJBECT down (Lay your quills on the table.)
Lie: To recline. (Lie back and take a deep breath.)
*Note: The past tense of lay is laid, and lie is lay. So Hermione laid her book aside then lay down for a nap.

Than/Then
Than = in comparison to (Bill is taller than Charlie.)
Then = after (Bill snogged Charlie then got hit by his mum.)

Bare/Bear
Bare = starkers, naked, or to get that way (No one wants to see Umbridge bare.)
Bear = to support, to birth, or a fuzzy mammal (Fawkes can bear enough weight that he could carry a bear or a woman bearing a child.)

Prostate/Prostrate
Prostate : the gland men have, their 'sweet spot' (Draco screamed in pleasure when Harry's cock hit his prostate.)
Prostrate: lying face down (Because he was prostrate on Severus' desk, his screams were muffled.)

Complement/Compliment
Complement = matching or fitting (Lucius' pimp cane really complements his personality.)
Compliment = admiring (Draco is always complimenting his father's pimp cane so he can get one too.)

Ensure/Insure
Ensure = to make certain (The Order ensured Harry's safety.)
Insure = to issue a policy/insurance (Was Moody's magical eye insured?)
*Note = some authorities claim these are interchangeable. *doesn't agree*

Flaunt/Flout
Flaunt = to show of (Lockhart flaunted his sparkly teeth.)
Flout = to show contempt (The twins flouted convention by quitting school.)

Discreet/Discrete
Discreet = prudent, cautious (A spy must be discreet to stay alive.)
Discrete = separate, distinct (There are very discrete levels of hierarchy in centaur herds.)

Prophecy/Prophesy
Prophecy = the noun meaning 'a prediction' (Snakeface wanted the prophecy about Harry.)
Prophesy = the verb meaning 'to make a prediction' (Trewlaney prophesied Snakeface's end.)

Principal/Principle
Principal = a person in charge (Hagrid was the principal teacher responsible for Care of Magical Creatures.)
Principle = the moral or idea (McGonagall believed in the principle of hard work.)

Loath/Loathe
Loath = reluctant (Remus was loath to leave Sirius alone at Grimmauld.)
Loathe = to hate (Sirius loathed the old house.)

Lightening/Lightning
Lightening = making lighter (Hermione dropped Divination, lightening her course load.)
Lightning = the pretty lights in the sky during a storm (Lightning struck the tower.)

Poor/Pore/Pour
Poor = not wealthy (The Weasleys were poor.)
Pore = part of your skin or to scrutinize (Marietta pored over her pores.)
Pour = to dump onto (The rain poured down onto the quidditch pitch.)

Peak/Peek/Pique
Peak = a high point (James licked the peaks of Lily's breasts.)
Peek = to look (Sirius peeked through the curtains.)
Pique = to stimulate (Sirius' interest in tits was piqued.)

Baited/Bated
Baited = to add/use a lure (Luna baited her trap to try to catch nargles.)
Bated = held/abated (Ginny waited with bated breath to see if she would catch them.)

Adverse/Averse
Adverse = difficult, as an adversary (The freezing rain was adverse weather for the pranks.)
Averse = a strong feeling against, like an aversion (Ron is averse to corned beef sandwiches.)

Taunt/Taut/Tout
Taunt = to make fun of (Crabbe and Goyle taunt muggle-borns.)
Taut = tight, stretched (Remus made sure the ropes around Sirius' wrists were pulled taut.)
Tout = to promote (Harry was touted as the next Super Auror.)

Cannon/Canon
Cannon = a big gun used to fire metal balls (Ron worshiped the Chudley Cannons.)
Canon = a list of official or approved works (The debates rage between canon and fanon.)

Vial/Vile/Veil
Vial: a small container (Barty Crouch Jr hand many empty vials of Polyjuice.)
Vile: disgusting, evil (Few things taste as vile as polyjuice.)
Veil: a covering, or to cover something, (A veil is also that evil thing that ate Sirius.)


UPDATED! Again!
Read. Enjoy. Learn. USE CORRECTLY, GODDAMNIT!