Can't hardly
This expression is a nonstandard double negative (hardly is considered negative), so avoid it. It is better to say can hardly: I can hardly hear you over the noise of the party!Hardly.
canvas,canvass
Canvas is cloth or fabric: a canvas bag to bring to the beach.
Canvass means "to conduct a survey or examine thoroughly", or "to seek votes": She canvassed all the stores before she found the right dress.
capital,capitol
A capital is where the seat of government is: The capital of the United States is Washington DC. Capital can also mean "wealth" or "a large letter".
The Capitol (usually capitalized) is the actual building in which the government and legislature meets: We will travel to the Capitol this weekend.
censor,sensor,censure
Censor is to prohibit free expression: The principal censored all references to smoking in school publications.
A sensor is something that interprets stimulation: The lights are turned on by a movement sensor.
Censure is rebuke, harsh criticism: Morty Skustin was severely censured for putting the frog in the water cooler.
cite,site,sight
Cite means "to quote or mention": He cited a famous theorist in his speech.
Site is a noun meaning "a place": At which site will we stage the party?
Sight is a noun meaning "view": The sight of the New York City skyline is spectacular.
climactic,climatic
Climactic refers to the peak: Wendell sneezed right at the climactic moment of a movie.
Climatic refers to the climate and weather: New Monia is known for its dramatic climatic changes.
coarse,course
Coarse is an adjective meaning "rough, big-grained, not fine": We need to use coarse sandpaper to remove the paint from this wood.
Course is a noun referring to a direction (the course of a ship) or a series of lectures on one subject (a history course in college): The poetry course Stu deBaker took in colldge changed the course of his life.
collaborate,corroborate
Collaborate means "to work together": Collaborate with the people on your team.
Corroborate means "to support with evidence" or "prove true": The testimony was corroborated with evidence of his innocence.
complement,compliment
Complement means "to supplement" or "make complete": Their two personalities complement each other.
Compliment means "to praise or congratulate": She received a compliment on her sense of fashion.
compose,comprise
Compose means to "make up" and is often used in the passive voice: The class is composed of students of several nationalities.
Comprise means "have, consist of, or include": Students of several nationalities comprise the class. A rule to remember would be that the whole comprises its parts, and the parts compose the whole.
concurrent,consecutive
Concurrent simultaneous or happening at the same time as something else: concurrent blizzards in three different states.
Consecutive means "successive or one after another": The state had three consecutive blizzards that month.
conform,confirm
Conform means "to be similar to": Some schools conform their students by using uniforms.
Confirm is to make sure or double check: to confirm a flight reservation.
congenial,congenital
Congenial describes something likeable, suitable to taste: They enjoy the congenial surroundings in their home.
Congenital refers to a condition present at birth because of heredity: Raymond has a congenital heart defect.
connote,denote
Connote means to "imply or suggest": 'Home' connotes warmth and safety.
Denote means to "indicate specifically, to mean": 'Home' denotes the place where you live.
conscience,conscious
Conscience is the feeling or knowledge of right and wrong: My conscience wouldn't allow me to compete with someone so much weaker than me.
Conscious refers to being awake and aware: Molly Coddle was still conscious after banging her head on the headboard.
continual,continuous
Continual means "repeated with breaks in between": We need continual rain throughout the summer for crops to grow..
Continuous means "without stopping": The continuous drumming of the rain on the windows put Herman to sleep.
convince,persuade
Convince is to cause another to feel sure or believe something to be true: Well, Argyle Greenpasture has convinced me that aliens do exist.
Persuade is to talk someone into doing something: Percy persuaded me to help him wash his car.
co-operation,corporation
Co-operation means "working together": I would like to thank you for your cooperation with us on the project.
A corporation is a large company: Presidents of large corporations receive tens of millions of dollars in salary.
corps,core,corpse
Corps (pronounced 'core') is an organization of people dedicated to a single goal: Lucinda joined the Peace Corps after college.
A core is the center of a fruit containing seeds: Bartholomew eats apples, core and all.
A corpse is a dead body: The corpse of Danny's dog was lovingly laid to rest in the back yard.
correspondence,correspondents
Correspondence is agreement or written communication such as letters or news articles: Phil and Rachel continued their correspondence for years.
Correspondents are those who write this communication: Rhoda Lott has lived abroad as a news correspondent for several years.could not care lessThis expression is often confusing for English language learners. It is always used with a negative and means that you really don't care at all: Since she was sick, Mona could not care less about doing her homework, or Mona could not care less which color sweater she wore.
council,counsel,consul
A council is a group of people called together to meet on an issue: The school board council meets every Thursday evening.
Counsel is advice: I always go to Clyde for counsel on the tough decision in my life.
A consul is a diplomat appointed to protect the citizens and commercial interests of one country in another: If you need help starting a business in France, talk to the US consul in Paris.
creak,creek
Creak can be the noun or verb for a squeak or groan: The creak of the floorboards alerted Nell that Bernard was sneaking up on her.
A creek is a small stream: The kids loved to play in the creek on a hot summer day.
credible,creditable
Credible means "believable or reliable": There is no credible evidence that it was I who broke the lamp.
Creditable means "worthy of praise or respect": I couldn't have broken the lamp because I have a creditable alibi.
criteria,criterion
Criterion is singular: There is only one criterion for this job.
Criteria is plural: Several criteria need to be met in order for us to move forward.
custom,costume
A custom is a cultural tradition: It is a custom in Japan to remove your shoes when entering a home.
A costume is the outfit worn to represent a particular time, event, or culture: What is your costume for Halloween going to be?
This expression is a nonstandard double negative (hardly is considered negative), so avoid it. It is better to say can hardly: I can hardly hear you over the noise of the party!Hardly.
canvas,canvass
Canvas is cloth or fabric: a canvas bag to bring to the beach.
Canvass means "to conduct a survey or examine thoroughly", or "to seek votes": She canvassed all the stores before she found the right dress.
capital,capitol
A capital is where the seat of government is: The capital of the United States is Washington DC. Capital can also mean "wealth" or "a large letter".
The Capitol (usually capitalized) is the actual building in which the government and legislature meets: We will travel to the Capitol this weekend.
censor,sensor,censure
Censor is to prohibit free expression: The principal censored all references to smoking in school publications.
A sensor is something that interprets stimulation: The lights are turned on by a movement sensor.
Censure is rebuke, harsh criticism: Morty Skustin was severely censured for putting the frog in the water cooler.
cite,site,sight
Cite means "to quote or mention": He cited a famous theorist in his speech.
Site is a noun meaning "a place": At which site will we stage the party?
Sight is a noun meaning "view": The sight of the New York City skyline is spectacular.
climactic,climatic
Climactic refers to the peak: Wendell sneezed right at the climactic moment of a movie.
Climatic refers to the climate and weather: New Monia is known for its dramatic climatic changes.
coarse,course
Coarse is an adjective meaning "rough, big-grained, not fine": We need to use coarse sandpaper to remove the paint from this wood.
Course is a noun referring to a direction (the course of a ship) or a series of lectures on one subject (a history course in college): The poetry course Stu deBaker took in colldge changed the course of his life.
collaborate,corroborate
Collaborate means "to work together": Collaborate with the people on your team.
Corroborate means "to support with evidence" or "prove true": The testimony was corroborated with evidence of his innocence.
complement,compliment
Complement means "to supplement" or "make complete": Their two personalities complement each other.
Compliment means "to praise or congratulate": She received a compliment on her sense of fashion.
compose,comprise
Compose means to "make up" and is often used in the passive voice: The class is composed of students of several nationalities.
Comprise means "have, consist of, or include": Students of several nationalities comprise the class. A rule to remember would be that the whole comprises its parts, and the parts compose the whole.
concurrent,consecutive
Concurrent simultaneous or happening at the same time as something else: concurrent blizzards in three different states.
Consecutive means "successive or one after another": The state had three consecutive blizzards that month.
conform,confirm
Conform means "to be similar to": Some schools conform their students by using uniforms.
Confirm is to make sure or double check: to confirm a flight reservation.
congenial,congenital
Congenial describes something likeable, suitable to taste: They enjoy the congenial surroundings in their home.
Congenital refers to a condition present at birth because of heredity: Raymond has a congenital heart defect.
connote,denote
Connote means to "imply or suggest": 'Home' connotes warmth and safety.
Denote means to "indicate specifically, to mean": 'Home' denotes the place where you live.
conscience,conscious
Conscience is the feeling or knowledge of right and wrong: My conscience wouldn't allow me to compete with someone so much weaker than me.
Conscious refers to being awake and aware: Molly Coddle was still conscious after banging her head on the headboard.
continual,continuous
Continual means "repeated with breaks in between": We need continual rain throughout the summer for crops to grow..
Continuous means "without stopping": The continuous drumming of the rain on the windows put Herman to sleep.
convince,persuade
Convince is to cause another to feel sure or believe something to be true: Well, Argyle Greenpasture has convinced me that aliens do exist.
Persuade is to talk someone into doing something: Percy persuaded me to help him wash his car.
co-operation,corporation
Co-operation means "working together": I would like to thank you for your cooperation with us on the project.
A corporation is a large company: Presidents of large corporations receive tens of millions of dollars in salary.
corps,core,corpse
Corps (pronounced 'core') is an organization of people dedicated to a single goal: Lucinda joined the Peace Corps after college.
A core is the center of a fruit containing seeds: Bartholomew eats apples, core and all.
A corpse is a dead body: The corpse of Danny's dog was lovingly laid to rest in the back yard.
correspondence,correspondents
Correspondence is agreement or written communication such as letters or news articles: Phil and Rachel continued their correspondence for years.
Correspondents are those who write this communication: Rhoda Lott has lived abroad as a news correspondent for several years.could not care lessThis expression is often confusing for English language learners. It is always used with a negative and means that you really don't care at all: Since she was sick, Mona could not care less about doing her homework, or Mona could not care less which color sweater she wore.
council,counsel,consul
A council is a group of people called together to meet on an issue: The school board council meets every Thursday evening.
Counsel is advice: I always go to Clyde for counsel on the tough decision in my life.
A consul is a diplomat appointed to protect the citizens and commercial interests of one country in another: If you need help starting a business in France, talk to the US consul in Paris.
creak,creek
Creak can be the noun or verb for a squeak or groan: The creak of the floorboards alerted Nell that Bernard was sneaking up on her.
A creek is a small stream: The kids loved to play in the creek on a hot summer day.
credible,creditable
Credible means "believable or reliable": There is no credible evidence that it was I who broke the lamp.
Creditable means "worthy of praise or respect": I couldn't have broken the lamp because I have a creditable alibi.
criteria,criterion
Criterion is singular: There is only one criterion for this job.
Criteria is plural: Several criteria need to be met in order for us to move forward.
custom,costume
A custom is a cultural tradition: It is a custom in Japan to remove your shoes when entering a home.
A costume is the outfit worn to represent a particular time, event, or culture: What is your costume for Halloween going to be?