Words, Words, Words
Unfortunately, the events of January 6, 2021, prompted me to move this Confusing Words post to the top of the list. My first thought was sadness; my second thought was how encouraging that every headline I saw used the correct word – capitol – when discussing what happened at the building, itself! I know, I’m probably the only person who had that thought 🤨. . .
Capitol, with an “o,” is used to indicate the government building(s). Capital is used to indicate the city where a capitol building is located (i.e. the capital of Florida is Tallahassee).
Knowing that definition, I was confused when answering a crossword puzzle clue about the “capital of Switzerland.” I immediately thought of Bern, but the answer had five letters and the third letter was an A. Hmm . . . it took me a while, but then I remembered another common use of the word capital is to indicate money. Ah hah! Switzerland’s money is the Swiss franc. Puzzle solved.
In 2020, we looked at social or sociable, less or fewer (with which I still have trouble), number or numeral, and historic or historical. More confusing words coming in 2021! Send me ideas for any posts by responding to this post or emailing me directly.
Happy 2021, right?
From The Blog
HR “Speak” – Part Two
In my October, 2025, blog post (“HR” Speak – BB’s Words), my HR expert friend, Maggie Peters, gave me some language that HR people use…
Animal Groups
In honor of National Pet Month (May), here are words for groups of animals (in case you want to adopt several animals 🤗🥰.) Did you…
Confusing Adjectives (or Nouns?)
American English puts adjectives before nouns. Okay. Not too confusing. We even add a LOT of adjectives in a row and finally get to the…
Books from Barbara P. Burke
Mr. Smiles® Stories
(Also available in Spanish)
-
How Mr. Smiles® Got His Name
$8.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Mr. Smiles® and the Power of Smiles
$8.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Mr. Smiles® and the Listening Lesson
$8.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Mr. Smiles® and Changing Cruel to Cool
$8.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page -
Mr. Smiles® and the Spend or Save Question
$8.00 Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Title World Tales™
More Great Books
Persuasive Communication™ Training
Do you have a lot of thoughts but can’t seem to put them together? As the “Thought Connector,” Dr. Burke will help you organize your thoughts to best convey your message to your customers or clients.
