These are two ways of saying the same word. Often we spell the first one with an apostrophe – ‘possum – to indicate the missing ‘o’. Americans usually say ‘possum, because it is easier to say in fast casual speech, and Americans use the word a lot, because ‘possums are everywhere in America! Under your […]

These two words have nothing in common except their sound. Phase is used mainly as a noun meaning ‘a stage in a process,’ although it has many more uses, discussed below. Faze is used only as a verb, meaning ‘to disturb someone and make them feel uncertain or afraid.’ Phase has a variety of meanings related to […]

Quick AnswerUpmost means “the highest” in terms of elevation (distance above the ground), ranking, or degree. The upmost floor of the building contains the luxury VIP suite. Utmost means “the most possible” or “most extreme.” Please use the utmost caution when feeding sharks. These two words are often confused because they sound similar and even appear […]

These two nouns are completely unrelated—and Acclamate is not a word. Let’s take a closer look at acclimation vs acclamation.  The difference should be easy to remember because acclimation is based on the noun, climate, while acclamation is based on the noun and verb, claim.    But don’t let that confuse you over the word, Acclaim, which means “praise.”  There […]