The supernatural has fascinated humankind for thousands of years. Ghosts, gods, myths, and mythical creatures are a few examples of how humanity has explained the unexplainable. We tend to believe the two terms are one and the same, but they generally are not. So, what’s the difference between “preternatural” and “supernatural”? “Supernatural” originally referred to …

If you’ve ever scanned through a menu at a restaurant, you’ve probably come across dishes listed as “mild” or “medium.” You may wonder how these words differ and when is the right time to use “mild” and “medium” in any given context. We use the adjectival form of “mild” to refer to something that is …

It’s a Friday morning, and you’re ready to begin the weekend when your boss walks in and says, “I need you to ‘imput’ these numbers before Monday.” But if “imput” isn’t a word, does that really count as a request? “Imput” is a commonly misused spelling and pronunciation of the word “input.” “Input” refers to …

Laptop vs. labtop — two words that differ by just one letter and sound very similar when spoken, but what exactly are they, and do they have the same meaning? Non-native English speakers regularly misconstrue words, and then, through repeated use, these errors become more common and start to confuse people as to what the …

Have you ever been told you’re a ray of sunshine or that the sun rises and sets with you? Were you confused as to what they were talking about? In the first example, the person used a metaphor, while the second example was an idiom. So then, what is the difference between an idiom and …

The use of glycerol and glycerin is widespread across the world in consumer goods production, and consumers often use both terms interchangeably. Still, are they the same, and, if not, what is the difference between glycerin and glycerol? Glycerol is the pure form of the chemical compound. We find it directly in the triglycerides of …