Maybe/If words are those words that you often second guess in your writing.
These words often sound similar, are spelled similarly or have analogous definitions.
When you are lost in the throes of writing your novel, it can be easy to overlook your use of affect instead of effect.
Unfortunately, these mistakes lower the integrity of your manuscript and can hinder you from building rapport with your readers (or sometimes even lessen your chances of publication).
Below is a list of common maybe/if words that you should keep in mind as your write and revise your manuscript.
| Accept Except | To agree to receive or do Not including |
| Advice Advise | Recommendations about what to do To recommend something |
| Affect Effect | To change or make a difference to A result; to bring about a result |
| All together Altogether | All in one place, all at once Completely, on the whole |
| Bare Bear | Naked, unclothed To carry; to put up with |
| Coarse Course | Rough A direction; a school subject; a part of a meal |
| Disinterested Uninterested | Impartial Not Interested |
| E.g. I.e. | Latin for “for example” Latin for “that is” |
| Empathy Sympathy | The ability to understand another person’s perspective or feelings A feeling of sorrow from someone else’s suffering |
| Ensure Insure | To make certain that something will happen To provide compensation if a person dies or property is damaged. |
| Imply Infer | To suggest indirectly To draw a conclusion |
| Loose Lose | Not firmly or tightly fixed in place To be deprived of or cease to have or retain (something) |
| Pour Pore Poor | To flow or cause to flow A tiny opening; to study something closely Lacking sufficient money to live |
| Than Then | (Used with comparisons) At that time, or next |
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