Confusing Words: Donut and Doughnut (Noun)
Meaning:
Clarification:

Writers, especially the beginners, may think English as a difficult language. The reason behind it is that English has many confusing words in its vocabulary. You may come across such words that have two different spellings or sometimes, you may get confused of between two variants of English language, American English and British English. You have to be careful in spellings. It happens that a word has two different spellings; one is followed by American writers while the other one is preferred by British writers.

Today’s case is about these two variants of English language. I am going to compare donut vs. doughnut. Check out the preference of the spelling within two different regions.

Donut vs. Doughnut – The Difference, Definition & Meaning?

Is it donut or doughnut?

Donut and doughnut are two different spellings of the same word. First, see the definition below,

Definition: Donut or doughnut is a sweetened-fried cake that you always get in the shape of a ring.

People are coming across two different spellings of this ring shaped fried cake. The fact behind it is that ‘doughnut’ is the official spelling which is recognized by the dictionaries whereas; the other spelling ‘donut’ is the shortened term which is said to be an American term.

History of the spelling ‘Donut’:

In 1950, the spelling ‘donut’ has grown up when the famous America’s baked good chains Dunkin’ Donuts was first founded. After that period, this shortened term was successfully adopted by most of the people. However, donut is successfully adopted only in America, not outside of this region.

Famous quotes for Dunkin’ Donuts

• Much of my youth was spent in the parking lot or inside a Dunkin’ Donuts. (Eli Roth)
• I was sacked from Dunkin’ Donuts for squirting the donuts jelly all over the customers. (Madonna Ciccone)

Dictionary Accepted Spelling

Though, donut is the shortened term of doughnut and there is no wrong to use this term; but you have to be careful in professional publications.

Both in America and Great Britain, doughnut is the most preferable spelling to be used in writing. You can check in any writing style guide, ‘doughnut’ is said to be the correct spelling which is recognized by the dictionaries as well.

Apart from the professional writing, you can use ‘donut’ in advertisements.

Take my advice! If you are outside of America, do not use the shortened term ‘donut’ anywhere because this spelling is totally an American term.

What Did You Learn?

Doughnut and donut are two different spellings of the same word. Donut is the shortened term. The spelling ‘doughnut’ is the original term which is widely accepted spelling to be used in professional writing. The spelling ‘donut’ is an Americanized term and can be used in advertisements, mainly in the United States only.

Confusing Words: Skillset and Skill Set (Noun)
Meaning:
Clarification:

It is easy to see that skillset or skill set are variant for each other. They may carry the same meaning and therefore, many don’t bother which one is correct. But, what if you are dealing with an official document where there is no room for mistake?

Skillset or Skill Set – What Is the Difference, Definition and Meaning?

Skill Set

Described as a noun.

Skill set refers to a collection of skills/abilities of a person that are useful for a particular profession of a task. Skill set is considered a noun phrase i.e. group of words that collectively perform function of a noun.

However, it is worth noting here that not both words in “skill set” are a noun when considered separately. “Skill” is an adjective which describe a noun “set”. Together, they are a type of compound noun.

Example 1: Tell us about the skill set/skill sets that you have which make you suitable for the job as graphic designer.

Example 2: How to develop a skill set that can help you achieve success in your athletic career?

Skillset

Also described as a noun.

The meaning of skillset is no different that what skill set is. In fact, many take it as the correct way to write the spellings. It also refers to a collection of skills/abilities of a person that are useful for a particular profession of a task

There is an exception! A company in the New South Wales goes by the name “Skillset”. If that is what you are referring to in your content, then the correct spelling are Skillset with a capital “S” and no space in between.

Is Skill Set or Skillset Grammatically Wrong?

Although both have been adopted into English writing, major dictionaries agree that skillset is not acceptable as grammatically correct alternative to skill set. You can check Dictionary.com or Cambridge Dictionary for reference.

If you search for skillset in an online dictionary, you may be routed to alternative entries of skill set or simply see a message that states “no match for skillset. Did you mean..”

Things are a bit more lenient when you look into Google dictionary. Here, both the words are regarded as correct entries but it is recommended that you go with the majority and only utilize “skill set” in your official and non-official writing.

What Did You Learn?

There is some confusion since many people rely on Google dictionary as the first source of spell check. Therefore, as long as you are writing something informal, you might not be penalized for using skillset in place of skill set although the former is not grammatically correct. Nonetheless, it is better to go with “skill set” for more important documents such as a cover letter or resume for job application.

Skill set: noun, collection of skills/abilities of a person that are useful for a particular profession of a task
Skillset: noun, the meaning same as “skill set” but only supported as correct alternative by Google dictionary.

Also See:
Difference Between Disinterested and Uninterested.
Yay or Nay – What Is the Meaning?

Confusing Words:
Meaning:
Clarification:

Don’t make mistakes! If you are an English writer, be aware that there are many confusing words in English vocabulary. For instance, there are words that sound interchangeable but have different meanings. Unorganized vs. disorganized is such a case that many people are unaware of the differences between them. In this post, I will discuss both of these words with their definitions and I will also use the terms ‘unorganized’ and ‘disorganized’ in example sentences.

Unorganized vs. Disorganized – Difference, Definition & Meaning?

Is it unorganized or disorganized?

‘Un’ in unorganized and ‘dis’ in disorganized are both negative prefixes. Many people think that both of these words are interchangeable but they are quite different in terms of meaning. Let me define these terms one by one. Read their definitions carefully to mark the differences between them.

Unorganized

Unorganized is used as an adjective within a sentence. It is synonymous with messy.

Unorganized is used to describe such thing which is not organized or lacks a specific order from the beginning.

See the example sentences below;

1. The industry is much interested to hire a few unorganized workers.
2. Public sentiment is not observed. The wealthy and powerful gain a ready hearing, but the plodding, suffering, unorganized complaining multitude are spurned and derided. (James B. Weaver)

Disorganized

Disorganized is also used as an adjective within a sentence. It is used to describe such thing which has been demolished or which has been badly controlled.

Disorganized is synonymous with badly organized or badly controlled.

See the example sentences below;

1. This is because of the non-serious attitude of employers that we are, now, facing a disorganized meeting.
2. I don’t know about you, but I practice a disorganized religion. I belong to an unholy disorder. We call ourselves Our Lady of Perpetual Astonishment. (Kurt Vonnegut)

What is the Difference?

It has been clear from the above definitions that if something is disorganized, it means that it was properly organized before. However, if something is unorganized, it means that it was a mess from its beginning.

What Did You Learn?

Do not be confused!

Though, both ‘disorganized’ and ‘unorganized’ are adjectives but they are not interchangeable. Disorganized is something which was organized before and, now, it is badly organized. Unorganized, on the other hand, is something which is a mess from its beginning.

Confusing Words: Prognosis (noun) and Diagnosis (noun).
Meaning:
Prognosis (the likely course of a medical condition.)
Diagnosis (the identification of the nature of an illness or other problem by examination of the symptoms.)
Prognosis vs Diagnosis Clarification: Prognosis and diagnosis are totally different terms in terms of their meanings.

Prognosis vs Diagnosis – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

Word choice may confuse many writers and speakers as well.

Medical field is known to have a very difficult vocabulary. Apart from the medical specialists, every person may not be able to remember hundreds of difficult medical terms.

As you can see that both prognosis and diagnosis are a few letters apart.

Though, they are related to the same field but you cannot use them interchangeably. Prognosis and diagnosis are totally different terms in terms of their meanings. Let me define these terms one by one.

Prognosis

The word ‘prognosis’ is used as a noun within a sentence. It is used to refer to a medical forecast or an opinion, usually by a doctor, about an illness or a medical condition.

1. The doctors are not willing to make a prognosis for this type of serious illness.

2. The family was very upset to hear a very weak prognosis from specialists.

3. [After a poor prognosis for recovery from her doctor following her 1990 bus accident] I said if it is up to me, I’m going to be OK. (Gloria Estefan)

Diagnosis

Like prognosis, diagnosis is also used as a noun within a sentence. It is used to refer to an act of discovery or an identification of an illness by examining the nature of the disease i.e. the symptoms. This term is only used in the field of medical.

Let us find out how you can use this term within sentences.

1. The doctors were not telling me the diagnosis of my disease.

2. She should be careful now; give her healthy and light foods because her final diagnosis is pneumonia.

3. If you can make the diagnosis, the treatment is easy and the damage can be reversed. But making the diagnosis is tricky. (Ralph Green)

Check Out: The Difference Between Illusion and Delusion.

Did You Get The Difference?

From the above discussion, you got to know that both prognosis and diagnosis are the terms that are related to the fields of medical or psychology.

However, people also use these terms outside the medical field as well. For instance, prognosis is synonymous with forecast, prediction, or prophecy. Diagnosis, on the other hand, is synonymous with discovery, recognition, or detection.

Prognosis = Prediction

Diagnosis = Identification

What Did You Learn?

Do not mix up the two medical terms ‘prognosis’ and ‘diagnosis’ as, both have totally different meanings from each other.

Though both of these terms are used to refer to a condition like disease but prognosis is the prediction of that disease and diagnosis is the detection of the disease.

Confusing Words: Criteria (noun) and Criterion (noun)
Meaning:
Criteria (a principle or standard by which something may be judged or decided.)
Criterion (a principle or standard by which something may be judged or decided – plural.)
Criteria vs Criterion Clarification: The two words carry the same meaning. The term, Criteria is simply the plural for criterion.

Criteria vs Criterion – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

From the above two words, criterion is perhaps not a commonly used word. However, the word ‘criteria’ is a commonly used word. As a writer or a speaker, you use criteria more often than criterion. Let me first define the word ‘criteria’ then, I will reveal a truth behind criteria vs. criterion.

Criteria

‘Criteria’ is used as a noun or a word within a sentence. It is used to refer to a basis or a principle through which one can evaluate or test something. It is synonymous with standard, measure, or a scale.

1. You should meet the following criteria otherwise; you will not be selected for the sports competition.

Criterion

Criterion has the same definition as of criteria. The fact is that criterion is the singular form of criteria.

1. We surely need a valid criterion for this course.

It means that the word ‘criteria’ is a plural noun.

Criteria = Plural Noun

Criterion = Singular Noun

Most of the people do not use criterion as a singular noun; instead, they use ‘criteria’ in the plural as well as in singular contexts.

1. As a renowned organization, you should clear up this specific criteria. (Incorrect)

2. As a renowned organization, you should clear up this specific criterion. (correct)

3. As a renowned organization, you should clear up these criteria. (Correct)

4. As renowned organization, you should clear up these criterion. (Incorrect)

Check Out: Difference Between Convince and Persuade.

Other Examples

1. Our criteria for deciding what’s good and what’s bad is very fickle, especially in this country. (Roberta Flack)

2. A major criterion for judging the anxiety level of any society is the loss of its capacity to be playful. (Edwin H. Friedman)

What Did You Learn?

Criteria as a singular as well as a plural noun. In case you want your writing to be error-free then, make sure that ‘criteria’ is a plural noun form of the word ‘criterion’.

If you want to refer to a single basis or a principle through which one can evaluate or test something then, you should choose the word ‘criterion’.

If you want to refer to more than one criterion then, you can easily choose ‘criteria’ as a plural noun.