Deciding which word is the right word can be a challenge. It’s not unusual to find many words that have similar but subtly different meanings, and each makes a different impression on your audience. For instance, the “pasta with marinara sauce” presented in a restaurant may look and taste much like the “macaroni and gravy” served at an Italian family dinner, but the choice of one label rather than the other tells us not only about the food but also about the people serving it and the people they expect to serve it to.

Ensuring that you choose the correct spelling for the word you want to use is also important. Spell checkers can help you to avoid some errors, but they can also make other mistakes more likely, including word choice errors, so you should use them with care (see 20e).