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Do you have a blind spot for certain words? Words that no matter how many times you look at them, you just can’t remember how to spell them, or maybe what they mean?

We certainly do. Affect and effect is one of mine. I’ve got it now, but it took a good ten years and several dictionaries before it finally stuck.

Like affect and effect, it is often when two words sound or look similar, but have different meanings, that confusion arises.

Take practice and practise. They sound the same, look very similar, and mean similar things. But it’s the similarity that causes the problem. Their meanings touch on the same general idea, but their usage is totally different.

Here at Wordsworks copywriting agency, we’re big readers. Newspapers, books, comics, cornflake packets, whatever you’ve got. And every so often, there’s a piece of writing that reminds us why we love what we do.

It’s here. And it succinctly describes the beautifully simple language used by uber-brand Apple.

The article also happens to fit neatly with our copywriting philosophy: that concise and clear is very powerful. To write words that are effortless to read.

Apple has shown consistently, and ruthlessly, that good language can go hand in hand with good profits.

Amen to that.

English is renowned for its quirky, often logic-defying spelling rules. Gives it character, a mark of our mongrel heritage, we’re told. It doesn’t make it any easier to write, though.

One common area of confusion is when seemingly the same word has two spelling variations – one with a ‘c’, and one with an ‘s’. Words like practice and practise, or licence and license.

The simple answer is that you should use the ‘s’ version if it’s a verb, or the ‘c’ version if it’s a noun.

So verb: the solicitor plans to practise law in the City.
And noun: He hopes to build up a strong commercial property practice.

Or verb: the magistrates refused to license any more bars on the high street.
And noun: So the bar owner did not receive his new licence.

One way to remember is to think of advise and advice. Because these two are pronounced differently (the former with a ‘z’ sound, the latter a soft ‘c’ like in ice), they’re not confused as often. But they do follow he same rule – the verb form uses an ‘s’…to advise your colleague…while the noun takes a ‘c’…it was useful advice.

So, if you’re using the word as a verb, like to advise, to practise or to license, it’s spelt with an ‘s’. If you’re using it as a noun, like my licence, a practice, or good advice, it’s a ‘c’.

There’s been a few changes since the last issue of Write Words. We’ve moved offices (still in Manchester, just a nicer part), and we’ve had a personnel change (goodbye Sally hello Chris . We’ve also decided to change the frequency of Write Words to once every two months, to lighten the load on your Inbox.

On the client side, plenty of exciting new projects to get stuck into. We’ve been commissioned to plan and write the content for a new departmental website at the University of London, we won a tender to plan, write and edit a quarterly magazine for the Northwest Regional Development Agency, we’re working with Celerant Consulting on writing some sector brochures, and we’re doing a monthly newsletter for Career Management Consultants.

That’s on top of the regular stuff from the likes of KPMG, Britannia and Savills, plus a whole host of smaller (but no less important projects), so plenty to keep us busy!