Every grammar book, usage guide, and peeving handbook on spelling tells us not to confuse principal and principle. These two words are pronounced the same and sound similar, but they have very different meanings.
Principal is a noun that refers to someone in charge, like a school principal or the owner of a business. Principle is a noun that refers to a natural, moral, or legal rule or standard.
Grammar
While they share similar spellings and pronunciations, principle and principal are distinct from each other in their meanings and contexts. Both words can act as nouns or adjectives, but only principle can also function as a governing law or a basic standard. Liam kept misbehaving in class, so the teacher sent him to see the principal. Gunjan Sharma is the principal of bancassurance at HDFC Bank, India’s largest bank.
Many people mistakenly use these two words interchangeably because they sound similar and have almost identical spellings. However, misusing them can confuse your readers and lose their faith in your writing. A good mnemonic for remembering the difference is to think of principal as your pal in school, while retaining the idea that principle means something fundamental. Using the correct word in every sentence can help ensure that your writing is error-free and clear. Luckily, Grammarly’s free tools can catch these errors for you so that you don’t have to worry about them in your own writing.
Spelling
The way English developed resulted in families of words with similar meanings and spellings, making some easy to confuse. Principal and principle are two such examples, pronounced the same but having different spellings and meanings.
Principal is a noun that means someone in charge, such as a school principal or the owner of a company. It can also refer to the original sum of money for a loan or investment.
Principal is a rule or standard that governs something. It can be a philosophical belief, moral code, or societal norm. For example, a principal speaker at an event might refuse to allow disabled access, arguing that it is against her moral principles. To remember the difference, consider that principal ends with -pal, which may help you to distinguish it from principle, which has an end with –ciple. Using this trick, you can avoid mixing up these homophones and ensure that your writing is always correct.
Punctuation
One of the most common errors in writing is mixing up the words principal and principle. Both words are pronounced the same and look similar, but they have very different meanings. The word principal can be used as a noun and an adjective, while the word principle is only a noun.
As a noun, principal means someone or something that is first in rank, authority, importance or degree. For example, the school principal was very proud of her students. In financial contexts, principal refers to the original sum of money lent or invested. Melissa was able to pay off the principal on her mortgage loan.
Homophones—words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings—are very confusing to English language learners. Misusing homophones in writing can confuse your readers and make them doubt the accuracy of your work. Our grammar checker can help you avoid these errors and ensure that your writing is clear and accurate.
Style
Every grammar book and every peeving handbook on spelling has some sort of warning to not confuse principal and principle. It may be frustrating, but it’s important to keep these two different words straight.
As a noun, principal refers to someone in charge like the head of a school or the owner of a company. Principal is also used as an adjective to describe something that is primary or first. For example, the department’s principal concern is the safety of its employees.
As a rule, principles are more often used as a noun than as a verb. They are a set of basic beliefs or understandings that guide our lives and how we act. As a verb, principles are a way to understand and apply these fundamental ideas to real-life situations. For example, it is a matter of principle to always tell the truth. To ensure that your writing is clear and consistent, Grammarly can flag incorrect usages of these tricky homophones and give you suggestions on how to fix them.