FAQs about commonly confused words

What does empathetic mean?

If you are empathetic then you have empathy, which is the ability to share or understand other people’s emotions because you can imagine how you would feel in other people’s situations (e.g., “She was very empathetic when I told her about my problems”).

Empathy and sympathy overlap in meaning and can often be used as synonyms.

Read this FAQ: What does empathetic mean?

Is it nation’s capital or capitol?

The principal city of a country or state is known as the capital city (e.g., “Nairobi is the capital city of Kenya”). The building where the legislatures meet is sometimes called the capitol (e.g., “Honolulu’s capitol is one of the more unusual legislative buildings in the USA”).

Not every legislative building is called a capitol; for instance in the UK it is called the Houses of Parliament, and when the two houses of the French parliament meet together, they do so at the Palace of Versailles.

When referring to the meeting place for the US Congress, Capitol has an uppercase “C.”

Use QuillBot’s free grammar checker to ensure you use capital or capitol correctly!

Read this FAQ: Is it nation’s capital or capitol?

Is it state capital or capitol?

When you are talking about the principal city in a state, then the word you want is capital (e.g., “Providence is the capital of Rhode Island”). The building in the capital city where the legislature meets is the capitol (e.g., “Alaska’s capitol in Juneau is rather underwhelming”).

In Washington, D.C., the US Capitol is given an uppercase “C.”

Use QuillBot’s free grammar checker to ensure you use capital or capitol correctly!

Read this FAQ: Is it state capital or capitol?

Is it beside the point or besides the point?

The correct phrase is “beside the point.”

“Beside the point” describes something as “unimportant to the matters being discussed” (e.g., “She claimed that what I said was beside the point”).

Use QuillBot’s free grammar checker to avoid mistakes!

Read this FAQ: Is it beside the point or besides the point?

What does besides that mean?

“Besides that” (with an “s”) is a phrase that means “other than that” (e.g., “I know you want to swim, but is there anything you hope to do besides that?”).

Remember, “beside” (without an “s”) functions as a preposition that means “next to.” When someone says, “beside that,” as in “can you place the book beside that,” they are asking for you to place the book next to something else.

Use QuillBot’s free grammar checker to avoid mistakes!

Read this FAQ: What does besides that mean?

Is photoshoot one word or two?

The word photo shoot is most commonly written as two words (e.g., “I have a photo shoot scheduled for 1 PM”), but photoshoot (written as one word) is becoming increasingly popular and acceptable (e.g., “I scheduled a photoshoot”).

Read this FAQ: Is photoshoot one word or two?

Can you say shoot instead of photoshoot?

Yes, a photoshoot (i.e., a session in which a photographer takes photos of someone or something) is sometimes casually referred to as a “shoot” (e.g., “Let’s have a shoot!”). However, keep in mind that it is a colloquial expression.

Try our rewording tool to vary your writing.

Read this FAQ: Can you say shoot instead of photoshoot?

What does shoot photos mean?

The phrase “shoot photos” acts as a verb that means “to take pictures.”

For example, a professional photographer might say, “Let’s shoot some photos” at the start of a photoshoot.

Try our sentence rephraser to vary your writing and express your intended meaning.

Read this FAQ: What does shoot photos mean?

What does rest assured mean?

You use the expression rest assured to tell someone that they can be certain or confident about something:

• “You can rest assured that the project will be finished on time.”
• “Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to help.”

This phrase always uses the verb “assure” (not to be confused with “insure” or “ensure”).

The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using phrases like “rest assured” correctly.

Read this FAQ: What does rest assured mean?

What does desertion mean?

Desertion is a noun derived from the verb desert, meaning “abandon a place or person.” It is found mainly in military contexts when military personnel leave their post without permission (e.g., “The private was charged with desertion”) but can also be used in relation to child desertion (e.g., “Billy’s parents had both been accused of child desertion”).

Desert and dessert are often confused. You can check your spelling and grammar with the QuillBot Grammar Checker.

Read this FAQ: What does desertion mean?