From the course: Writing with Commonly Confused Words

Unlock the full course today

Join today to access over 23,400 courses taught by industry experts.

"Stationary" or "stationery"?

"Stationary" or "stationery"?

- Stationary is another commonly misspelled word because there are two words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. In other words, they're homophones. Stationary with an E is paper. Usually paper that you use for writing letters or notes. I felt like such a grownup when I bought my own monogrammed stationery. Stationary with an A, means not moving, fixed in one place, still. People bought a lot of stationary bikes last year. To remember the difference, think of the E in stationary as standing for envelope. The thing you buy at the stationery store and use to send a letter. You can also remember that when you're stationary you're standing still, since standing is spelled with an a, the association can remind you to put the second A in stationary.

Contents