Eggcorns

The word “eggcorn” is actually an eggcorn; acorns sound like the word eggcorn and are oval-shaped.

These grammatical mistakes have sometimes become part of spoken language, and it’s not always easy to tell which is form is correct.
Below are a few examples of famous eggcorns.

• Eggcorn: for all intensive purposes. Correct: for all intents and purposes.
• Eggcorn: it’s a doggy-dog world. Correct: it’s a dog-eat-dog world.
• Eggcorn: the point is mute. Correct: the point is moot.
• Eggcorn: she is a social leopard. Correct: she is a social leper.
• Eggcorn: pass me the cold slaw, please. Correct: pass me the cole slaw, please.
• Eggcorn: this peaked my interest. Correct: this piqued my interest.

If you want to see more common eggcorns, visit https://eggcorns.lascribe.net/.

So, the next time you want to use an English expression, have a think and double-check – it could be an eggcorn!