Accept VS Except (Differences Explained)

We all are aware of the term “homophones” which we have learned in school.

Homophones are used for such words which have the same pronunciation but their meanings and spellings are different.

Homophones are widely used in poetry to make a rhythmic effect.

Homophones can confuse our brains like anything because of the similarities these words have.

Homophones are of five types:

• Homograph: These words are similar in spelling but are different in meaning.
• Heterograph: Different in meanings, but pronunciation is similar.
• Pseudo Homophone: Identically phonetical homophones are called pseudo homophones.
• Oronym: Multiple words having similar sounds.
• Homonym: Words having the same pronunciation but different meanings and spellings.

If I talk about two Homonym words, Accept and Except, they’ve similar pronunciations, but their meaning and pronunciations are totally different from each other.

Accept and Except both are verbs and people often get confused between these two words in words and speech, obviously because of their same pronunciation.

Accept means ‘to receive something’ while Except means ‘not including something’.

If you get confused between these words, keep reading to know more about Accept and Except for their correct usage.

Is Accept Similar to Except?

No, accept, and except are not similar in any way, only their pronunciation is similar.

Accept and Except both belong to the Latin word ‘capere’, which means to ‘take out’.

The prefix of ‘ac’ means ‘ad’ while the prefix of ‘ex’ means ‘out of’.

Accept means to believe, accept and receive something, be it a student, idea, or gift. On the other hand, except means to exclude someone or something from a statement or is often used as a verb to ‘leave out’.

Both words are polar opposites in their meanings and usage and cannot be used interchangeably.

If you have a hard time remembering the meaning of Accept and Except, just remember ex of Except means to exclude.

Check out the following video to learn more about accept and except.

How Do You Use Accept?

Accept is a verb that is used to indicate that you agree on something.

Following are the ways of its usage.

• The manager is not accepting any more guests in the hotel.
• I hope you will accept my apology.
• David accepted my gift and thanked me.
• I accepted their job offer at Burger King.
• Credit cards are not accepted in that shop.

Accept also means to believe in something.

• He accepted my truth.
• The cops will not accept your explanation.
• They accepted that I was not involved in this case.

Accept is also used to approve something.

• My parents didn’t accept my boyfriend because of his bad intentions.
• Teachers don’t accept late submissions.
• Rapists aren’t accepted in society.
• The university didn’t accept my scholarship request.

What Does Except Mean?

Except means other than something. It can take the role of a verb, preposition, or conjunction.

The first two letters of except provide the clue of its meaning, which is “to exclude“.

Ex is used for something that isn’t in use anymore or to leave behind something.

Except definition and usage related to the idea of exclusion or exemption.

How Do You Use Except?

Except means ‘not including’ and is often used as a preposition meaning ‘but’.

1. Everyone is invited to the wedding except Ron and Delta.
2. All months have 30 days except February.
3. I like all seasons except summer.

In conjunction, except means ‘only’ and ‘under any condition’.

• I don’t love anyone except I love my mother.
• What can I say, except that it was a flop movie with pathetic direction?

Except can also be used as a verb, but in rare cases.

• All girls and boys having low stamina are excepted from this activity.
• All congressmen will vote except for Alaska

Are Except And Expect Different?

Yes, “Except” is used as a preposition or verb, while “Expect” is a verb used to describe the feeling that something is likely to happen or someone is about to do something in particular.

Expect means to anticipate, while except means to exclude.

For a better understanding of “expect”, look at the following examples.

• James expected rain today.
• He was expecting 50 guests at his function.
• The manager was expecting a bonus this year.

Look at their synonyms, which are totally opposite of each other.

Conclusion

The above discussion can be summed up as:

• Homophones, homographs, and homonyms have different meanings. Their spellings are also different.
• Accept and Except sound similar but mean completely different things.
• Accept is a verb used to receive, believe or take something.
• Except can be used as a preposition, conjunction, and verb.
• Accept is used to agree, receive, or approve something. In contrast, Except means to exclude or exempt.
• Accept is seen in sentences giving the meaning of agreement or approval.
• Except is used to indicate exclusion or “not including” in sentences.
• Learning the difference between Except and Expect is important.
• It’s crucial to differentiate between “Accept” and “Except” in language.

To read something more related to grammar and vocabulary, check out my article Deactivate vs. Inactivate (Grammar).

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