When should I use...? Part 3
Wednesday, 11 November 2009 15:51
In this third instalment of similar sounding and similar spelt words that have different meanings, I'm going to explain the difference between licence and license, and principal and principle...
1. Licence and license
Like practice and practise, licence is a noun and license is a verb. Or, more simply, licence is a thing and license is a doing word. E.g. you may own a driving licence but you are licensed to drive by the DVLA. Similarly, you can buy a TV licence, but it's the TVLA that licenses you to watch TV. In America, 'license' is a noun, so you often see it spelt that way on the Internet.
2. Principal and principle
Unfortunately, the difference between principal and principle is not quite so simple. Principal can be either a noun or an adjective (describing word), but both uses have a very similar meaning. However, principle is easier because that is always a noun.
So the School Principal (noun) is a person, and the principal (adjective) actor in a play is the main actor. A Principal is the most important person in an organisation, and when principal is used to describe something else, it means it is the most important thing.
But a principle means a standard, a rule or a moral you believe in. E.g. a vegetarian will not eat meat as a matter of principle; or someone might say, "I have my principles and I'm sticking to them" or "the principles of mathematics are difficult for some people to understand."