Commonly Misused Words: Witch and Which

With Halloween right around the corner, this next blog post about the words "witch" and "which" is quite appropriate. These words, like many of the others that we've discussed during the "Commonly Misused Words" topics, are homonyms or homophones. They're pronounced almost identically, but have very different meanings. Let's look at each one a bit closer!

The word "witch" is meant to be used when describing the Halloween character who has the pointy hat, pointy shoes, and rides a broom. It can also be used to describe a nasty, mean-spirited person.

The word "which" can be used as a pronoun, as in the example below.
"Which of these should we buy?"

It can also be used as an adjective, shown in the example below.
"I spent the day at the mall, during which time my car was being fixed."

Probably the easiest way to remember this is to ask yourself if you're talking about a person or character, similar to what you see in the picture below. If that's not what you mean, then go with the word "which."


Can you write two sentences that show how to use the words "witch" and "which" correctly? Give it a try now!