Difference between accept and except

Difference between accept and except

Two of the most commonly confused words are accept and except, which is kind of odd since their meanings are nothing alike.

For example, “accept” means to agree to or receive. On the other hand, “except” means to not include something.

Compare the following sentences:

  • I accept your challenge to eat a dozen hot peppers in under a minute.
  • I love all peppers except the hot ones.

An easy trick to remembering the difference is that “agree” and “accept” both start with an A, and to accept something means to agree to do that thing.

By Kim Siever

I am a copywriter and copyeditor. I blog on writing and social media tips mostly, but I sometimes throw in my thoughts about running a small business. Follow me on Twitter at @hotpepper.