Explaining The Difference Between “Conscience,” “Conscious,” and “Conscientious”

Published on June 17, 2025 by Gina Rancaño, BA

“Conscience” and “conscious” both relate to the mind, but what about “conscientious”? This blog post will teach you the difference between these three commonly confused words.

  • Conscience is a noun that means “an inner feeling or voice that tells you whether your actions are right or wrong.”
  • Conscious is an adjective that means “aware of and responding to one’s surroundings.”
  • Conscientious is an adjective that means “wishing to do what is right, especially to do one’s work or duty well and thoroughly.”

In the English language, there are many words and phrases that can be interchanged, such as despite and in spite of. The words conscience, conscious, and conscientious do not fall under this category. They look similar, but they have three distinct definitions. Below, we’ll go over what each word means and prove example sentences.

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What’s the Difference Between “Fewer” and “Less”?

Published on June 17, 2025 by Gina Rancaño, BA

Fewer and less are often used incorrectly. There’s a popular rule that teaches fewer is for countable nouns and less is for uncountable nouns. But this rule has exceptions. For example, although money can technically be counted (in dollars and coins, for example), it’s still considered an uncountable noun. That’s why it’s grammatically incorrect to say “fewer money.” The rule you should keep in mind instead is to use fewer for plural nouns and less for singular nouns.

The LanguageTool Grammar Checker can help ensure you use fewer or less correctly in your writing.

Is It “Less” or “Fewer”?
Use less for words that are singular nouns. Use fewer when referring to plural nouns.

  • I had less water in my bottle compared to everyone else.
  • There were fewer seats than expected.

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“Altogether” or “All Together”? What’s The Difference?

Published on June 17, 2025 by Gina Rancaño, BA

Because altogether and all together look so similar and are pronounced the same way, many people believe these words can be interchanged. But in fact, these words are like everyday and every day—each has a distinct meaning and serves different functions in a sentence.

Below, we’ll go over what these two words mean and teach you an easy trick that’ll help you always use altogether and all together correctly.

What Does “Altogether” Mean?

Altogether is an adverb, meaning it’s a word that describes verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs. It means “completely,” “in all,” or “on the whole.”

It drizzled, and then it stopped raining altogether.
Sam owes me $100 altogether.
The event was wonderful. Altogether, we had a great time.

But we try to pretend, you see,
that the external world exists altogether independently of us.
—Alan Watts

What Does “All Together” Mean?

All together is a two-word phrase that means “everyone or everything as a group, at the same place or time.”

The hostess said our party had to be all together before we could be seated.
The last time the family was all together was for Naveah’s birthday.
Mrs. McGuire asked the students to place the blocks all together before returning to their seats.

It’s common for a verb or noun to be placed between the words all together. For example:

After the show, they all left together.
Can you put all the books together, please?

Little things seem nothing, but they give peace, like those meadow flowers which individually seem odorless but all together perfume the air.
—George Bernanos

How To Remember the Difference Between “Altogether” and “All Together”

We understand. It’s hard to believe that altogether and all together are not synonymous. It may seem like it’s impossible to use these two words correctly, but here’s what you need to remember:

  • Altogether is one word and always functions as an adverb.
  • All together is a two-word phrase. If you can rearrange the sentence to add a noun or verb in the middle, then all together is the word you’re looking for.

Unfortunately, altogether and all together are just one of many word pairs that get commonly confused among native speakers and English language learners alike. Thankfully, LanguageTool can detect spelling and grammar errors, as well as suggest stylistic improvements.

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When To Use “Like” or “Such As”

Published on June 17, 2025 by Gina Rancaño, BA

There’s a subtle but important difference between “like” and “such as.” Read on to find out what it is.

What is the difference between “like” and “such as”?
  • Like suggests comparisons, but isn’t necessarily inclusive. Such as introduces an inclusive set of categories or examples.
    • Thomas enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, and bird-watching.
    • Thomas has many hobbies, such as painting, writing, and sculpting.
  • The first sentence implies that Thomas enjoys activities that are like hiking, kayaking, and bird-watching (but not necessarily those exact activities) whereas the second sentence implies that his hobbies include painting, writing, and sculpting.

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How To Write a Good Headline (Like This One)

Published on June 17, 2025 by Gina Rancaño, BA

A headline is a title or the line of text at the top of an article, blog post, or newsletter. It’s an ultra-specific and extra-condensed summary of the text. A good headline should draw your readers in and entice them to read the rest of your writing. On the opposite side of the spectrum, a bad or ineffective headline can drive away your readers. Knowing how to write a good headline is crucial, but don’t be intimidated. Below, we’ll cover a few tips that’ll help you elevate your headline writing skills.

Photo graph of man with glasses reading newspaper (writing a good title).
Headlines can make or break your writing.

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The Ultimate List of “Thank You” Synonyms

Published on June 17, 2025 by Gina Rancaño, BA

Do you consider yourself a polite and well-mannered person? If so, then thank you is likely one of the phrases you utter most frequently throughout your day. Just think about the possible occasions:

Someone picked up the pen you dropped? Thank you. 

Stranger held open the door for you? Thank you. 

Your best friend helped you move? Thank you. 

There are countless reasons to express gratitude, and each situation warrants a different type of thank you in response. That’s why it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with various expressions of thanks. Below, we’ll explore friendly and formal synonyms and provide phrases that you can add to thank you to make them more meaningful.
Speech bubble reads "Thank you"

Learn fifteen different ways to express your gratitude.

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Is It Okay To Split an Infinitive?

Published on June 17, 2025 by Gina Rancaño, BA

The English language is filled with rules that seem to be rigid but are actually flexible. For example, you’ve probably heard that you aren’t supposed to start a sentence with a conjunction. But the truth is that starting a sentence with a conjunction is perfectly acceptable and actually quite common.

Another rule you may have heard is that split infinitives are grammatically incorrect. Is this true? The simple answer is that in formal settings, writers should avoid split infinitives, but only because they’re controversial, not necessarily because they’re grammatically incorrect. If you’re writing in an informal, casual, or creative setting, a split infinitive might better suit the flow of your writing. In other rare cases, a split infinitive is the best option.

Below, we’ll explain what split infinitives are and why they should be avoided most of the time. LanguageTool’s Grammar Checker can also help you catch and fix mistakes like comma splices.

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