English Is Hard. We Agree in Principle … or Is It Principal?
Principal can function as an adjective that means “most significant” or “main.” As a noun, it refers to someone in an authoritative position or someone who leads a school.
Principle can only ever function as a noun and means “a moral rule or strong belief that influences your behavior or actions.”
The constant arguing was the principal reason for our departure.
Before she became the principal, she was a teacher for 25 years.
My principles do not allow me to cheat on a test.
Is It Principal or Principle?
Homophones are one of the principal reasons English can be hard to learn. Really, who’s in charge here? Is there a principal or someone we can talk to? Sometimes it seems like English has no principles.
But it does, and we’re here to help you with even the most irritatingly frustrating parts, like understanding the difference between principal and principle.
How To Spell Principal
If you’re wondering how to spell principal of a school, just remember that this person can be your pal, which are the last three letters of this word:
p-r-i-n-c-i-p-a-l.
As a noun, principal refers to someone who oversees a school (in American English) or a college or university (in British and Canadian English).
Keep in mind that principal should only be capitalized if it’s part of someone’s title (or if it’s at the beginning of a sentence).
“Principal” can refer to someone who runs a school.
Principal can also refer to anyone who is in a leading position.
Lastly, as a noun, principal also refers to the original amount of money invested or lent.
Principal can also function as an adjective that means “most important” or “main.”
How To Spell “Principle”
Principle, on the other hand, can only ever function as a noun, and also carries a few meanings:
1. “a moral guideline that influences your actions or beliefs”
2. “a fundamental law, rule, or theory”
You may have heard of the expression in principle. This means “as a general idea, but the details haven’t been established or agreed upon.”
Additionally, if something can be done in principle, then that means that although theoretically, it can be done, it hasn’t happened yet and may not happen due to difficulties or challenges.
Principles of English
We know it’s confusing. Principle vs. principal is commonly searched for online, so just know you aren’t alone in your confusion. Just remember that the main difference between principal and principle is:
- Principal can be used as a noun and adjective, whereas principle can only be used as a noun.
There are other principles of English that people struggle with. Regardless of their complexities, LanguageTool—a multilingual spelling and grammar checker—can help with them all.
