principal vs principle

principal vs principle
  Principal as an adjective means first in order of importance:
  For example: The Mississippi is the principal river of the United States.
  Principal as a noun can mean the head teacher in a school or college:
  For example: The teacher sent the unruly student to see the principal.
  Principal as a noun can also mean the original amount of a debt on which interest is calculated
  For example: She lives off the interest and tries to keep the principal intact.
  Principle is a noun which means a basic idea, standard of behaviour or rule that explains or controls how something happens or works:
  For example: The country works on the principle that all citizens have equal rights.
  ♦ !Note - If you can't remember which is which, try this little mnemonic "The principal is your pal."

English dictionary of common mistakes and confusing words. 2014.

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  • principal vs principle —   Principal as an adjective means first in order of importance:   For example: The Mississippi is the principal river of the United States.   Principal as a noun can mean the head teacher in a school or college:   For example: The teacher sent… …   English dictionary of common mistakes and confusing words

  • principal — ► ADJECTIVE 1) first in order of importance; main. 2) denoting an original sum of money invested or lent. ► NOUN 1) the most important person in an organization or group. 2) the head of a school or college. 3) a sum of money lent or invested, on… …   English terms dictionary

  • principal — 1. adjective the principal cause of poor air quality Syn: main, chief, primary, leading, foremost, first, first line, most important, predominant, dominant, (most) prominent; key, crucial, vital, essential, basic, prime, central …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • Principle — For the term in chemistry, see principle (chemistry). : Not to be confused with principal. A principle is an abstract object which signifies a point (or points) of probability on a subject (e.g., the principle of creativity), which allows for the …   Wikipedia

  • principle — noun 1) elementary principles Syn: truth, proposition, concept, idea, theory, assumption, fundamental, essential, ground rule 2) the principle of laissez faire Syn: doctrine, belief …   Thesaurus of popular words

  • principal — adjective 1》 first in order of importance; main. 2》 denoting an original sum of money invested or lent. noun 1》 the most important or senior person in an organization or group.     ↘the head of a school or college.     ↘(in certain professions) a …   English new terms dictionary

  • principle —   n. fundamental truth or law; law of nature, physics, etc.; fundamental source; code of personal conduct; morality; (pl.) moral standards or rules. (as distinct   from    ♦ principal)    ♦ in principle, in theory; essentially.    ♦ on principle …   Dictionary of difficult words

  • principal - principle — ◊ principal Principal is used as an adjective or a noun. The principal thing or person in a group is the most important one. His principal interest in life was to be the richest man in Britain. ...the principal character in James Bernard Fagan s… …   Useful english dictionary

  • principle — principal, principle The spellings are occasionally confused even by the wariest users of English, the usual mistake being to use principle for the adjective principal. Principal is an adjective and noun and essentially means ‘chief’ (my… …   Modern English usage

  • principal — principal, principle The spellings are occasionally confused even by the wariest users of English, the usual mistake being to use principle for the adjective principal. Principal is an adjective and noun and essentially means ‘chief’ (my… …   Modern English usage

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