This definitive guide is going to give you a detailed look at differences and examples of except vs accept and how they are used to avoid further confusion.
The words ‘accept’ and ‘except’ are two words that sound very similar but are extremely different to one another. The word ‘accept’ means to receive or agree to something and the word ‘except’ means to leave something out. Although they sound extremely close to each other, they are both very different words and are not interchangeable as they have completely separate meanings.
It is very difficult to get ‘accept’ and ‘except’ confused, although people who’s second language is English may have a little trouble with it.
How to use Accept in Sentences
The word ‘accept’ is defined as To receive something. To have a more clear picture of how accept is used let’s look at some example sentences.
- Jason was accepted into Harvard last year.
- I was happy to accept my nomination.
- The company accepted his offer.
- I gladly accepted his invitation to the dinner party.
- I was scared and was afraid to accept it.
- My sister passed away recently, I am only just beginning to accept it.
How to use Except in Sentences
The word ‘except’ is defined as To exclude something or To leave something out. To have a more clear picture of what we are talking about let’s look at some example sentences.
- He’s nice, except he smells bad.
- I have every song by her, except the one.
- I loved all the countries I had the opportunity to visit, except New Zealand.
- He likes them all except one.
- That girl barely opens her mouth, except when she has something important she would like to say.
- The cat loves meat, except chicken.
As you can see from the examples above; accept and except are two words that sound very much the same but at the same time, they are very different.
If you were to interchange these words, you would be incorrect and your whole sentence would make no sense at all. I’ll show you some examples:
| Correct | Incorrect |
| She accepted her award last night. | She excepted her award last night. |
| I love her, except for a few minor things. | I love her; accept for a few minor things. |
| My cat won’t accept chicken for a meal. | My cat won’t except chicken for a meal. |
| I will not accept that work. | I will not except that work. |
These are just a few tips to keep in mind when you are using words ‘except’ or ‘accept’ and just remember their formal meanings, you’ll be good.