Accept vs Except
It is easy to understand the difference between accept and except when they are pronounced properly. One can say that accept and except are two words that are often confused when it comes to their usage and meanings. This is due to the fact that both the words are often wrongly pronounced alike. The word accept is used in the sense of ‘agree to’ or ‘receiving something without saying no’. On the other hand, the word except is used in the sense of ‘apart from’ or ‘excluding’. This is the main difference between the two words. Also, remember that accept is mainly used as a verb while except is used as a preposition. The difference between accept and except will be cleared through this article.
What does Accept mean?
The word accept is used in the sense of agree to or receiving something without saying no. Take a look at the following sentences.
Francis accepted the invitation and attended the party.
Angela is not willing to accept the suggestion.
In the first sentence, the word accept is used in the sense of receiving something without saying no. Here, it means saying yes to the invitation. So, the sentence means Francis said yes to the invitation and attended the party. In the second sentence, the word accept is used in the sense of ‘agree to.’ So, the meaning of the second sentence would be ‘Angela is not willing to agree to the suggestion’. It is interesting to note that the word accept is used as a verb, and its noun form is ‘acceptance’.
What does Except mean?
The word except is used in the sense of apart from or excluding. Take a look at the following sentences.
Lucy agreed to all the conditions except one.
Except Francis all the other flat owners attended the meeting.
In both the sentences, you can see that the word except is used in the sense of ‘excluding.’ As a result, the meaning of the first sentence would be ‘Lucy agreed to all the conditions excluding one’, and the meaning of the second sentence would be ‘excluding Francis, all the other flat owners attended the meeting’. On the other hand, the word ‘except’ is used as a preposition, and its noun form is ‘exception.’
Except is also used as a conjunction at times. As the Oxford English dictionary says, except, as a conjunction, is ‘used before a statement that forms an exception to one just made.’ Look at the following example.
I did not tell him anything except that you will not come to the party.
What is the difference between Accept and Except?
• The word accept is used in the sense of ‘agree to’ or ‘receiving something without saying no’.
• On the other hand, the word except is used in the sense of ‘apart from’ or ‘excluding’.
• Accept is mainly used as a verb while except is used as a preposition.
• The noun form of accept is acceptance.
• The noun form of except is exception.
• Except is also used as a conjunction.
These are the differences between the two words, namely, accept and except.