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English is one of the most complicated and ambiguous languages around, so it's easy even for those of us who speak it fluently to fluff words here and there. Here are some common mistakes I've picked up on:

1) "Unthaw." To "unthaw" the chicken from the freezer actually means to refreeze it. When something warms up, it simply "thaws."

2) "Irregardless." Again, this one just cancels itself out. What people really mean in this case is "regardless."

3) "Decimate." When something really terrible happens, we sometimes use express that such-and-such was "decimated." The word shares the same root as "December," which was the tenth month on the Roman calendar. This term actually dates back to a Roman practice of forcing ten captives to cast lots-the loser meets his doom at the hands of the remaining nine. So the loss isn't as devastating as we now make the word out to be.

We all make honest mistakes with language, and the fact that our lexicon is constantly evolving makes it difficult maintain the meaning of the many words we know. But now you can be the smarty-pants in your group of friends and gently correct them when the accidentally misuse these common words.

Learn more about this author, Andrew Browers.
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