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Principle V Principal

Principle vs. principal are commonly confused words that have different meanings. Principle is usually used as a noun to refer to a fundamental idea, rule, or belief. Examples include moral principles and the principles of design. Principal is most often used as an adjective meaning main or most important, as in the principal reason or cities. It can also be a noun referring to the head of a school or the main performer in a production. Understanding the context should help determine whether principle or principal is the correct choice.

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182 views2 pages

Principle V Principal

Principle vs. principal are commonly confused words that have different meanings. Principle is usually used as a noun to refer to a fundamental idea, rule, or belief. Examples include moral principles and the principles of design. Principal is most often used as an adjective meaning main or most important, as in the principal reason or cities. It can also be a noun referring to the head of a school or the main performer in a production. Understanding the context should help determine whether principle or principal is the correct choice.

Uploaded by

tyuiop
Copyright
© Public Domain
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Principle or principal?

It’s very easy to confuse these two words. Although they sound the same when they’re
spoken, their meanings are quite different. Here are two sentences in which the wrong choice
has been made:

X The principle aim of the initiative is to make art accessible to everyone.


X There are too many designers who do not understand the basic principals of design.

How to use ‘principle’

Principle is a noun. Its main meaning is ‘a fundamental idea or general rule that is used as a
basis for a particular theory or system of belief’. Here are some examples from the Oxford
English Corpus that illustrate this sense of principle:

It is a basic principle of criminal law that the accused is innocent until proven guilty.

The school offers students traditional training in the fundamental principles of drawing,
painting, and sculpting.

This idea has been the guiding principle behind Canadian and American farm policy at the
international level.

They plan to argue that the 1995 statute violates the principles of the Constitution.

In his first book, Ptolemy sets out the general principles of astrology.

A principle is also ‘a rule or belief about what is right and wrong that governs the way in
which someone behaves’. In this sense, the word is typically used in the plural form:

He was a tireless crusader for various causes and refused to compromise his principles for
the sake of expediency.

I don’t intend to ban anyone from this site because it’s against my principles.

Like her father she had strong moral principles and a dislike for injustice.

Stick to your principles, I told him. Your friends will always stand by you.

He refused, on principle, to pay the fine.

Principle can also be used as an uncountable noun to mean ‘morally correct behaviour’:

Ken is a man of principle who fights for what he thinks is right.

How to use ‘principal’
Principal is most commonly found as an adjective meaning ‘main or most important’. Here
are some sentences from the Oxford English Corpus showing the correct use of the adjective
principal:

German, US, and English visitors all cited Scotland’s stunning scenery as their principal
reason for holidaying in the country.

The principal aim of the project is to reduce youth crime.

The train is intended to ease congestion caused by more than 300,000 cars a day travelling
between the province’s two principal cities.

In most circumstances, the police are the principal source of all information that
subsequently becomes evidence in a criminal prosecution.

Principal is also noun, and its various noun meanings are linked to the adjectival sense (i.e.
‘most important’). A principal may be the head of a school, college, or other educational
institution, the leading performer in a concert, ballet, opera, or play, or the most important
person in an organization or group:

As the principal of a small school I know what every child is up to in terms of their
academic achievement and their behaviour.

All the principals in the cast deliver vivid, memorable performances.

He is now principal of the Rotterdam-based Office for Metropolitan Architecture.

As a singular noun, principal can also refer to a sum of money lent or invested, on which
interest is paid:

She was assured that there would be no risk to her principal.

In the first years in which you pay back your loan, the majority of each payment goes towards
interest rather than principal.

There are several other noun senses – see the dictionary entry for more details.

Still not sure?

If you’re unsure whether to use the –ple or –pal ending, try thinking about the context.
Generally speaking, a principle is a rule, standard, or belief of one kind or another. As an
adjective, principal means ‘most important’, while a principal is – generally speaking – a
person who is most important in a particular organization or group.

Also see other commonly confused words, such as lie or lay, compliment or complement,
and rein or reign. For a full list of commonly confused words, see this list.

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