Commonly Confused Words: Principle/Principal

Are the principles of the constitutional interpretation clear? Or would that be constitutional principals?

Uses of Principle:

• Principle (noun): A principle is a noun that refers to a philosophical truth or guiding belief: “The judge adheres to high moral principles.”
• Principled (adjective): When used as an adjective, principled implies someone who has strong ethical or moral standards: “The principled judge does his job dutifully.”

Uses of Principal:

• Principal (noun): When used as a noun, a principal can refer to several things: (1) the leader of a school (“The principal of the high school rejected the idea.”); (2) a sum of money invested or loaned (“The debtor’s principal remained the same because he made payments only on the interest.”); or (3) the primary actor in a legal transaction (“The principal directed his agent to make the purchase.”).
• Principal (adjective): When used as an adjective, principal means the primary or most important: “The principal investor threatened to withdraw funding if the employee wasn’t fired.”

Rules:

(1) If you need an adjective, use principal if you mean MAIN and principle if you mean ETHICAL.

(2) If you need a noun, use principle for a TRUTH or BELIEF, otherwise use principal.

Take our Principle/Principal quiz here.