Accept means to agree or accept something offered. While except means to exclude something. The ex- except is to help you remember that it means to exclude. Remember that the first two letters besides give a clue to its meaning.
These words may sound the same but have different meanings. They are part of the homophone family.
Accept is a verb. Except is most often used as a preposition and is also commonly used as a conjunction.
The most common mistake people make is pronouncing them the same. You will find that instead of saying “except” people pronounce “accept” which is the real reason, they confuse it with “accept” .
Table of Contents
What Does Accept Mean?
The word accept is a verb and its meaning is “to accept something willingly”. Accept is the one that is less likely to cause trouble. It is a singular part of speech.
There are different meanings if you receive according to its usage, but the general concept is to receive.
Below are the dictionary definitions of the verbs:
1. To accept something willingly
2. Give consent
3. Undertake without protest
4. Know the truth
There is little difference between the definitions, but they share a common theme.
What Does Except Mean?
The word except is a preposition, a conjunction, and less likely to be a verb. The meaning of except is ‘not including’. In addition, the most commonly used is the clutch.
The except function is like ‘The restaurant will be open except Friday’. And it’s followed by things like, “Except for this type of material.” Sometimes it can be used as a verb on its own, as in “Studies are expected”.
When you think of that word, except what came up is ‘ex’. “Ex” means something that is excluded from your life.
The definition of an exception and its application depends on the concept of exclusion.
- As a preposition
As a preposition, except means “not included” or “other than.” Below are examples:
• I go for a walk every day except Sunday.
• They didn’t tell anyone except their family.
- As Conjunction
The conjunction except means “one and only” or “except”. Below are examples:
• She has the same dress as me, except it’s red.
• He doesn’t enjoy the snow unless he wants to ski.
- As a verb
As a verb, except is used least often. But it’s not entirely unusual.
• They excepted their older friends from the guest list.
Difference Between Accept and Except
Make sure that if you don’t want to end up making the same mistake again, we need to understand the meaning and concept of these words. If you want to exclude something or someone, you use the word “except”. For example: “Everyone went to the party except Ross.” Here, “except” means the exclusion of Ross. While “accept” means to accept something. For example, “She accepted the gifts I bought her.” Here “receive” means to receive gifts.
Once you understand how the words are different from each other, it will make use easier for sentences.
Comparison Table Between Accept And Except
| S. No | ACCEPT | EXCEPT |
| Means | The meaning of accept is to receive something. | The meaning of except is to omit or exclude something. |
| Parts of speech | Accept is a verb. | Except are conjunction, preposition and less common verbs. |
| Example | She would accept the offer if she got from the college. | You can visit the lawyer except on Sunday. |