Every English learner makes mistakes, and that’s completely normal. The problem is that some mistakes become habits. You hear them, repeat them, and after a while they start to sound correct, even when they aren’t.
In this guide, you’ll find 40 common English mistakes that learners make in grammar, prepositions, word choice, and spelling. Each one shows the incorrect version, the correct version, and a short explanation so you understand why it’s wrong, not just what to say instead.
Read through the list, notice the ones you make yourself, and try the quick practice quiz at the end.
Grammar and Verb Mistakes
1. Using “don’t” with he, she, or it
❌ He don’t like coffee.
✅ He doesn’t like coffee.
With he, she, it, and singular nouns, use doesn’t in the present simple. Use don’t with I, you, we, and they.
2. Saying “I am agree”
❌ I am agree with you.
✅ I agree with you.
Agree is a verb, not an adjective, so it doesn’t need am. The same applies to “I am disagree” → “I disagree.”
3. Using stative verbs in the continuous form
❌ She is knowing the answer.
✅ She knows the answer.
Verbs that describe states, such as know, like, want, believe, understand, and need, are usually not used in the -ing form.
4. Present perfect with a finished time
❌ I have seen him yesterday.
✅ I saw him yesterday.
When you mention a finished time (yesterday, last week, in 2020), use the past simple, not the present perfect.
5. Present continuous with “since” or “for”
❌ I am living here since 2020.
✅ I have been living here since 2020.
To talk about something that started in the past and continues now, use the present perfect (continuous) with since or for.
6. Using a past verb after “did”
❌ Did you went to the market?
✅ Did you go to the market?
After did, didn’t, does, and do, always use the base form of the verb.
7. Using “will” after “if”
❌ If I will see him, I will tell him.
✅ If I see him, I will tell him.
In first conditional sentences, use the present simple after if, and will only in the result part.
8. Double comparatives
❌ He is more taller than me.
✅ He is taller than me.
Short adjectives take -er (taller, faster). Use more only with longer adjectives (more beautiful). Never use both.
9. Plural verbs with “everyone”
❌ Everyone have finished the test.
✅ Everyone has finished the test.
Everyone, everybody, someone, and nobody are singular, so they take a singular verb.
10. Confusing “bored” and “boring”
❌ I am boring in this class.
✅ I am bored in this class.
-ed adjectives describe how you feel (bored, tired, interested). -ing adjectives describe the thing that causes the feeling (a boring class).
Article and Noun Mistakes
11. Missing “a” or “an” before jobs
❌ She is engineer.
✅ She is an engineer.
Use a or an before a singular job or role: a teacher, an engineer, a doctor.
12. Treating “information” as countable
❌ I need an information. / Give me the informations.
✅ I need some information. / Give me the information.
Information is uncountable. It has no plural form and doesn’t take a or an. To count it, say a piece of information.
13. Saying “advices”
❌ She gave me many advices.
✅ She gave me a lot of advice.
Like information, advice is uncountable. Other common uncountable nouns: furniture, luggage, equipment, news.
14. Using “the” with general ideas
❌ The life is beautiful.
✅ Life is beautiful.
When you talk about something in general (life, love, music, nature), don’t use the.
15. Using “the” with sports
❌ He plays the football every evening.
✅ He plays football every evening.
Sports and games don’t take an article. But musical instruments usually do: She plays the piano.
Preposition Mistakes
16. “Married with”
❌ She is married with a doctor.
✅ She is married to a doctor.
The correct preposition is to. You can also say She married a doctor with no preposition.
17. “Discuss about”
❌ Let’s discuss about the plan.
✅ Let’s discuss the plan.
Discuss already means “talk about,” so it doesn’t need about. But you can say have a discussion about.
18. “Depend of”
❌ It depends of the weather.
✅ It depends on the weather.
Depend is always followed by on (or upon in formal writing).
19. “Arrive to”
❌ We arrived to the airport at 6.
✅ We arrived at the airport at 6.
Use arrive at for a specific place (the station, the office) and arrive in for a city or country (arrive in London).
20. “Good in”
❌ He is good in English.
✅ He is good at English.
For skills and abilities, use good at. (Good in is only used for situations, like good in a crisis.)
21. “Since” with a period of time
❌ I have known her since three years.
✅ I have known her for three years.
Use for with a length of time (three years, two hours) and since with a starting point (since 2021, since Monday).
22. “Return back”
❌ I will return back tomorrow.
✅ I will return tomorrow. / I will come back tomorrow.
Return already means “come back,” so adding back is repetitive.
Word Choice Mistakes
23. “Do a mistake”
❌ I did a mistake in my homework.
✅ I made a mistake in my homework.
We make mistakes, decisions, plans, and noise. We do homework, work, exercise, and the dishes.
24. “Say me”
❌ Please say me the truth.
✅ Please tell me the truth.
Tell is followed by a person (tell me, tell her). Say is not: say something, or say something to me.
25. Confusing “borrow” and “lend”
❌ Can you borrow me your pen?
✅ Can you lend me your pen?
You borrow something from someone. You lend something to someone. So: Can I borrow your pen? or Can you lend me your pen?
26. “Open the light”
❌ Please open the light.
✅ Please turn on the light.
Lights, fans, TVs, and computers are turned on/off or switched on/off. We open doors, windows, and books.
27. “Revert back” to mean reply
❌ Please revert back by Friday.
✅ Please reply by Friday.
In standard English, revert means “go back to a previous state.” In emails, simply use reply or get back to me.
28. “Cousin brother” or “cousin sister”
❌ He is my cousin brother.
✅ He is my cousin.
In English, cousin is used for both males and females. If needed, add more detail: my cousin, Rahul.
29. Using “doubt” to mean “question”
❌ I have a doubt about this lesson.
✅ I have a question about this lesson.
In most English-speaking countries, a doubt means uncertainty or disbelief. To ask for an explanation, say question.
30. “Today morning”
❌ I met him today morning.
✅ I met him this morning.
Use this with parts of today: this morning, this afternoon, this evening. But we say tonight, not this night.
31. “Myself” to introduce yourself
❌ Myself Arif.
✅ I’m Arif. / My name is Arif.
Myself is a reflexive pronoun (I hurt myself). It can’t be used as the subject of a sentence.
Commonly Confused Words
32. Its vs. it’s
❌ The dog wagged it’s tail.
✅ The dog wagged its tail.
It’s = it is or it has. Its shows possession. Quick test: if you can replace it with “it is,” use it’s.
33. Your vs. you’re
❌ Your welcome!
✅ You’re welcome!
You’re = you are. Your shows possession (your book).
34. Their vs. there vs. they’re
❌ There going to their house over they’re.
✅ They’re going to their house over there.
They’re = they are. Their = belonging to them. There = a place, or used in there is/are.
35. Then vs. than
❌ She is smarter then me.
✅ She is smarter than me.
Use than for comparisons. Use then for time or sequence (First eat, then sleep).
36. Affect vs. effect
❌ The rain effected our plans.
✅ The rain affected our plans.
Affect is usually a verb (to influence). Effect is usually a noun (the result): The rain had a big effect on our plans.
37. Lose vs. loose
❌ Don’t loose your keys.
✅ Don’t lose your keys.
Lose (one o) is a verb: to misplace or fail to win. Loose (two o’s) is an adjective: not tight, as in loose clothes.
38. Fewer vs. less
❌ There were less students today.
✅ There were fewer students today.
Use fewer with things you can count (fewer students, fewer cars). Use less with uncountable things (less water, less time).
39. “Me and him” as a subject
❌ Me and him went to the park.
✅ He and I went to the park.
When you are the subject, use subject pronouns (I, he, she). It’s also polite to put yourself last: my friend and I.
40. “Could of” instead of “could have”
❌ I could of passed the exam.
✅ I could have passed the exam.
Could’ve sounds like “could of” in speech, but the correct form is always could have. The same goes for should have and would have.
Quick Summary Table
Here’s a quick reference of some of the most frequent mistakes from this list:
| Incorrect | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| ❌ He don’t know. | ✅ He doesn’t know. | he/she/it + doesn’t |
| ❌ I am agree. | ✅ I agree. | agree is a verb |
| ❌ Did you went? | ✅ Did you go? | base verb after did |
| ❌ an information | ✅ some information | uncountable noun |
| ❌ discuss about | ✅ discuss | no preposition needed |
| ❌ do a mistake | ✅ make a mistake | make + mistake |
| ❌ say me | ✅ tell me | tell + person |
| ❌ less people | ✅ fewer people | countable noun |
| ❌ could of | ✅ could have | correct verb form |
How to Stop Making These Mistakes
- Focus on a few at a time. Pick 3–5 mistakes from this list that you make often and practice only those this week.
- Read more in English. The more correct English you see, the more natural the right forms will start to feel.
- Write short sentences daily. Use the correct forms in your own sentences. Writing helps you notice errors you don’t catch when speaking.
- Record yourself speaking. Listen back and check for mistakes like “I am agree” or “He don’t.”
- Learn words with their partners. Instead of learning depend alone, learn depend on. Instead of mistake, learn make a mistake.
Practice Quiz: Find and Fix the Mistake
Each sentence below has one mistake. Try to correct it before checking the answers.
- She don’t want to come.
- I am living in Dhaka since 2019.
- Can you borrow me some money?
- He gave me a useful advice.
- We need to discuss about the problem.
- This box is more heavier than that one.
- Please open the fan.
- Their coming to the party tonight.
Answers
- She doesn’t want to come.
- I have been living in Dhaka since 2019.
- Can you lend me some money?
- He gave me some useful advice. / a useful piece of advice.
- We need to discuss the problem.
- This box is heavier than that one.
- Please turn on the fan.
- They’re coming to the party tonight.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most common English mistake?
One of the most common is using the wrong verb form with he, she, or it, such as “He don’t” instead of “He doesn’t.” Mixing up commonly confused words like its/it’s and your/you’re is also very common, even among native speakers.
Is it okay to make mistakes when speaking English?
Yes. Mistakes are a normal part of learning. Being understood matters more than being perfect. Over time, noticing and correcting your mistakes will make your English more natural and accurate.
How can I find my own English mistakes?
Record yourself speaking, write regularly, and ask a teacher or fluent friend to review your writing. Grammar-checking tools can help too, but try to understand why something is wrong rather than just accepting the correction.
Final Thoughts
Fixing common English mistakes isn’t about memorizing rules. It’s about building better habits one small step at a time. Bookmark this page, come back to the list whenever you’re unsure, and keep practicing. With regular effort, these corrections will soon become automatic.