You don’t have to be a grammar expert to sound smart, but there are a few basic mistakes that can instantly chip away at your credibility — especially in writing.
Whether you’re sending a work email, pitching an idea, or posting on social media, your words create an impression. And like it or not, people notice when something’s off. You could be saying something brilliant, but if it’s wrapped in poor grammar, it just doesn’t land the way it should.
Let’s look at seven grammar mistakes that quietly sabotage your message and make people take you less seriously.
- Mixing up “your” and “you’re”
This one tops the list for a reason. It’s everywhere.
“Your welcome” instead of “You’re welcome.”
“You’re ideas are amazing” instead of “Your ideas are amazing.”
It might seem small, but this mix-up immediately distracts the reader. It makes you look careless or like you haven’t mastered basic grammar. The fix is simple: “your” shows possession, “you’re” means “you are.”
Once you train your eye to spot it, you’ll never go back.
- Using “there,” “their,” and “they’re” incorrectly
These three words sound exactly the same but mean very different things. And people notice when you get them wrong.
“There” is a place — “Put the book over there.”
“Their” shows ownership — “Their car is parked outside.”
“They’re” is short for “they are” — “They’re going to the concert tonight.”
If you mix these up in a job application or a client proposal, it sends the message that you didn’t take time to proofread.
- Writing “could of” instead of “could have”
This mistake happens because “could’ve” (the contraction) sounds like “could of” when spoken. But in writing, it’s incorrect.
The same goes for “should of,” “would of,” and “might of.” They just don’t exist in proper grammar. Stick with “could have,” “should have,” and so on.
If you want to sound polished, this is one to fix immediately.
- Confusing “then” and “than”
These two are easy to mix up, but they mean very different things.
“Then” is used when you’re talking about time or order — “We ate dinner, then watched a movie.”
“Than” is used to compare things — “She’s taller than her brother.”
If you say “I’d rather sleep then study,” you’re actually saying you want to do both. But if you say “I’d rather sleep than study,” you’re clearly making a choice. Big difference.
- Misplacing apostrophes in plurals
Apostrophes are for contractions and possession — not for making words plural.
People often write things like “apple’s for sale” or “video’s going viral,” when they really just mean “apples” or “videos.”
Using apostrophes the wrong way gives the impression that you don’t understand basic sentence structure. If you’re not showing ownership or shortening words, leave the apostrophe out.
- Saying “irregardless”
This word gets tossed around a lot, but here’s the truth — “irregardless” is not standard English. Most dictionaries only include it because people use it so often, not because it’s correct.
The proper word is “regardless.” Saying “irregardless” makes you sound like you’re trying too hard to sound formal, and it ends up having the opposite effect.
- Using “alot” instead of “a lot”
There is no such word as “alot.” It looks like it should be a word, but it’s not. “A lot” is always two separate words.
Writing “I have alot of work to do” just looks lazy. It’s one of those tiny mistakes that instantly makes your writing look unprofessional — even if everything else is perfect.
Let’s wrap up
You don’t need a degree in English to avoid these common grammar pitfalls. Just being aware of them already puts you ahead of the curve.
The good news? These are all fixable with a little attention and practice. Once you clean them up, your writing instantly sounds sharper, more confident, and more credible.
So before you send that message or publish that post, take a second look. Your grammar might be saying more about you than you think.