This word confusion stationary vs stationery cracks me up. Sure, paper can be stationary, if no one moves it. Generally, it’s people and movable objects that are stationary. Parked cars, loiterers, satellites . . . You know the type of things I mean, things that don’t move or grow.
As for stationery, I suppose someone could take a stance on stationery. I know that I like something pretty, preferably with matching envelopes that coordinate with my business card. Other people are quite happy with their stance on stationery: they like plain white paper.
Gotcha confused yet? Actually, I have an easy trick to remember which one to use when. You use a pEn with stationEry and you stop wAlking if you are stationAry.
I know, simple. And I use it all the time!
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Stationary | Stationery | |
|---|---|---|
Parked Cars and Houses Along Catherine Street in Macclesfield is Daniel Case’s own work under the GFDL or CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — When a car is parked, it’s stationary. |
Stack of Copy Paper is Jonathan Joseph Bondhus’ own work under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons. — Anything paper is considered stationery. |
|
| Part of Grammar: | ||
| Adjective | Noun
Plural: stationery |
|
Not moving or not intended to be moved
|
Writing paper, especially with matching envelopes
Office materials such as pens, pencils, and such used for writing |
|
| Examples: | ||
| He was stationary for some time.
The population has been stationary for some time. The satellite is in a stationary orbit. A parked car is stationary. |
We’ll have to order up some stationery.
They’ve changed the company’s logo, and we’ll have to order up all new stationery. Oh, Mom, Aunt Mary gave me that same stupid stationery for Christmas. |
|
| History of the Word: | ||
| Late Middle English from the Latin stationarius. Originally in the sense of belonging to a military station from station- meaning standing. | Its first known use was in 1688. | |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Stationary versus Stationery
Apple Dictionary.com
Pinterest Photo Credits
Colored Pencils Cups is in the public domain, via Max Pixel. Manila Paper has no machine-readable author provided. NathanBeach assumed (based on copyright claims) under the CC BY-SA 2.5 license, via Wikimedia Commons. Main Street Historic District, Medina, Orleans County, New York is in the public domain courtesy of National Register of Historic Places, via Wikiwand.
