Revised as of
30 June 2023
Geez, I hope I copy this right!
These word confusions are a type of copywriting, and I sure do want to copy it right. And by putting it in a visual format — online — it’s automatically copyrighted.
Be aware that there is no such verb as copywrite. There are only nouns: copywriter and copywriting.
Did you know these three words are heterographic homophones? Yeah, say that five times fast, lol.
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.
If you found this post on “Copy Right vs Copyright vs Copywrite” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.
| Copy Right | Copyright | Copywriter |
|---|---|---|
Children and Family Services is Chspf’s own work and is under the CC BY-SA 3.0 or GFDL license, via Wikimedia Commons. — It looks like they’re copying it right. |
Blue Copyright is Wylve‘s own work and is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. |
The type of copy that copywriters write includes . . . |
| Part of Grammar: | ||
| Verb Phrase | Adjective; Noun; Verb, transitive
Plural for the noun: copyrights Third person present verb: copyrights |
Noun
Plural: copywriters |
| To copy correctly | Compound Word
Adjective: Protected by copyright
Noun:
Verb, transitive: To place under a copyright |
A person who writes the words that promote a person, business, opinion, or idea
|
| Examples: | ||
| Did I copy this right?
If you don’t copy this right, you’ll have to do it over again. This copy is right. |
Adjective: Do you have that copyright agreement? The copyright laws are clear. This is copyright material. We can’t use it. Noun: They were works whose copyrights had lapsed. Many artists put a copyright on their art. Most of the images you find on the Internet have a copyright. Verb, transitive: Janet copyrighted all her artwork. |
A copywriter writes copy. They don’t copywrite.
The job of a copywriter is to write material that persuades people to buy a product or believe the marketing hype. Copywriters mostly work in advertising, marketing, or public relations. A copywriter may write press releases. The art of writing copy is done by copywriters. Yep, copywriters have copyeditors. |
| Derivatives: | ||
| Adjective: copyrightable, uncopyrighted Noun: copyrighter |
Noun: copywriting | |
| History of the Word: | ||
| 1725-35 copy + right | 1910-15 copy + writer | |
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 Copy Right vs Copyright vs Copywriter
Apple Dictionary.com
Karobonik, Teri. “Put a Mugshot on It? Things to Think About Before Using Mugshots on Commercial Products . . .” New Media Rights. 26 October 2015. Web. 4 December 2019. <https://www.newmediarights.org/put_mugshot_it_things_think_about_using_mugshots_commercial_products”>r;.
Pinterest Photo Credits
Chick-fil-A by Clotee Pridgen Allochuku is under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license and BMW M 50 years Logo by Alexander Migi is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license. Both are via Wikimedia Commons. McDonald’s Logo by sllmnhyt is in the public domain, via Pixabay. Vintage Coke Sign by Carol Highsmith is in the public domain, via RawPixel.
