The Principal Principle
Here are two more words writers often confuse: principal and principle. Principal means first in authority. Or a main participant, or amount of a debt minus the interest. It can be a noun or an adjective. Principle means a basic truth or assumption. A lot of people think of principles in relation to ethics, rules, standards, morals, guidelines, etc. It’s a noun, whereas principal is a noun or an adjective.
If you have a lot of rules, you would have a lot of principles. If you have a weird school with more than one person in charge, you may have a number of principals. Some ballet companies have featured dancers or principals. And some principals are lacking in principles.
If you need something to help you remember when to use which spelling, think of the pal at the end of principal. The prinicipal at your school should be your pal, and not be a pill, which is what the last syllable of principle sounds like (to me). Principles can feel like bitter pills. Okay, I know that’s pretty dumb, but it kinda sticks, doesn’t it?
Principle can be principled by adding a ‘d’. Principal cannot. To get a principled principal you need a big wooden ruler and not be afraid to use it.