Cross-posted at the Ultimate Spelling blog.

Learning how to spell English words correctly can be difficult sometimes, especially when you’re learning words that are very similar in spelling, in pronunciation, or both. In fact, spelling words “like they sound” creates problems for many people. Whether it’s in an e-mail to your boss or a letter to a friend, if you misspell words, you’re leaving a bad impression. Either your readers will assume that you just didn’t feel like taking the time to proofread what you wrote, or they’ll assume that you really don’t know how to use the words correctly – and therefore that you might not really know what you’re talking about. Neither of these are messages you want to communicate, especially in a work environment! To help you avoid this situation, study these four word pairs and make sure that you know how to spell and use them properly.

hoard and horde
These two words are both pronounced HORD, but have two different meanings. The verb to hoard means “to save, to store up.” As a noun, it refers to the end product of that action, a quantity of items that have been saved and stored. This word sometimes has a negative connotation; someone who hoards office supplies in their desk, for example, is saving them for their own personal use and probably not sharing. The noun horde describes a large group of people (or sometimes animals), with the sense that the group is so large it’s overwhelming or hard to deal with for some reason.
Example: There is a horde of squirrels in the yard gathering nuts to hoard for the winter, and I don’t think I’m going to get any walnuts for myself this year!

eminent and imminent
Eminent (EH-mih-nent) means “famous, noteworthy” and imminent (IH-mih-nent) means “almost about to occur.” These adjectives are often confused because of their similarity, but take care that you use them correctly.
Example: The eminent philosopher has been involved in humanitarian work in war-torn regions for decades, and many people think that an award of the Nobel Peace Prize is imminent.

perspective and prospective
The noun perspective refers to a way of looking at things, or the depiction of objects in three dimensions by creating a sense of distance or depth (the word comes from the Latin roots for “through” (per-) and “to look” (specere). The adjective prospective means “possible, likely, anticipated.”
Example: To get a better perspective on the hiring decision you’ll have to make, read through these applications from prospective employees.

accept and except
Although these two words are frequently pronounced the same way, they really shouldn’t be, and remembering the correct pronunciation will help you remember the correct spelling. Accept (ahk-SEHPT) is a verb meaning with the primary definitions of “to agree to receive something” or “to agree with an opinion or conclusion.” Except (ehk-SEHPT) is most often used as a conjunction meaning “unless” or “other than,” though it can also be a verb.
Example: All of the committee members will accept the compromise, except George – he’s determined to have his own way.

Get help with more easily-confused words here and here.