B

• backward/backwards: American English does not add the s
  
  
• baited/bated: A hook is baited; one's breath is bated
  
  
• because/since: Use because in relating a specific cause-and-effect relationship (She took the turn because it was marked on the map); since is only correct with a causal meaning when an initial event logically leads to a second happening, but not as a direct cause (They went to the concert, since the tickets had been given to them)
  
  
• begin/start: begin is to commence; start denotes a definite starting point
  
  
• between/among/amid: between is about one-to-one relationships (It is between the two of us.); among refers to collective or undefined interrelationships (honor among thieves); amid goes with mass nouns (amid rumors of peace); among is the word for plurals of count nouns (among the elders)
  
  
• bi/semi: bi typically means “two,” with biweekly being every two weeks; semi means “half,” with semiweekly being twice a week. As the prefixes are used interchangeably, writers are encouraged to emphasize the intended meaning
  
  
• biannual/semiannual/biennial: biannual and semiannual both are “twice a year"; biennial means “every other year” or “once every two years”; best to consider the correct longer form for biennial to avoid confusion; as the meaning of all these words is subject to misunderstanding, longer forms or redundancy encouraged to avoid misunderstanding [We consistently attend the biannual event every two years.]
  
  
• bias/prejudice/bigotry: bias is an inclination either for or against something; prejudice is typically against something; bigotry is unreasoning devotion to beliefs
  
  
• billion: meaning has varied in various countries: in the USA, billion is 1,000,000,000 [9 zeros]; this is now the most common international understanding of the amount; until the 1980s in Great Britain, Canada, and Germany billion was 1,000 times the USA number; careful editors dealing with large numbers from international sources need to clarify the actual intended amounts.
  
  
• blackout/brownout: blackout is complete failure of power in a large age or deliberate defensive concealment of lights that might provide visibility to enemies; brownout is a temporary, small voltage reduction (typically between 2% and 8%) implemented to conserve electric power
  
  
• blanch/blench: blanch is to whiten; blench is to flinch or shrink back
  
  
• boats/ships: boats are watercraft of any size, but typically indicate small craft; a ship is a large, seagoing vessel
  
  
• born/borne: borne is either an adjective [a born leader] or as a form of “to be born” [the girl was born into opportunity]; borne is the past participle of “bear”; and as a science suffix
  
  
• boycott/embargo: a boycott is refusal to by a particular product or service from either a provider or nation; embargo is a prohibition of goods from entering or leaving a country, instituted by a law
  
  
• breach/breech: breach is either a gap in or violation of or to break through; breech is the back or lower part of something, especially the buttocks [breech birth]
  
  
• bring/take: use bring (only) if the action is directed toward oneself [bring the money home]; if the action is directed away, use take [take the dog for a walk]. No one knows how the confusion arose, but it is common
  
  
• bug/tap: a bug is a concealed listening device aimed at picking up sounds in a room, automobile, or other space; a tap is a device affixed to a telephone circuit to pick up conversations on the line