Word Differences
Accept vs. Except: What’s the Difference?
Accept means to receive or agree; except means excluding. A clear guide with pronunciation, examples and a quiz.
By Vocabaura Editorial · Published 14 August 2026 · 6 min read
Quick answer
Accept (verb) means to receive or agree to something. Except (usually a preposition) means excluding or apart from. If you can swap in “excluding,” use except.
Accept and except share almost every letter and a similar sound, which is exactly why they trade places so often in fast writing. The meanings, though, point in nearly opposite directions: one is about taking something in, the other about leaving something out.
Accept: Meaning and Use
Accept (uh-SEPT) is a verb. It means to receive something willingly, to agree to a proposal, or to believe something is true.
- She accepted the job offer this morning.
- He couldn’t accept that the plan had failed.
- Please accept my apology.
Except: Meaning and Use
Except (ik-SEPT) is most often a preposition or conjunction meaning “not including” or “apart from.” Less commonly, it works as a verb meaning to leave out or exclude, as in the phrase “present company excepted.”
- Everyone came to the meeting except Dana.
- I like every vegetable except beetroot.
- The rule applies to all staff, present company excepted.
Which Word Should I Use?
Ask what the sentence is doing. If someone is receiving, agreeing to, or believing something, you need accept. If the sentence is carving out an exception, naming something left out of a group, you need except. Try substituting “agree to” for accept and “excluding” for except; whichever fits is your answer.
| Accept | Except | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | Verb | Preposition/conjunction (rarely a verb) |
| Meaning | To receive or agree to | Excluding, apart from |
| Pronunciation | uh-SEPT | ik-SEPT |
| Example | I accept your offer. | Everyone left except me. |
Quick check
Which word completes this sentence?
“I’ll ___ the terms of the contract. (______)”
Free practice, no account or AI credits needed. Keep reading below.
Common Mistakes
- “I will except your invitation” should be “accept your invitation.”
- “Everyone accept John was late” should be “everyone except John.”
- Confusing the rare verb sense of except (to leave out) with accept’s meaning of receiving.
- Misreading except as excerpt, a different word meaning a short extract from a text.
Practice
Fill the blank
I’ll ___ the terms of the contract. (accept)
Fill the blank
All the shops were closed ___ the pharmacy. (except)
Test yourself
0 of 4 answered
Free practice, no account or credits needed.
1. “She gladly ___ the award.” Which word fits?
2. “Everyone was invited ___ the interns.”
3. Which part of speech is except most often?
4. How is accept pronounced?