What's the difference between 'accept' and 'except'?

• "Please accept my apology."
• "She accepted the job offer."
• "The terms were accepted."

• "Everyone came except John." (John didn't come)
• "I like everything except mushrooms."
• "The office is open every day except Sunday."

As a verb, "except" is rare: "Present company excepted" = not including the people here. This use is uncommon in everyday English.

Common error: "I like all the options accept this one" ❌ → "except this one" ✓. The error usually goes the other way — using "accept" when "except" is needed.

Quick test: Is it about receiving/agreeing → accept. Is it about excluding → except.

Register: Standard English. Getting this right matters in written communication and professional contexts.

Tags: vocabulary, grammar, accept vs except, common mistakes