Stationary vs stationery - what's the difference?
Stationary and stationery sound identical but mean completely different things. Here's the trick to remember which is which.
Stationary (adjective) - not moving; fixed in place:
"The car was stationary at the lights."
"Keep the camera stationary for the shot."
"A stationary object at rest."
Stationery (noun) - writing materials: pens, paper, envelopes, notebooks:
"I need to buy some stationery for the office."
"The company logo is printed on all our stationery."
"She works in the stationery department."
The memory trick
- stationary - o for object that doesn't move
- stationery - e for envelopes
Or: stationery contains an e, and so does pen, letter, and paper.
Common context
Both appear in professional settings, which is why this confusion persists. An office might have stationery on a desk and a stationary vehicle in the car park.
British vs American spelling
Both spellings are the same in British and American English - no variation here.
What does "Stationary vs stationery - what's the difference?" mean?
Stationary and stationery sound identical but mean completely different things. Here's the trick to remember which is which.
Mixing up similar words is one of the most common learner mistakes.
LLH Tutor explains tricky word pairs like this one so the difference finally sticks.
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