Accept vs. Except: What’s the Difference?

Even native English speakers sometimes mix up accept and except because they sound almost the same.

However, their meanings are opposite in many ways.

Here’s the quick rule:

• Accept → to receive or agree with something 🤝
• Except → to leave out or exclude something 🚫

1. Accept: To Receive or Agree

Meaning

“Accept” is a verb that means to receive, agree to, or approve something.
It’s positive — you’re taking something willingly or acknowledging it.

Examples (10 total)

1. I accept your apology.
2. She accepted the job offer.
3. We happily accept your invitation.
4. Please accept this gift.
5. He accepted responsibility for the mistake.
6. The company accepted his proposal.
7. They accept credit cards and cash.
8. I accept that I was wrong.
9. She accepted the award with gratitude.
10. We must accept the truth, even if it’s hard.

🧠 Tip:
If it means agreeing to take or approve something, use accept.

“I accept your offer” = I’m saying yes.

2. Except: To Exclude or Leave Out

Meaning

“Except” can be used as a preposition, conjunction, or verb.
It always means excluding or not including something.

Examples (10 total)

1. Everyone came except John.
2. The store is open every day except Sunday.
3. I like all fruits except bananas.
4. She ate everything except the dessert.
5. We work every day except holidays.
6. He passed all the exams except math.
7. Nobody knows except you.
8. They accepted all the rules except one.
9. The museum is free except on weekends.
10. Everything was perfect except the weather.

🧠 Tip:
If it means excluding or apart from, use except.

“Everyone except you” = you are not included.

3. Quick Comparison Table

4. Common Phrases with “Accept”

• accept responsibility
• accept the truth
• accept an invitation
• accept a job offer
• accept defeat

Example:

You must accept responsibility for your actions.

5. Common Phrases with “Except”

• everyone except me
• open except weekends
• no one except him
• all except one
• nothing except the best

Example:

The café is open every day except Monday.

6. How to Remember

👉 Accept = take it
👉 Except = leave it out

💡 Memory Trick:

“Accept” starts with A — for agree.
“Except” starts with E — for exclude.

7. Common Mistakes

❌ I except your apology.
✅ I accept your apology.

❌ Everyone was invited accept Tom.
✅ Everyone was invited except Tom.

❌ Please except this gift.
✅ Please accept this gift.

8. Why It’s Confusing

Both words sound similar, especially in fast speech.
However, their meanings are almost opposites — accept means include or agree, while except means exclude.

Grammar correction tools like Humanizey can easily detect such mistakes in your writing and fix them automatically while keeping your text natural and human-like.

FAQs

1. Can “except” ever be a verb?

Yes. Except can mean “to leave out.”
Example: They excepted one student from the rule.

2. Is “except for” the same as “except”?

Almost. Except for emphasizes the exclusion more clearly.
Example: The trip was perfect except for the rain.

3. Can “accept” mean “believe”?

Yes. Example: I accept your explanation = I believe it.

4. How can I quickly tell them apart?

If it’s about agreeing, use accept.
If it’s about excluding, use except.

Practice: Choose the Correct Word (“Accept” or “Except”)

(Answers are listed at the end.)

1. Please ___ my apology.
2. Everyone came ___ Sam.
3. She will ___ the award on his behalf.
4. The shop is open every day ___ Sunday.
5. I can’t ___ that offer right now.
6. He likes all sports ___ soccer.
7. They didn’t ___ our invitation.
8. The rule applies to everyone ___ teachers.
9. We must ___ that mistakes happen.
10. No one knew the answer ___ her.

Answers

1. accept
2. except
3. accept
4. except
5. accept
6. except
7. accept
8. except
9. accept
10. except