Writers occasionally confuse the words 'principal' and 'principle'.
Principal
In its most common role, 'principal' is an adjective
meaning 'main' or 'key'.
Examples:
 The principal objective is to make a profit.
(The adjective 'principal' modifies the noun 'objective'.)
(principal = main or key)
The
inspector highlighted my principal concern in his opening sentence.
(principal = main or key)
The word 'principal' can also be noun mean 'head' or
'chief'. It is commonly used to denote 'head teacher' in the US.
Here comes the principal.
(principal = head teacher)
The
allegations against the former principal were that he not only allowed the cage
fights to take place, but he also he egged on the participants.
Principle
The word principle is a noun. It has a range
of meanings, including rule, belief, tenet and theory. In general,
'principle' offers the idea of 'general law' or 'code of conduct'.
No! It is against my principles!
That is a great idea in principle.
Those are my principles. If you don't like them,
I have others.
(Groucho Marx quote)
You could
strengthen your argument by appealing to more general
principles.
He applied the
Aufbau principal to determine the electron configuration of the silicon. 
(should be principle / principle = theory or general law)
Select the correct version:
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A1
If you imagine that the l on the end of principal looks
like a '1', then the last two letters become 'A1'. This may help you to remember that principal denotes
'the most
important' or 'main'.
 My principal
concern is the safety of the dove.
(my A1 concern, i.e., main concern)
You can explain
your absence to the principal.
(to the A1, i.e., the most important person in the department)
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PRINCIPAL AND MONEY
When referring to a loan, the principal (or principal sum) is the original amount of a debt or investment on which interest is calculated.
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Easily Confused Words
