Accept or Except?

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What Is the Difference between "Accept" and "Except"?

"Accept" and "except" are easy to confuse because they sound so similar. However, their meanings are quite different, and both words have several meanings. "Accept" most commonly means "to receive willingly," and "except" most commonly means "apart from."

• I accept your invitation.
(Here, "accept" means "to receive willingly.")
• We all agree except Tony.
(Here, "except" means "apart from.")

Accept

"To accept" is a verb. It has three meanings:

(1) To hold something as true.

• The officer accepts your point and has decided to let you off with a caution.
• I accept she may have been tired, but that's still no excuse.

(2) To receive something willingly.

• I accept this award on behalf of the whole cast.
• Do you accept dogs in your hotel?
• Please accept my resignation. I don't want to belong to any club that will accept me as a member. (Comedian Groucho Marx)

(3) To answer "yes" (especially to an invitation).

• The minister would love to accept the invitation to your ball, but she has a prior engagement.

Except

The word "except" is most commonly seen as a preposition. However, it can also be used a conjunction and occasionally as a verb.

"Except" as a Preposition

As a preposition, "except" means "apart from," "not including," or "excluding." For example:

• I can resist everything except temptation. (Playwright Oscar Wilde)
• I have nothing to declare except my genius. (Playwright Oscar Wilde)
• Marge, don't discourage the boy! Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It's what separates us from the animals...except the weasel. (Homer Simpson)
• It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried. (British Prime Minister Winston Churchill)

"Except" as a Conjunction

As a conjunction, "except" means "but" or "if not the fact that." For example:

• I would go swimming, except I am scared of big fish.

"Except" as a Verb

As a verb, "except" means "to exclude." For example:

• You are excepted from the ruling.

Top Tip

Except = Excluding

Let the first two letters of "except" remind you that it means "excluding."

A Video Summary

Here is a short video summarizing the difference between "accept" and "except."

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos.

Common Terms with "Accept" and "Except"

Here are some common terms with "accept" and "except":

Accept

• Accept a job
• Accept a compliment
• Accept the challenge
• Accept the consequences
• Accept a duel
• Accept the things I cannot change

Except

• Except for access
• Except for him
• Except buses and taxis

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