There are some words in the English language that can confuse people a lot. Such words often cause silly mistakes and errors in writing. The confusion between either and ither is one such example.
In most cases, either and ither are seen as the same word by considering the latter as the misspelled version of the former. But in rare cases, people accept the latter word, ither, as a different and unique word altogether.
Either vs Ither
Either in English can mean different things. As a pronoun, either can mean both. That means each of two or more. It can act as an adverb, too. As an adverb, either means as well. It can further act as a conjunction. As a conjunction, either introduces the first of two options. Then, the second option is introduced after using or. So, either is paired with or. And finally, it can also act as a determiner.
For example:
- You can either write or type your assignments.
- She doesn’t know how to talk in Spanish. I don’t know either.
Ither, on the other hand, can mean similar to the word either. And in that case, ither is considered a spelling mistake. The word becomes a misspelled word. However, sometimes, ither can mean other in the Scottish language.
So, this is the basic difference between either and ither. While either is a commonly used word, ither is rarely seen in English. Thus, ither is accepted to be a typical error.
