manner/matter

Oh... Is this a common mistake like "then/than" and "counsel/council"?

RinoOh... Is this a common mistake like "then/than" and "counsel/council"?

I can't really measure its commonness, but I think "a manner of seconds" just doesn't exist. What exists is "a matter of seconds". You may be confusing them because, in some American accents, their pronunciation is similar.

And yes, the same thing usually happens with "then/tha

MrGuedesI hope you do know the differences between the examples you gave...

Yes, I do know the differences. They are just typos I've encountered while reading English books and magazines. And now, I found "in a manner of seconds" in a novel I'm reading. When I couldn't find any helpful entries in dictionaries (but found 220,000 hits on Google), I wondered if n

MrGuedes: I hope you do know the differences between the examples you gave... [than/then and council/counsel]

RinoYes, I do know the differences. They are just typos I've encountered while reading English books and magazines.

I think you've misunderstood me. All those four words (than, then, council, counsel) exist. It's not real

MrGuedesI think you've misunderstood me.

1. I know the meaning of each of the four words, so I know the differences.
2. What I wanted to say is that I gave the examples as words commonly misspelled even in professional writings.

Am I still misunderstanding you?

OK, I get it now. As you said that they were just typos, I thought you might think that, for each pair you gave, one of those words didn't exist. Turns out you haven't misunderstood me, I have misunderstood you! I get it now.