Principle vs Principal - What is the difference?

Principle vs Principal? These two words are often confused by native english speakers.The main difference between these homophones is that “principle” refers to a guideline, fundamental truth or fact while “principal” is to represent a chief head of a school, as an adjective it means highest authority in rank or importance.

The words principal and principle entered English through Old French. Both share Latin roots- Principal comes from prīncipālis which means “first, chief” and principle comes from principium which means” origin, source”.  This article will explain to you the distinct meanings between these easy to confuse words.

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Where to use the word “Principle”?

The word “Principle” is always used as a noun that has several meanings. 

Principle as a noun:

• Refers to the fundamental truth that serves on belief systems and morals.
• Used to refer ethical guidelines that explains how things should work
• A scientific rule or law.

Examples: 

1. "A man far oftener appears to have a decided character from persistently following his temperament than from persistently following his principles.”
   ― Friedrich Nietzsche, Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits
   
   
2. The principle of reward states that almost invariably the greatest rewards follow absolute devotion, determination and dedication to the craft
   ― Dr. Lucas D. Shallua
3. Einstein's equivalence principle for a uniform gravitational field states that “The motion of an object in an inertial reference frame is indistinguishable from the motion of the object in the absence of this field but with respect to a suitable uniformly accelerated reference system”.
   ― American Journal of Physics 84, 879 (2016)

Where to use the word “principal''?

The word "Principal" can be used as an adjective and noun but the meaning varies.

Principal as an adjective:

‘Principal’ has two meanings when used as an adjective

• Used to describe as “most important”, “influential”,”primary”,”main” in order of importance
• Used to represent the original amount of money invested.

Example of ‘principal’ as an adjective:

1. “Lurid tales are the South’s principal export. - Rhett Butler”
   ― Donald McCaig, Rhett Butler's People
   
   
2. Unfortunately, most junk-bond funds charge high fees and do a poor job of preserving the original principal amount of your investment. 
   ― Benjamin Graham, The Intelligent Investor
   
   
3. The principal mark of genius is not perfection but originality, the opening of new frontiers.
   ― Arthur Koestler

Principal as a noun:

The word ‘principal’ holds a couple of meanings when used as a noun.

• Represents the person with the utmost position as head of an educational institution.
• The term Principal in a business world is to represent a firm/ person who owns or a partner of a company, or is the person who engages another person to act as an agent.
• To represent a “top performer” or “a capital sum that earns interest”.

Example of ‘principal’ as a noun:

1. The principal, Michael Wiltshire, was appointed in an unusual arrangement under which he oversees both Boys and Girls, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, and Medgar Evers College Preparatory School
   ― The New York Times
2. Top US retirement plan administrator Principal Financial Group said on Tuesday it would buy Wells Fargo & Co's retirement plan services business for US$1.2 billion, as it seeks a larger presence in markets serving mid-sized companies.
   ― The Business Times, Banking & finance
   
   
3. KRISENERGY, which is undergoing a restructuring, on Thursday said it will not make principal and interest payments totalling US$4.5 million coming due on Feb 21, 2020, under two term loans from HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank.
   ― The Business Times, companies & markets

How to Remember and Choose between Principle and Principal

If you find any difficulty in choosing between principle and principal, think about the context. Use ‘Principle’ to refer to a standard guideline or rule and ‘Principal’ in reference to a firm or person in leadership position.

Here we provide you a list of a few mnemonics that will be useful in remembering the difference between these words.

• The word principal ends with ‘pal’. Say like- The principal is not my pal. This aids to remind you that the actual person, principal, may not be your friend.
• The word ‘principle’ ends with ‘l-e’ just like ‘rule’. This helps to remind you that both principle and rule ends with ‘le’.
• ‘Principal’ has the letter ‘a’ and the word ‘adjective’ also has ‘a’. This helps you to remember that principal can function as a noun or an adjective, while principle can only function as a noun.    

Also Learn more about:

• Who vs Whom
• Your and You're
• Elicit vs Illicit
• Elude vs Allude
• Affect vs Effect
• e.g. vs i.e.

Conclusion

Learning about principle vs principal  will help you to use them correctly in your writings. Hope this article has helped you to understand the variation, make sure to double check the use of these words to avoid errors.

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. What is the difference between principal and principle?

Principal means "main" or “primary” when used as an adjective; for example, principal findings in research, On the other hand, “principle” is a noun that means a rule, tenet, or basic truth, namely the principle of gravity.

2. What is principal and principle examples? 

Example 1: The principal of the school is very strict when it comes to discipline.
Example 2: The principle of human rights is the main idea of democracy.