Principle vs principal

Let’s make it clear.

A principle - ending le - is a moral tenet. You hold fast to your principles, you do what’s right. You can have one or more principles - that’s what nouns are for.

Principal is, in contrast, an adjective. It describes things. You could well have a principal principle - being, the moral commandment that means the most to you. Actually, OK, it can be a noun - but when it is, it describes someone of paramount importance - irrespective of whether that’s anything to do with morals.

From Dictionary.com (because that’s the first one I found):

Principal and principle are often confused but have no meanings in common. Principle is only a noun and usually refers to a rule or standard. Principal is both a noun and an adjective. As a noun, it has specialized meanings in law and finance, but in general usage it refers to a person who holds a high position or plays an important role: a meeting among all the principals in the transaction. As an adjective it has the sense of “chief” or “leading”: The coach’s principal concern is the quarterback’s health.

I won’t quote the origin of tonight’s rant, because there are too many, and the straw that broke the camel’s back, that sort of thing. And I want to make clear that I wouldn’t blog a spelling flame if it didn’t have a useful grammatical element to it.

Still. Spell properly, damnit.