Stationary vs Stationery

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Stationary vs Stationery

The English language can be quite tricky. One letter of any word, and you risk changing the whole meaning of the whole word. It is actually pretty common in the English language. For instance we have two words that sound the same and look almost similar, but they both have totally different meanings: stationary and stationery.

The very first difference that should be kept in mind between the two words is the kind of word they are. When one knows and understands this, it will be easy not to mix them up. The word stationary is actually an adjective, and it will always be used as such.

An example of how it is used is as follows: “The car has been stationary for quite some time now in the parking lot.” The word stationary here is used to describe the car. The word stationery, on the other hand, is a noun. An example of how it could be used is as follows: “The stationery I used is scented and has a beautiful design.”

Once the form of the words are understood, it will be easier to absorb the definitions of the two words. Stationary actually means being still. When one describes an object as stationary, it means that the object is not moving or cannot be moved. Of course, this could also be used in a metaphorical sense.

Stationery, on the hand, is often used to call papers and envelopes used for writing letters. In the digital world, stationeries are usually found in offices where notepads and envelopes are still in used. In the olden days, it is used to write letters to loved ones who are far away, but since communication can be done with one click nowadays, it is often rare to see stationeries for personal use. In the corporate world, however, despite the dependence on modern technology, handwritten notes are still made, but not as lengthy as how it was back in the day.