Aim for precision: why "principle aim" misses the mark

Reviewed and edited by

Lloyd Cooper 05/10/2024, 08:58

English.me team member

What kind of error is it?

Principle aim or principal aim. What's correct?

Word choice error

Why do people make this mistake?

People often make this error because the words "principle" and "principal" are homophones—they sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. In this context, "principal aim" is the correct collocation, meaning the primary or main aim of something.

What is correct?

The correct term is "principal aim". "Principal" is an adjective that means most important or main, which fits the context of aiming or focusing on the primary objective.

Examples of correct usage

The principal aim of the project is to improve community health.
Our principal aim is to reduce carbon emissions by 40%.
Education is the principal aim of our program.