Principal Vs. Principle : What’s the difference?

In English, we have different pairs of words that sound similar but have different meanings, and many of us are confused regarding their usage. The pair of words that sound similar but have different meanings and spellings are said to be homophones. The words principal and principle are homophones that sound similar but have different spellings, meanings, and usages. The word “principal” ends with “pal,” whereas the word “principle” ends with “ple.” “Principal” can be used both as a noun and an adjective; “principle” is only a noun. In this article, we learn about the difference between “principal” and “principle.” 

Difference between Principal and Principle

Meaning of Principal

The word “principal” is derived from Latin and is used both as a noun and as an adjective. It has a couple of meanings. “Principal” means most important when it is used as an adjective, whereas when it is used as a noun, it refers to the amount of money, the chief or head of an organization, or the head of a school.

Usage of Principal

The word “principal” is used both as a noun and also an adjective, which means someone or something important in both situations.

• The principal reason for the dispute between John and his brother is regarding the property. Here, the word “principal” is an adjective, and it conveys the primary reason behind the dispute between the two brothers.
• Our current university principal is going to retire in four months. Here, the word principal is a noun, which refers to a person who is the head of a university.

Examples

1. Raghav got promoted to assistant principal at a young age.
2. The principal of our university is very strict.
3. You need to pay him the principal amount of your loan by the end of this year.
4. The principal reason behind this sudden meeting is to discuss the plans to be implemented for the upcoming elections.
5. The principal aim of our dance institute is to help the students master their skills.
6. The principal source of their income comes from their family trading business.

In the examples given above, the word “principal” is a noun in the first three sentences, while it is an adjective in the last three sentences.

Meaning of Principle

The word “principle” is also derived from Latin and is used only as a noun, which has a couple of meanings. It can be a fundamental truth, law, moral rule, assumption, or scientific law.

Usage of Principle

The word “principle” is used only as a noun, which means a fundamental truth, law, moral rule, assumption, or scientific law.

• Sri always follows certain principles in my life. Here, “principles” refer to the moral beliefs followed by Sri.
• I am going to give a seminar on the principle of uncertainty today. Here, “principle” refers to a scientific law.

Examples

1. The basic principle of this company is to provide good-quality products at reasonable prices.
2. The principle of democracy is to treat everyone equally.
3. Our math teacher asked us to learn all the math principles by the next week.
4. He reached a great height in his business with his unique principles.
5. Don’t force me to do something that’s against my principles.
6. The principle of relativity is a physics law that was developed by Albert Einstein.

Differences between Principal and Principle

Principal	Principle
It is used both as a noun and as an adjective.	It is used only as a noun.
It means most important when it is used as an adjective, whereas when it is used as a noun, it refers to the amount of money, the chief or head of an organization, or the head of a school.	It means fundamental truth, law, rule, assumption, or scientific law.
Examples: Sam is going to play a principal role in her next movie. The principal aim of this meeting is to resolve disputes between the two states. The principal of our school gave a long speech during the school’s 22nd-anniversary function.	Examples: Jai is a man of principles. If you want to live here, then you need to follow some principles. Rhea hates when someone questions her morals and principles.

Conclusion

As the words “principal” and “principle” sound the same, most of us might get confused sometimes about which word to use in a sentence. Though both are derived from the Latin word, they are quite different. They have different spellings, meanings, and usages. Remember that the word “principal” ends with “pal,” whereas the word “principle” ends with “ple.”