Errand vs. Errant vs. Arrant (Grammar Rules)
Learn when to use errand vs. errant vs. arrant in your writing with Grammar Rules from the Writer’s Digest editors, including a few examples.
For this Grammar Rules post, let's take a look at when to use errand, errant, and arrant. An "a" or "e" here and a "d" or "t" there, and you've got completely different words and meanings. So let's see when something (or someone) is an errand, errant, or arrant.
Errand vs. Errant vs. Arrant
Errand is a noun that can refer to a trip taken to attend to a matter of some sort (like paying a bill or shopping for groceries), or it can refer to the actual matter of some sort.
Errant, on the other hand, is an adjective that describes the action of straying outside the expected path, range, or standard. It can also describe someone or something that moves aimlessly and/or without an obvious pattern (from an errant child to an errant wind).
Arrant is an adjective that describes being or acting without any moderation. A person might be called an arrant fool, knave, or dummy-head.
Here are a couple examples of errand vs. errant vs. arrant:
Correct: She needed to run an errand before meeting up for dinner.
Incorrect: She needed to run an errant before meeting up for dinner.
Incorrect: She needed to run an arrant before meeting up for dinner.
Correct: The errant arrow completely missed the target.
Incorrect: The errand arrow completely missed the target.
Incorrect: The arrant arrow completely missed the target.
Correct: The arrant drunkard was causing a ruckus on the street.
Incorrect: The errand drunkard was causing a ruckus on the street.
Possibly correct: The errant drunkard was causing a ruckus on the street.
Correct: The arrant fool was known for taking errant routes on his errands.
Sometimes I'm able to devise some kind of trick for keeping words like these straight in my head, but I confess I'm having trouble explaining how I do it with these words (outside of just knowing). However, I'd love any recommendations in the comments below.
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Sometimes, the best way to improve your writing is to go back to basics, to revisit the things you should have been paying attention to in your high school English classes (we won’t tell!). Whether you’re writing freelance articles for publications, editing your novel draft, or trying to write more professional emails, the Writer’s Digest Guide to Better Writing offers more than 50 techniques, strategies, and grammar rules with practical, real-world examples to help improve your writing.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
