I want to broaden the scope of the mispronounced words thread that can be found here.

What are incorrect words or phrases that you routinely hear or read? What about grammatical mistakes? If you have any to add, include any advice that may help someone avoid the mistake in the future.

Its vs. It's - It's replaces "it is". People often mistake the apostrophe as possessive in this form, but it's actually a contraction. No apostrophe is used for the possessive form of the word. The same is true for lets/let's.

Your/You're, There/Their/They're - Learn the damn definitions! "Your stupid" is always good for a laugh or two.

Should of instead of should've - This is common place because of the way most people speak. Should of, could of, would of, etc. are should've, could've, and would've when written.

Forte is pronounced "fort" - Credit to Broke for pointing this out in the other thread. Forte - a thing at which someone excels - is correctly pronounced "fort", not "for-tay." However, a paradox exists because if you pronounce it correctly, most of the public will misunderstand and try to correct you, while pronouncing it "for-tay" may put off a more educated audience. It is best to use a synonym such as strength, specialty, or talent.

Me vs I - People have been conditioned to use "_____ and I" instead of "______ and me" so often that it leads to a sentence like "Can you send the paperwork to John and I?" The correct usage should be "John and me." When in doubt, replace the phrase with "me" or "I" to check for correctness. You wouldn't say "Can you send the paperwork to I" or "Me went to the game", so don't say "Can you send the paperwork to John and I" or "Mary and me went to the game."

Irregardless is not a word - The prefix "ir-" means not, or the opposite of. The suffix "less" means without. Irregardless is equivalent to a double negative. It would mean not without regard. The correct word is "regardless."

Dominant vs. dominate - Dominate is a verb, dominant is an adjective. LSU will dominate South Carolina. We were dominant against Auburn.

Quarter pole does not mean 25% complete - A quarter pole denotes there is a quarter mile remaining to the finish line. It is often misused when people discuss completing 25% of a timeframe, such as the NFL season.

More incorrect phrases:

Pump the brakes, not pump the breaks
For all intents and purposes, not all intensive purposes
First-come, first-served, not first-come, first-serve
Shoo-in, not shoe-in
One and the same, not one in the same
Whet your appetite, not wet your appetite
Sneak peek, not sneak peak
Piqued interest, not peaked interest
Homed in, not honed in
Bated breath, not baited breath
Chest of drawers, not chester drawers
Self-deprecating, not self-depreciating
Another think coming, not another thing coming
Free rein, not free reign
Hunger pangs, not hunger pains
Try to, not try and
Nipped in the bud, not nipped in the butt
Moot point, not mute point
Spit and image, not spitting image
Near hit, not near miss

I'm not a grammar-Nazi by any stretch - I'm sure I've made a few mistakes in this post - but hopefully you have learned something that will separate you from the uneducated masses.

P.S.: Gif is pronounced "jif", like the peanut butter. There is no hard "g".