The Merriam-Webster definition of ‘principal’ is: “most important, consequential, or influential: chief” and “of, relating to, or constituting principal or a principal.”Īs a noun, it means: “a person who has controlling authority or is in a leading position: such as a chief or head man or woman, the chief executive officer of an educational institution, one who engages another to act as an agent subject to general control and instruction (specifically the person from whom an agent’s authority derives, the chief or an actual participant in a crime, the person primarily or ultimately liable on a legal obligation, or a leading performer: star,” “a matter or thing of primary importance,” “a capital sum earning interest, due as debt, or used as a fund,” “the corpus of an estate, portion, devise, or bequest,” “the construction that gives shape and strength to a roof and is usually one of several trusses,” and “broadly: the most important member of a piece of framing.”

Also, if you think about the ‘princi pal’ as your pal, that can help you remember too. It can be tricky trying to remember which one is which, but remember that ‘principle’ and ‘rule’ end in the same letters. They're homophones, which means they sound the same but mean two totally different things. ‘Principle’ – The Rules on the Difference So, you just learned that the difference between ‘principle’ and ‘principal’ is that the former means a rule, tenet, or basic truth, and the latter means ‘main’ or ‘primary.’ ‘Principal’ vs. Concluding Thoughts on ‘Principal’ and ‘Principle’ ‘Principle’ vs.

Dictionary principal vs principle