Grammar and Punctuation The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation

Carat, Caret, Karat

Most of the confusion is caused by carat and karat because both are associated with jewelry. The purity of gold is measured in karats. Twenty-four-karat gold is 99.9 percent pure, but so soft that it is considered impractical for most jewelry.

A carat is a weight measurement for gemstones: a two-carat diamond set in an eighteen-karat gold ring.

A caret has nothing to do with any of this. It is a mark an editor makes in a document to show where additional material should be inserted.


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