Mistake: Historic vs Historical

historic = important; historical = about history.

Examples

• A historic victory.

Key rules

• Historic means important in history, a significant event: a historic victory
• Historical means relating to the past, or based on history: historical novel
• The meanings are different

Common mistakes

• a historical victory (important) → a historic victory
• a historic novel (about the past) → a historical novel

Use cases

• Describing events
• Writing about books and films
• History essays