awful / awesome

Very bad versus impressive, and the lost sense “full of awe.”

In current English awful means very bad, and awesome means impressive or admirable. The older sense, “filling one with awe,” is now rare for both. Aweful is not a standard spelling. Do not use awesome for something merely acceptable, or awful when you mean awe.

Examples

UseThe delay was awful.

UseThe canyon was awesome.

AvoidThe coffee was awesome. (If it was only fine.)