Principle vs. Principal

I ain't always the goodest grammarian, but I do my best to follow the rules I used to teach my fifth graders. I fear my skills are declining. I won a spelling bee in elementary school, but now I can't go more than a few sentences without referencing dictionary.com (one of my favorite websites).

The homophones of principal and principle have never given me trouble. I've always known to only use principal when referring to the head of a school, and to use principle for everything else. I've scoffed at the resumes of actors who claimed they played a principal role in a production, and I've applauded those who knew better and claimed to have played a principle role.

Then I looked up the words so I could give concrete evidence to support my superior grammatical intellect. I was the one who had it backwards. That sucks. Principal is indeed the correct word to use when referring to "something of chief importance." Now I know. At least in principle.

- Justen