It’s a bad idea to use in contracts paired party-name defined terms that differ only in their final syllable: they force readers to work harder, and there’s always the risk that the drafter will by mistake use one defined term instead of the other.
Today I asked people on Twitter to help me compile a list of such paired defined terms, and they came through. My thanks to @pacotrouble, @adamdlin, @zhadu, and @IPDraughts for their contributions.
So here’s the list:
- Acquiror, Acquiree
- Appellant, Appellee
- Assignor, Assignee
- Bailor, Bailee
- Covenantor, Covenantee
- Donor, Donee
- Employer, Employee
- Endorser, Endorsee
- Farmor, Farmee
- Grantor, Grantee
- Guarantor, Guarantee
- Indemnitor, Indemnitee
- Lessor, Lessee
- Licensor, Licensee
- Mortgagor, Mortgagee
- Obligor, Obligee
- Offeror, Offeree
- Optionor, Optionee
- Payor, Payee
- Transferor, Transferee
- Vendor, Vendee
- Warrantor, Warrantee
If you think of any others, that’s what the comments are for!