To accept is to consent, to receive or to believe something. Except means “not including.”

Accept: to consent, to receive, or to consider something true or reasonable.

Except: not including, but not

The following are examples that illustrate the difference between accept and except.

I accept your resignation. ← accept is a verb that describes an action or state

I like all ice cream except maple walnut. ← except is a preposition or conjunction that establishes a relationship between words

Accept it, you are defeated. ← accept can be used to describe recognition of an idea or situation.

Nothing mattered except victory. ← except is often used to exclude something from a general statement.

He was accepted into the university.

He had good grades except in Spanish.

Will you accept responsibility for the damage?

Will you pay for all the damage except that caused by wear and tear?

Do you accept that this is a problem?

This would be a problem except that it is also an opportunity.

Have you read and accepted the employee agreement?

I read it and agree except for this wording in section 2.1.

I would accept your explanation except that it makes no sense.