Billed vs build

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Grammarist

Billed and build are two words that are pronounced in the same way, but are spelled differently and have different meanings. They are homophones. We will examine the difference between the definitions for billed and build, where these words came from and some examples of their use in sentences.

Billed is the past tense of bill, which means to send a statement asking for payment for goods or services rendered. Bill may also mean to list someone in a program as scheduled to appear. Related words are bills and billing. The word bill is derived from the Anglo-French word bille, which means list.

Build means to construct something, to put something together, to make something stronger. Build is also used as a noun to mean someone’s physique or to describe a style of construction. Related words are builds, built, building. The word build is derived from the Old English word byldan, which means to construct a house.

Examples

Some customers were double- and triple-billed, while others had no bills for months. (The London Free Press)

The brand is billed as “vapor distilled” and features actress Jennifer Aniston in its ads. (The Portland Press Herald)

Melgen also billed Medicare millions for injecting Lucentis in the eyes of scores of patients. (The Palm Beach Post)

Avery had been inspired to build his NestHouse after reading about the “tiny house” boom in the US. (The Guardian)

The website also aims to build a community of SMEs, and to that end, one of the key features on the portal is “Just Ask”, a platform for all in Singapore’s SME community to ask questions and offer responses on any topic of relevance to their businesses. (The Straits Times)