Homophones

Buy, by or bye

Buy, bye and by are homophones. These words are all pronounced in the same way but are spelled differently and have different meanings. We’ll look at the difference in meaning between buy, bye, and by, where these words are derived from and some examples of their use in sentences. Buy means to acquire something in exchange for payment. Buy is also used figuratively to mean to acquire someone’s favor or loyalty by means of bribery, or to acquire something through …

Read More

Braid vs brayed

The words braid and brayed look similar and are pronounced in the same fashion, but mean very different things. Braid and brayed are homophones, which are words that are pronounced the same way but are spelled differently and have different meanings. We’ll look at the meanings of these words, their origins, and some examples used in sentences. A braid may be threads composed of various materials woven into a band used to trim garments or upholstery. A length of hair …

Read More

Heard vs herd

Heard is the past and the past participle form of the verb hear, meaning to perceive a sound with one’s ear, to listen to, to receive information, to listen to a legal case. The root word of heard, hear, is one of the Oxford English Dictionary’s one thousand most frequently used words. The word heard is derived from the Old English word herde. Related words are hears, hearing, hearer, hearable. Herd refers to a large group of animals that live …

Read More

Offal vs. Awful

Offal is the edible entrails and internal organs of an animal, offal may also mean decomposing organic material. Offal may be used figuratively to describe refuse or waste material of any kind. The word offal is a mass noun, which is a noun that describes something that cannot be counted, there is no plural form. Offal is derived from the Dutch word afval, which means fallen off, describing the parts of an animal that “falls off” of the butcher’s block. …

Read More

Hay vs hey

Hay is grass that has been cut and dried in order to use as feed for animals. Hay is often baled or bound in bundles shaped like squares or rounds. The word hay may also describe a certain country dance. Hay may be used as a noun or a verb, when describing the act of cutting and baling hay. Related words are hays, hayed, haying. Hay is derived from the Old English word, heg. Hey is an exclamation that is …

Read More

Rest or Wrest Meaning Difference 2

Rest or Wrest – Meaning & Difference

Should you use rest or wrest in your sentence? Good question. These two homophones don’t often get mixed up, but when they do, it can create a ton of confusion in your writing. So, let’s iron out the details, shall we? I’ll teach you all about the difference between the word rest and wrest. Rest vs. Wrest Although “rest” and “wrest” sound similar, they have entirely different meanings. “Rest” is a verb that refers to taking a break, relaxing, or …

Read More

Segue vs Segway

Segue means to move from one song, melody, scene, story or topic to another in a smooth fashion, to make a transition without interruption. Segue is an intransitive verb, which is a verb that does not take an object. Related words are segues, segued, segueing. The word segue is derived from an Italian word used in musical scores, segue, which mean follows. Segue moved into the vernacular in the 1930s. A Segway is a self-balancing motorized vehicle that carries one …

Read More

httpsgrammarist.comhomophonesmorning vs mourning 2

Morning vs. Mourning – Meaning, Spelling & Difference

I’m pretty sure homophones are here to torture us. But really, I know they create words with the same sound and pronunciation because the English language adapts words from different languages and origins, like morning and mourning, for example. Let’s take a look at the big differences between these two homophones. Morning vs. Mourning Let’s cut to the chase before I dive deep. Morning, without the U, means the beginning of the day. Mourning, with the U added in, is …

Read More

Parish vs perish

A parish is an area served by a Christian church, administrated by a priest or pastor. A parish is a subdivision of a diocese. Parish also refers to the people served by a Christian church. In England, a parish is the smallest unit of rural government. In the state of Louisiana, a parish is a unit of government similar to a county. Parish comes from the Greek word paroikia, which means sojourning. Perish means to suffer or to die, to …

Read More

httpsgrammarist.comhomophonesgel vs jell 2

Gel or Jell vs. Jelled or Gelled – Difference & Meaning

Oh, English language, you wicked thing! We just love to make things complicated, don’t we? Just look at the words gel and jell and their past tense forms gelled and jelled. They look like they’d mean the same thing, and their definition is pretty similar. But there’s a fine line, and I’ll break it down for you right here. Gel vs. Jell When someone says “gel,” they’re talking about a semi-solid substance like hair gel, while the word “jell” means …

Read More