Days and daze are two commonly confused words that are pronounced in the same way when spoken aloud but are spelled differently and mean different things, which makes them homophones. We will examine the definitions of the two homophonic words days and daze, where they came from and some examples of their use in sentences.
Days is the plural form of the noun day, which means a twenty-four-hour period that extends from one midnight to the next. A day may also mean the hours when the sun is up. The word day is derived from the Old English word dæg, which means the time when the sun is up.
A daze is a period of shock, a confused state in which a person does not think, act, or feel normal. Daze is also used as a verb to mean being in a state of shock or a confused state. Related words are dazes, dazed, dazing. The word daze is derived from the Old Norse word dasathr, which means weary.
Examples
Four days after 14 people were trapped for hours in a sweltering elevator car, another elevator failed in the same Philadelphia high-rise, trapping a restaurant employee for more than an hour. (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Nine days after leaving prison, Apollo Nida of “Real Housewives of Atlanta” fame has found his way back behind bars after violating unspecified parole terms while living in a halfway house in Philadelphia. (The Atlanta Journal Constitution)
“Any fighter will tell you, the punches you don’t see are the ones that will knock you out, buzz you or daze you.” (The Daily Express)
In an interview with the Free Press, Waters said after the explosion hit the MRAP he was dazed and thought he had fallen asleep. (The Detroit Free Press)
Enjoyed reading about these homophones? Check out some others we covered: