taught, taut

Taught or taught is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of teach, meaning to instruct or give lessons--
The kindergarten teacher taught them their ABC's.
His big brother taught him to ride a two-wheeler.

Taut or taut ( rhymes with taught ) means pulled tight or strained, meaning a rope or cord, or a person's nerves or muscles--
Keep the tent cords taut, so the tent won't sag.
He must have spent a lot of time at the gym to keep his stomach so taut.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He taught them to keep the lines taut, and to watch in case a fish should bite."

Note--"tauten" is an uncommon word meaning to tighten a cord or increase the tension on a rope or cord--
If you tauten that rope any more, it may break.

blue, blew

Blue or blue means the color of the sky, or of denim jeans--
The baby's blue eyes may turn to brown before he is a year old.
Blue jeans are so common that most people wear them sometimes.
Blue may also mean sad--
"I'd rather be blue, thinking of you, than be happy with somebody else."
"Blue, blue, my world is blue..."

Blew or blew ( rhymes with blue ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) form of "blow", meaning to move by force of air, to explode or demolish, or the movement of air or wind--
The explosion blew a hole in the side of the building.
He sat in a chair all day and blew smoke rings.
The house was full of strange noises when the wind blew. 

Now that you know that, you can say--
"When they blew soap bubbles, some looked blue, and some looked pink."
"The engine sputtered and blew blue smoke."

Note--"blue" also means pornographic, as in "blue" movies, or obscene, as in "blue" language--
The network censor inserted a bleep in place of his occasional blue language.

minor, miner

Minor or minor ( mine or ) means a person under the legal age of adulthood--under 18, or under 21--
It is illegal for a minor to buy liquor.
He is still a minor; his parents will have to sign the contract.
Minor also means not important, or small--
He played ball in the minor leagues.
It was considered a minor offense.
Minor is also the name of a type of musical scale--
Music in a minor key sounds sad to many people.

Miner or miner ( mine er ) means someone who digs minerals, metal, coal, or gems out of the earth--
"...in a canyon, in a cavern, excavating for a mine, lived a miner, forty-niner..."
The country and western singer was proud to be a coal miner's daughter.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"It is no longer permitted for a minor to become a miner."

Note--"minority" is related to "minor".  Minority most commonly refers to a small group or set of persons, or to the losing set of votes in an election--
Having only a minority of the votes, the candidate lost the election.
How small of a group makes a minority? For the purposes of voting, anything less than 50% is a minority.
Note # 2-- "mine or" ( two words ) sound precisely the same as "minor" and "miner", above--
Whose soda is that?  Is it mine, or yours?

load, lode

Load or load means something that is being carried, as freight or a burden--
He found the load too heavy to bear.
He stumbled and dropped his load.
Load is also a verb ( action word ), meaning to pack or stow freight or goods--
Load the truck; we're leaving soon.
It took all day to load the moving van.

Lode or lode ( rhymes with load ) means a deposit of metal or minerals, as in a mine--
The miners found a lode of silver and became wealthy.
The lode became so famous that everyone knew it by name.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"They had to carry the load from the silver lode out of the mine on foot."

Note--a "load" or "loads" is used to means a lot, or a great quantity--
They found a load of silver.
Not to be confused with a "lode", meaning a deposit of minerals--
They found a lode of silver.
Note # 2--"lowed"  ( rhymes with load ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) form of "low", meaning to bellow or "moo" as a cow does--
The poor cow lowed at every passing car.

cord, chord, accord

Cord or cord means a thin rope, or the wire of an electrical device--
The cord won't reach the outlet. We'll need an extension cord.
Have you seen the cord for the radio?
Get some cord at the hardware store to use for a clothesline.

Chord or chord ( rhymes with cord ) means a set of musical notes played together--
He is upstairs practicing a new guitar chord.
She'll have to be a little bigger to play a chord.
"The Lost Chord" is a favorite from the 19th century.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"You can use the headphones and cord from your CD player so we won't hear you practicing that chord on the keyboard."

Note--"accord" ( one word ) means an agreement of some kind, verbal or in writing--
It took them all week to reach an accord on global warming.
Not to be confused with "a cord" ( two words ), meaning a thin rope or wire for an electrical device--
Do you need a cord for your laptop?
Note # 2--an "accordion" is a musical instrument commonly called a "squeezebox"--
The old people liven up when they hear a polka played on the accordion.

lie, lye

Lie or lie means to tell a falsehood or untruth, or the falsehood or untruth itself--
"It's a sin to tell a lie..."
"I cannot tell a lie..."
Don't lie to me!
You lie like a rug!

Lie or lie also means to recline, or to be in a horizontal position--
Lie down and take it easy.
Are you going to lie in bed all day?
Rover, lie down!

Lie or lie is also an old-fashioned term meaning to be in a particular place, said of a thing--
Does the town lie this way?

Lye or lye ( rhymes with lie )  means caustic soda, a strong and potentially dangerous chemical used to clean drains--
Lye is dangerous; we'll have to lock up what we don't use.
Be careful with that. Lye can burn your skin.

Note--a "liar" is a person who tells lies, or who is lying as we speak--
"How could you believe me when I say I love you when you know I've been a liar all my life?"
"Liar, liar, pants on fire!"
Not to be confused with a "lyre" ( rhymes with fire ) an ancient stringed musical instrument, or a modern facsimile. A "lyre" looks like a small U-shaped harp--
Music stands often have a lyre design.
"...with lyre and timbrel..."

complement, compliment

Complement or complement ( com pleh ment ) means to go with or set off nicely--
That scarf  complements your coat nicely.
A large potted plant makes a complement to almost any room.

Compliment or compliment ( com plih ment ) means to flatter or praise, or the flattery or praise itself--
He always paid her cooking the compliment of asking for seconds.
When she disparaged her own cooking, we knew she was only fishing for a compliment.
Compliment is an old-fashioned word for gift--
They give every guest  a complimentary bowl of fruit.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She considered it a compliment that he noticed how the pattern of the drapes made a nice complement to the sofa."

Note--"complimentary" means having the quality of flattery or praise--
She always said something complimentary about her mother-in-law's cooking.
"Complimentary" may also mean free, or a gift--
The firm offers each customer a complimentary calendar.
Not to be confused with "complementary", which means going together in a pleasing way--
The red plaid and the plain blue are complementary, don't you think?

lean, lien

Lean or lean means thin, said of a person--
"He's a lean, green, fighting machine--a marine."
She's looking lean and trim.
Lean means without fat, or with little fat, when used to describe meat--
The lean beef is more expensive.
"Jack Sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean..."
Lean may mean hard-up, or lacking money, when used to refer to finances--
"..seven lean years..."
She always remembered the lean times of the depression.
Lean also means to rest against, to bend over, or to rely on--
Lean on the fence if you're tired.
Lean the ladder against the fence.
Lean over--I can't hear you.
"Lean on me, when you're not strong..."
Lean may mean to slant towards something, literally or figuratively--
The house seems to lean to the left a bit.
They lean toward the more liberal candidates.

Lien or lien ( rhymes with lean ) means the right to sell or hold real property, such as a house, for a claim or debt--
The bank settled their debt with a lien against their house.
The buyer of a house may not realize that there is a lien against the property.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Their lean financial circumstances made a lien against their house necessary."

Note--"a lien" ( two words ) means the right to sell someone's property--
There is a lien against the house.
Not to be confused with "alien" ( one word--ale ee en ), meaning a foreigner, or a being from another planet--
ET is my favorite alien.
Note # 2--someone may "lean" against a house--
Don't lean against the house; the paint is still wet.
Not to be confused with "a lien" against a house--
There is a lien against this house that will have to be paid before we can settle.

lore, lure

Lore or lore means a set of old stories or myths, or an informal history of some kind--
Family lore had it that they were all descendants of a royal house.
He was full of strange tales and ancient lore.

Lure or lure ( rhymes with lore ) means a bait or attraction, or to bait or attract someone--
The fisherman worked patiently assembling  the lure to catch trout.
He used boasting and smooth talk in an attempt to lure the woman into a tryst.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He was well-versed in fishing lore, and always knew what kind of lure was best for catching fish."

Note--"allure" ( one word ) means a quality of attractiveness, or the power to attract people--
They all noticed her feminine allure.
Not to be confused with "a lure" ( two words ), meaning one of the lures that a fisherman might use to catch a fish, or that a person might use to "catch" another person--
He was sure that his fine car would serve as a lure for any female in sight.

beat, beet

Beat or beat means to hit or strike repeatedly--
The band marched while he beat the drum.
Beat the egg whites to soft peaks.
It is still legal to beat school children in some states.
Beat also means the measure or timing of music--
I like this record, it has a good beat.
"...he hears the beat of a different drummer..."
Beat is also a popular way to say "defeat an opponent"--
Our team beat the other team by 5 points.
He always beat everyone at that game.

Beet or beet ( rhymes with beat ) means the root vegetable despised by many children--
Junior won't eat his beets.
Beet soup is popular in Russia.
Beet is also a color--
He turned beet red when she caught him.
You're as red as a beet--you should have worn a hat.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She threatened to beat the children if they didn't eat up every last beet."

Note--the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) form of "beat" is "beat"--
They beat us today.
They beat us yesterday.
"Beating" may mean that the game is still going on, or was still going on--
They are beating us today.
They were beating us yesterday, when we scored two goals.
The past participle ( already finished in the past ) of "beat" is "beaten"--
They have beaten us before.
Add two beaten egg whites.

aid, ade, aide

Aid or aid means to help or give assistance--
Can you aid us with suggestions for this project?
The hero rushed to aid the damsel in distress.
Aid or aid may mean the help or assistance given, as a noun ( thing or idea )--
He was quick to offer his aid.
One may come "to the aid", meaning to the assistance or help of--
"Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of the party..."
He came to the aid of the damsel in distress.
Aid or aid may refer to a thing or idea that is helpful--
Some people find that music is an aid to their memories.
The old man wears a hearing aid.

-ade  is a suffix ( added to the end of a word ) meaning a soft drink made with citrus or other fruits--
Most people like lemonade in the summer.
-ade  is added to some words to denote a process or state of being--
The cannonade reduced the building to rubble.
We tire of watching the movies repeat the same escapades.

Aide or aide means a personal assistant to someone--
He served as the general's aide for two years.
She was a nurse's aide before going to college.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The chief asked his aide to aid the person with the pitcher of lemonade, who had been startled by the escapade."

Note--"AIDS" is an acronym for "acquired immune deficiency syndrome", a disease--
He was diagnosed with AIDS, and very upset about it.
"Aids" or "aids" may be the third person singular ( he, she or it ) form of "aid"--
The fireman aids people in burning buildings.
"Aids" or "aids" may also be the plural ( more than one ) of "aid", meaning a thing or idea with a helpful function--
The old man has had three hearing aids, but none of them really helped.
"Aides" or "aides" is the plural ( more than one ) form of "aide"--
The general has four full-time aides on his staff.

peak, peek, pique

Peak or peak means the top or summit of a mountain--
He wanted to scale the highest peak in the Himalayas, Mount Everest.
Peak may mean something that looks like the top of a mountain--
Beat the egg whites until a soft peak will keep its shape.
Peak or peak may mean the top or summit of something, figuratively--
He was at the peak of his career when he retired.
The strawberries are at their peak in June.

Peek or peek ( rhymes with peak ) means to steal a glimpse or look--
I hid your birthday present--don't peek.
Don't peek through keyholes. It's not nice.

Pique or pique ( rhymes with peek and peak ) means a snit or display of offended feelings, in a small way--
I asked if she wanted to go, but she was in a pique and wouldn't talk to me.
You always get in a pique when he tries to talk to you.


Now that you know that, you  can say--
"She was in a pique because he tried to peek and see the cake shaped like a mountain peak she was making for his birthday."

Note--"peaked" means having a point like the top of a mountain--
He wore a peaked cap.
Not to be confused with "peaked" ( pronounced peak-ed ), which is an old-fashioned term for looking ill or sickly--
What's wrong? You look peaked.
 Note # 2--someone's curiosity may be "piqued", meaning aroused or sharpened--
The noise outside piqued her curiosity, so she went to the window.
Note # 3--"peeked" is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "peek"--
Oh! You peeked!
We hid his present, but he peeked.

surf, serf

Surf or surf means the part of the ocean near the shore--
He liked to walk along the shore, knee-deep in the surf.
They went surf fishing every summer.

Serf or serf ( rhymes with surf ) means a sort of bonded peasant from the feudal era of Europe--
The last serf was freed in 1860.
A serf was technically tied to the land, but was sometimes traded or sold.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The serf dreamed of one day being  free to play in the surf and the sun."

Note--a "surfer" coasts on the waves with a "surfboard"--
The surfer couldn't wait to try out his new surfboard.
Note # 2--"surfing" means coasting on the waves with a surfboard--
They hoped for high waves and good surfing.
Note # 3--"serfdom" means the state or condition of being a serf, or the feudal  institution of bondage--
Serfdom came to an end in the 19th century.

yolk, yoke

Yolk or yolk means the yellow part of an egg--
Try not to break the yolk when you crack the egg.
The recipe calls for the yolk of an egg.

Yoke or yoke ( rhymes with yolk ) means a part of a harness that goes around a horse or draft animal, meaning an animal that pulls a cart, wagon, or plow--
Pa is out back fixing the yoke for the oxen.
"...with two yoke of oxen and a fine spotted hog..."
Yoke may be used to mean a burden for a person--
"...for my yoke is easy, and my burden light..."

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He made a new yoke for the plow horse and painted it the color of the yolk of an egg."

Note--a "yokel" is a rural person or country bumpkin--
The salesman was sure that the yokel would never discover his deceit.

straight, strait

Straight or straight means not crooked or bent--
It's hard to draw a straight line without a ruler.
The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.
Fix your tie--it isn't straight.

Strait or strait ( rhymes with straight ) means a narrow channel of water connecting two larger bodies of water--
They sailed through the Bering Strait into the Arctic Ocean.
The Strait of Gibraltar is well-known to sailors.
Strait or strait is an archaic ( old-fashioned ) word for  narrow--
"Strait is the way, and narrow the gate..."

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The navigator fixed a straight course through the troublesome strait."

Note--a "straitjacket" is used to confine someone, usually a mental patient who is trying to harm him or herself--
The patient kept scratching at himself, so the nurses put him in a straitjacket.
Straitjacket is sometimes spelled straightjacket--
They confined him to a straightjacket when he wouldn't calm down.
Note # 2--"straits" may mean more than one strait--
They turned the ship around when the came to the Straits of Magellan.
"Straits" is also an unusual term meaning a difficult predicament--
The characters in a horror movie always find themselves in dire straits after the weird organ music.
Note # 3--to "straighten" something is to arrange it properly--
Straighten up the house; company's coming.
She straightened up the room.
"Straiten" means to constrict or limit, as in the phrase "straitened circumstances"--
The new taxes were sure to straiten their circumstances.
The family had been in straitened circumstances since the father lost his job.
Note # 4--a "canal" is also a narrow channel of water that connects two other bodies of water, but a canal is man-made--
Unfortunately, they were still digging a canal when plans were made for the new railroad.

morning, mourning

Morning or morning means the time of day between midnight and noon--
They didn't get home until two o'clock in the morning.
He like to get up early in the morning to see the sun rise.

Mourning or mourning ( rhymes with morning )  means being in a state of sorrow for the death of a friend or loved one--
In some cultures they still wear black clothing for a year as a sign of mourning.
He was very popular. His friends were still mourning his passing.
Some widows wear mourning for then rest of their lives.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The widow got up early every morning and put on her mourning clothes."

Note--"morn" is an old-fashioned word for morning--
"...I think how evening follows morn..."
Not to be confused with "mourn", meaning to regret someone's death--
His friends tried to tell him not to mourn any longer.
Note # 2--a "mourner" is someone attending a funeral--
There were hundreds of mourners at the funeral.
Note # 3--a "morning suit" is formal daytime attire--
He wore a morning suit to his wedding.
A "mourning suit" or "suit of morning"means a black or gray suit worn to a funeral--
He still wore a suit of mourning a year after her death.
A woman might once have worn a "morning dress"--
She arose and donned a morning dress to receive callers.
A woman in black for a funeral wears mourning or mourning clothes--
Rhett brought Scarlett a green hat, even though she was wearing mourning clothes.

hoard, horde

Hoard or hoard means an enormous store of goods, or a stockpile--
The miser liked only one thing--to count his hoard of gold.
When they warned of a hurricane, he amassed a hoard of provisions.
Hoard may also mean the act of stockpiling goods, or amassing a great store of something--
The social worker was worried that his compulsion to hoard was making the apartment unhealthy.

Horde or horde ( rhymes with hoard ) means a large army or crowd--
The armies of the Great Khan were called the Golden Horde.
A horde of horsemen swept down from the heights.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The plunder carried off by the horde of warriors amounted to a vast hoard of weapons and gold."

Note--"horrid" ( har id ) sounds much like "hoard" when some people say it. Horrid means really, really, terrible, awful or nasty--
What a horrid little woman!
Terrible? It was horrid!

find, fined

Find or find means to retrieve something that was lost, or to come upon something while shopping, walking, or going about--
Did you find my keys? I lost them.
They like to find seashells on the beach.
A good bargain at the flea market is considered a "find".

Fined or fined ( rhymes with find ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) form of "fine", meaning to charge money for an infraction of rules, laws, or ordinances--
He was fined $20 for parking in a no-parking zone.
The library fined her ten cents for each overdue book.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He was fined $50 for going the wrong way on the exit ramp when he couldn't find his way."

Note--"refine" means to process or alter something into a "finer" substance, literally or figuratively--
The oil companies refine oil to make gasoline.
She needs to refine her goals so that they are more specific.

plum, plumb

Plum or plum means the small summer fruit you see in the supermarket--
She found a recipe for plum cake.
Don't eat those plums; they're not ripe.
Prunes are dried plums, just as raisins are dried grapes.
Plum also means a deep purple color, even though plums may be red or yellow as well as purple--
That plum sweater is her favorite.
We are looking for plum paint for the house trim.

Plumb or plumb ( rhymes with plum ) means digging to the bottom of something, figuratively--
He was determined to plumb the well of philosophy in its entirety.
A good detective can plumb the darkest motives of human beings.
Plumb also means a lead weight used on the end of a string to mark a straight line on a wall, or to measure how deep something is--
He used a plumb bob to make sure the wallpaper was straight.
He used a plumb line to find out the depth of the well.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"A plum pit is not heavy enough to use as a plumb bob."

Note--"plum" may mean a prize, or an unexpected goodie--
"off of the tree of life I just picked me a plum..."
Note #2--"plumb" is an old slang expression for completely--
It plumb slipped my mind.
Note # 3--a "plumber" fixes "plumbing"--sinks, toilets, pipes and drains--
The toilet is leaking; call the plumber.

succeed, secede

Succeed or succeed ( suck seed ) means to achieve what was intended, or to arrive at the desired outcome of a plan or project--
If you don't do your schoolwork, you will not succeed.
He worked late every night on order to succeed in achieving the goals he had set for himself.

Secede or secede ( seh seed ) means the declaration of a state or a set of people to separate themselves from their country, and to form their own state or nation--
During the American Civil War, the North refused to acknowledge any right to secede from the union.
When the state of Virginia decided to secede from the union, the western part of the state decided to secede from Virginia, and form its own state, called West Virginia.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The southern states did not succeed in their plan to secede from the union."

Note--"success" is the noun ( thing or idea ) form of "succeed"--
Work hard, and you will be a success.
"Succession" means a series of things--things that come one after the other, in order--
The project was plagued by a succession of  disasters.
"Succession" is also the term used when a monarch dies or gives up a throne, and is replaced by someone else--
The "Act of Succession" states plainly who will be the next king or queen.
"Secession" is the noun ( thing or idea ) form of  "secede"--
The secession of some of the southern states began the Civil War.

plaintiff, plaintive

Plaintiff or plaintiff means the party suing in a civil case--
The jury awarded a million dollars in damages to the plaintiff.
The judge decided that the plaintiff had brought a frivolous lawsuit to court.

Plaintive or plaintive means sad or mournful--
Our dog makes a plaintive wail every time he hears a siren.
The woman's plaintive cries commanded everyone's attention.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The plaintive cries of the plaintiff could be heard through the entire building."

Note--in a civil suit, the plaintiff sues the defendant for loss or damages. In the United States, the plaintiff has to demonstrate financial loss, and sues for that amount. In a criminal case, the prosecution ( the state or government ) tries the defendant.

resolution, solution, revolution

Resolution or resolution is the noun ( thing or idea ) form of "resolve". Resolution means a firm decision or statement of intention--
She makes a resolution every January 1st.
A resolution also may be a public statement of an opinion or planned course of action made by a group or association--
The UN resolution on child labor was signed by only half of the countries present.

Solution or solution is the noun ( thing or idea ) form of "solve". Solution means the answer to a problem--
The solution to the problem is in the back of the book.
Many economists claim to have the solution to financial problems.
Solution also means a liquid combined with another substance, or two liquids combined--
The medicine was dissolved in a solution of water and sugar.

Revolution or revolution means an uprising against the government or authority--
We celebrate the anniversary of the American Revolution every 4th of July.
They watched the news of the revolution in the Middle East on TV.

Revolution is also the noun ( thing or idea ) form of "revolve", meaning to turn or go around in a circle--
RPM  means revolutions per minute.
The Earth's revolution around the sun takes 365 days.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The solution to the revolution was a government resolution to lower taxes."

Note--the verb ( action word ) form of revolution is "revolt"--
The people are threatening to revolt.
"Revolt" may also be a noun ( thing or idea ), meaning an uprising or insurrection
The king sent out troops to quell the revolt.
Note # 2--"revolt" also means to disgust, or to make ill--
He found the smell of dead flowers revolting.
"The peasants are revolting." may mean a peasant uprising, or it may mean that the peasants are disgusting.
 Note # 3--a substance that can be dissolved is "soluble"--
Is this paint soluble in water?
A problem that can be solved is also "soluble"--
The problem is soluble if you first convert all of the fractions to decimals.