naval, navel

Naval or naval means having to do with ships or sailors. Naval is the adjective ( describes something ) form of navy--
The president of the United States is commander of all the land and naval forces.
He applied to the naval academy at Annapolis after deciding on a military career.

Navel or navel means belly button--
They are called navel oranges because they have a belly button.
Many people think that philosophers are navel gazers, who sit and stare at their own belly buttons and chant omphalos.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Naval stores and provisions should include navel oranges, to prevent scurvy."

loan, lone

Loan or loan is the noun ( thing or idea ) form of lend, meaning to give something, or the use of something, with the expectation that it will be returned--
They got a loan from the bank to finance repairs for their new home.
She was having trouble making the payments on her car loan.
He asked for the loan of his neighbor's hedge clippers.

Lone or lone ( rhymes with loan ) means the sole or only one, usually meaning a thing, person, or creature ( not an idea or concept )--
There is a lone duck swimming in the pond.
We liked to watch "The Lone Ranger" on TV when I was a child.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"They asked the neighbors for the loan of a ladder, so their house wouldn't be the lone undecorated one on the street."

Note--"alone" means by oneself; without another person present--
Can we talk? Are you alone?
Alone may also be used figuratively--
Money alone cannot bring happiness.
Not to be confused with "a loan"--
He didn't have any money, so he asked for a loan.
Not to be confused with "a lone"--
There is a lone star on the Texas state flag. Texas was once the Lone Star Republic.

our, hour

Our or our means belonging to us. Our is the first person plural ( we or us ) possessive ( indicating belonging to)--
Our school is playing their school in football on Friday.
We ran over a parking barrier with our car.

Hour or hour ( sounds just like our ) means 60 minutes--
We get off work in an hour.
The recipe says to bake it for one hour.
He gets paid by the hour.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Our boss checks on us every hour."

Note--"hourly" means each or every hour--
She phoned the hospital hourly for news.
Note # 2--the plural of "hour" is "hours"--
He said to come back in two hours.
I feel like we've been sitting here for hours.
Not to be confused with "ours", a form of "our"--
This street is ours.
They didn't have an umbrella, so we loaned them ours.
Note # 3--many people pronounce "our" to rhyme with "are", so don't confuse them. Are is a form of "be" used with you, we, and they--
We are going to our aunt's house.
They are coming to our show.
You are our favorite author. It's nice to meet you in person.

week, weak

Week or week means a set of seven days--either from Sunday through Saturday, or any seven days--
I'll be back next week.
We have been busy at work all week.
School starts a week from tomorrow.
This will take me a week!

Weak or weak ( rhymes with week ) means having little or no strength or force--
He felt weak for days after running the marathon.
She talked so long that her voice became weak.
He never drinks anything stronger than weak tea.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Working overtime all week left him weak and exhausted."

Note--"weaken" is the verb ( action word ) form of "weak"--
Poor nutrition will weaken your body.
"Weakened" is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) form of "weaken"--
Adding too much water weakened the tea.
His illness weakened him.
"Weekend" means the end of the week--Saturday and Sunday, when most people are not at work--
What are your plans for the weekend?
The weekend seems to be over in a minute. Now it's Monday already!
Note #2--"weakly" is the adverb ( describes an action ) form of "weak"--
"I feel okay"  she answered weakly.
"Weekly" means every week--
They planned to publish a new weekly magazine.
We get paid weekly.

ate, eight, 8

Ate or ate is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "eat"--
There is pizza in the refrigerator. We only ate half of it yesterday.
We ate lunch in the cafeteria.

Eight or eight ( rhymes with ate ) means the number 8--
There are eight slices of pizza.  We can each have two.
Mom said to be home by eight o'clock.
There are twelve questions. We have to get eight of them right to pass.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"We ate dinner at eight o'clock.

Note--If you hear someone pronounce "ate" as "et" ( rhymes with get ), he or she is  British. In America  "ate"  rhymes with "eight".

kernel, colonel

Kernel or kernel means the large edible seed of some grains or the edible center of a seed--
She put dries kernels of corn outside for the birds.
The kernels of wheat are ground to make flour.
Kernel may be used figuratively, meaning the center or core of something--
There is a kernel of truth in what he's saying.

Colonel or colonel ( rhymes with kernel ) is a military rank, above a major and below a general--
He hoped to become a colonel before he retired.
The colonel and the general are having a meeting.
When colonel is used as a title or honorific ( Mr., Miss, Mrs., Ms., Dr., etc.), it is capitalized--
Colonel Smith isn't here yet.
Mrs. Jones, this is Colonel Smith.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The colonel had the habit of eating each corn kernel that didn't pop."

Note--not to be confused with "colonial" , which describes a settlement of people in a foreign land, or the takeover of the foreign land by their government--
Colonial America means America before 1776, when the settlers here were still subjects of the British crown.

core, corps, corpse

Core or core means the center of something, as the seed part of some fruits--
She cooked the apple without removing the core.
Core may mean the center of the Earth, or some other physical body--
There is molten metal in the earth's core.
Core may be used in a figurative sense--
Good behavior is at the core of their belief system.
Core may also be a verb ( action word ) --
Core and peel the apple, then slice it.
The grocer will core the pineapple for you.

Corps or corps ( rhymes with core ) means a group of people united for a purpose, usually military--
He joined the Marine Corps when he turned 18.
They trained until they became a fighting corps.

Corpse or corpse means a dead body--
The coroner came to examine the corpse.
Murder mysteries often begin with the detective finding a corpse.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The dog from the canine corps helped them follow the pieces of apple core that led to the victim's corpse."

Note--the plural ( more than one ) form of "core" is "cores" ( corze )--
There are two apple cores on the floor.
Not to be confused with "course", meaning way or path--
Of course I didn't eat the apple cores. I threw them away.
Not to be confused with "coarse", meaning crude or rough--
That linen is very coarse. It won't make a comfortable shirt.

Note #2--the plural of "corps" remains "corps"--
There were only two fighting corps left.

Note #3--the plural of "corpse" is "corpses"--
There are two corpses in the drawing room. The police are on the way.

break, brake

Break or break means render in pieces, as a dish or brittle object, or cause to malfunction, as a machine or device--
Don't drop the dish. You'll break it.
Don't let the children play with the phone. They'll break it.
Break also means a pause in work or some other action--
Let's break for lunch.
We have a coffee break at 10 am.
Break may mean a physical gap or opening--
Look for a break in their defenses.

Brake or brake ( rhymes with break ) means the device that stops a machine--
Don't step on the brake if you don't need to stop or slow down.
The locomotive engineer pulled on the brake to stop the train.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If you slam on the brake the dish will fall off of the seat and break."

Note--the past tense of "break" is "broke"--
Who broke the lamp?
The past and present participle of "break" is "broken" --
The lamp is broken.
The lamp was broken.

Note #2--The past tense of "brake", when used as a verb ( action word ) is "braked"--
He braked the car and skidded into a ditch.

Note #3--"brake" or "bracken"  also means clusters of ferns or shrubs--
There were two bunnies hiding in the bracken.
A deer hid in the brake, hoping we wouldn't notice her.

ascent, assent, accent

Ascent or ascent ( uh sent ) means the act of going up or rising, literally or figuratively--
They watched the ascent of the hot air balloon until it was no longer visible.
The ascent of an airplane makes some people uncomfortable.

Assent or assent ( rhymes with ascent ) means the act of giving permission or agreement--
He gave his assent to the terms and conditions.
I would like to call my lawyer before I give my assent to this.
Assent may be used as a noun ( thing or idea )--
His assent is important to the contract talks.
Assent may be used as a verb ( action word )--
He has to assent to this, or the deal is off.

Accent or accent ( ack sent ) means a hint or note of something, as in home decor--
That vase would make a nice accent in a dull corner.
Accent also means  the stress or emphasis on a word syllable, or the pronunciation of speech--
It is pronounced with the accent on the first syllable.
His slight foreign accent sounded sophisticated to most people.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"His accent made the ascent more difficult, as the crew didn't know whether they had his assent for the new route."

Note--"ascend" is the verb ( action word ) form of "ascent"--
They watched the plane ascend until it flew out of sight.

Note # 2--"assent" and "ascent" rhyme perfectly with "a sent", "a cent", and "a scent"--
He looked for a sent email with her address on it.
He doesn't have a cent.
There was a scent of gardenias in the air.

Note # 3-- "assents" is the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of  the verb ( action word ) "assent"--
We cannot continue unless he assents.
Not to be confused with "a sense"--
He had a sense of  foreboding.

petal, pedal

Petal or petal ( pet uhl ) means one of the parts of a flower--one of the units that make the colorful "flower" part--
She pulled each petal off the daisy to see if the old rhyme would tell her if he loved her.
The bowl full of rose petals made a wonderful scent in the room.

Pedal or pedal ( ped uhl ) means the part of a bike you push with your feet, or the part of a car or machine you push with your foot--
Take your foot off of the gas pedal and press down on the brake.
One of the pedals of his bike was broken.
Pedal may also be used as a verb ( action word )--meaning the act of pushing the pedals of a bike, or something that operates the same way ( but not a machine or car )--
It is hard to pedal up a hill.

Peddle or peddle ( rhymes with pedal ) means to sell, as from door to door, or on a street corner--
We'll have to peddle this band candy all over town.
You need a license from the city to peddle goods on the sidewalk.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If you want to peddle candy from your cart, just step on the pedal as lightly as if a flower petal had landed on it."

decent, descent

Decent or decent ( DEE sent ) means proper or seemly--
We'll have to pay for the damage. It's the only decent thing to do.
Pick up that trash. Decent people don't litter!
Don't look. I'm not decent.

Descent or descent ( dee SENT ) means the state or condition of going down--
His ears hurt when the plane made a steep descent.
Their descent from the tower was made in a helicopter.
Descent is also used to mean the lineage of a person--
They could trace their descent from the first settlers on Plymouth Rock.
The Bible traces the descent of Jesus from Adam.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The notion that the descent of man can be traced back to the primordial ooze is just not decent to some  people."

Note--"descend" is the verb ( action word ) form of "descent"--
They spent hours waiting for the balloon to descend.

Note # 2--"de-scent" means what you might have a veterinarian do to a pet skunk--remove its scent glands, or "de-scent" it--
Mom said if the veterinarian will de-scent the skunk, we can keep it.

Note # 3--"dissent" means political disagreement with the majority or with accepted ideas--
People were once jailed for dissent. Now we are guaranteed freedom of speech.

can't, cant

Can't or can't is a contraction  ( short, informal form ) of  "can not"--
Mom says we can't go to the movies.
I can't stay late tonight.

Cant or cant ( rhymes with can't ) is a form of slang or secret language that belongs to a particular group--
She tried to make the story seem authentic by adding bits of the cant spoken by criminals.
Rhyming slang is one kind of cant.
Cant also means insincere rot, such as a memorized bit of philosophy one does not believe--
Surely he doesn't believe his own cant!
I'm tired of listening to this cant.

Now that you know that you can say--
"His speech is so full of thieves' cant that I can't understand it."

Note--"cant" also means on a slant or at an angle--
The cant of the wall made it difficult to hang a picture.

heel, heal

Heel or heel means the part of your foot that is at the bottom of your leg--
She had something in her shoe that made her heel hurt.
New shoes sometimes scrape the back of your heel.
Shoes have heels--
I lost the heel of my shoe!
She has trouble walking in high heels.
The shoe repair place will put new heels on your shoes.

Heal or heal ( rhymes with heel ) means to get better, as an injury--
It took months for his broken leg to heal.
The doctor said that your incision should heal without a scar.
Heal is an old-fashioned term for cure--
He claimed to be able to heal the sick.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"It may take a month for that injury to your heel to heal."

Note--not to be confused with "he'll", a contraction ( short, informal form ) of "he will"--
My brother said he'll drive us to the movies.
Don't give the dog pizza. He'll get sick.

ring, wring

Ring or ring means a piece of jewelry worn on the finger, or anything shaped like the outline of a circle--
She showed her engagement ring to all of her friends.
That glass will leave a ring on the table.
The people formed a ring around the bonfire and sang holiday carols.
The muddy water left a ring in the tub.
Ring may be a verb ( action word ), meaning to make a circle around something or someone--
The house was ringed with flowering shrubs.
We could ring the tables with crepe paper for the party.

Ring is also what a bell does, or a phone, alarm, doorbell, or another device--
Did you hear the phone ring?
Turn off your phone so it won't ring during the meeting.
Ring bell for service.

Wring or wring ( rhymes with ring ) means to twist and squeeze in order to remove water or liquid--
It is hard to wring out the laundry by hand.
Wring the water out of the towels before you put them in the car.

Wring also means to twist one's hands together, as an expression of dismay or anxiety--
She was so upset that she was wringing her hands.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Take off your ring before you wring out the clothes."

Note--the past ( yesterday, or some time ago ) form of "ring" is "rang"--
My phone rang a minute ago, but I missed the call.
The past tense of "wring" is "wrung"--
She wrung out all of the laundry this morning.
"Rung" is a past participle ( used with a helper verb ) of "ring"--
The bell had rung, but she was still a block away from school.
Note # 2--"rung" is also a step on a ladder--
Don't step on the top rung of the ladder. It's not safe.
The ladder is missing a rung.
Note # 3--a "wringer" is part of a washing machine--
She put the clothes through an old-fashioned wringer to get the water out.
A "ringer" may mean what makes a phone or bell sound--
Turn off the ringer of your phone before going in.
Or "ringer"  may be a winning throw in a game of horseshoes--
How many points do I get for a ringer?

leak, leek

Leak or leak means the water or other substance that comes through a hole or crack, when you don't want it to--
The bathroom faucet has a leak. Call the plumber.
The boat sprang a leak and they nearly drowned.
Leak is also a verb ( action word ), meaning to spill out water or some other substance--
The radiator leaks. Take a jug of water with you.
The roof  leaks. Put a bucket under it until we can get it repaired.
News and information can also leak--
He was suspected of being the source of the news leak.
The reporter wouldn't tell the court how the information leaked out.

Leek or leek ( rhymes with leak ) means a vegetable, something like an enormous green onion--
She always chopped up a leek and put it in the chicken soup.
The recipe calls for a leek. Do we have one?

Now that you know that, you can say--
"I put the leek in a bowl of water, but the bowl had a leak and the floor is wet."

Note--"leaky" means having holes through which something can spill out, or in--
"We need a new tent. The old one is leaky."
"Leekie" is a Scotch word for "leek", as in "cock-a-leekie" soup--
He couldn't wait to get home, so he could enjoy a bowl of his grandmother's cock-a-leekie soup.

censor, sensor

Censor or censor means to prohibit the publication, broadcast, mailing, or transmission of objectionable material, or to remove objectionable material after it has been disseminated--
The U.S. military still has the capacity to censor letters from servicemen and women.
The newspaper objected to the government's attempt to censor it.
Censor may also refer to the person who prohibits or removes objectionable material--
This show will never make it past the censor.
The censor told them to remove the foul language before broadcasting the show.

Sensor or sensor ( rhymes with censor ) means a device used to detect gas, heat, motion, or some other physical property--
The heat sensor in your smoke detector will set off the alarm if you put the space heater too close to it.
The alarm system used a light sensor to detect the presence of an intruder.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"They company asked the government to censor reports about the new light sensor they had invented."

Note--"censer" means the container, sometimes a metal ball on a chain, in which incense is burned--
The priest moved the censer back and forth, leaving a small cloud of incense.
 Note # 2--"censure" ( sen shure ) means to express disapproval or to criticize in a public way--
His internet comment left him exposed to the censure of the community.
Note # 3--"sensory" means having to do with the five physical senses--sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch--
His brain processed sensory information in an abnormal way.

serial, cereal

Serial or serial means published or broadcast in installments or in a sequence--
Years ago a weekly show  was called a serial.
His latest novel was published as a serial.
Serial may describe something else that is done or happens in a sequence--
The popular magazine styleded her varied relationships "serial monogamy".

Cereal or cereal ( rhymes with serial ) means grain, or something made of grain--
They liked to have hot cereal on winter mornings.
The cereal grasses are used for food.
Oats, wheat, rye, rice, and corn are all cereal grains.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Their favorite box of cereal had a serial comic book printed on the back, with a new installment each week."

Note--a "serial killer" is one who commits murder multiple times--
The Boston Strangler was America's most notorious serial killer.

cousin, cozen

Cousin or cousin ( cuz in ) means one of your relations--your aunt's or uncle's son or daughter--
She invited her cousin to her wedding.
She looked so much like her cousin that people thought they were sisters.

Cozen or cozen ( cuz en )  means to affect an air of familiarity--to talk to someone as to a close connection, although a stranger or mere acquaintance--
Don't cozen me! What are you up to?
The con artist spent years learning to cozen people out of their money.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She seemed to cozen the man, but he really was her cousin."

which, witch

Which or which means one of two ( or more )  alternatives--
Which road should we take to the store?
Which of these do you prefer?
Which one?
Which way to the beach?

Which is also used to begin a descriptive phrase--
He had a bad temper, which caused him a lot of trouble.
The house, which she inherited from her mother, was sold yesterday.

Witch or witch ( rhymes with which ) means a person, usually female, who casts magic spells--
She liked to dress up as a witch for Halloween.
He was superstitious, and believed a witch could do magic that would solve his problems.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Which witch cast the evil spell on us?"

Note--"which" is not used to describe a person --
The man, who stood on the corner, watched them go by.
Her aunt, who was a good cook, taught her to bake.
Note #2--"which" is not a good substitute for "that"--
Bring me the book that is on the table.
He took a night class that included all of the material.
Note # 2--a "witch doctor" is a shaman or a practitioner of traditional or folk medicine--
The old woman had no more confidence in him than in a witch doctor.
Not to be confuse with "which doctor", meaning an inquiry concerning a choice of doctors--
Do you go to that group practice? Which doctor do you see?

manner, manor

Manner or manner is a somewhat old-fashioned way of saying "way" or "style", when discussing human behavior--
His manner was cool when they met again. She could tell that he was still angry.
His formal manner made people wonder if he was foreign.
They do everything in a grand manner.
Most people are more familiar with the term "manners", meaning the way people interact with others, especially strangers--
His manners always put everyone at ease.
People with nice manners never give offense.
Manner is also a formal or old-fashioned way to describe directions or procedure to be followed when doing a task--
Proceed in the following manner: attach tab A to slot B....
"In this manner shall ye pray..."

Manor or manor means the large house that was the seat of a feudal demesne--
The farm hand took some of the corn to the manor house.
When the knight returned from the war, he found the manor house in disrepair.
They live in a grand manor.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He affected the manner of a lord of the manor, although they lived in a townhouse."

Note--spell check can't help if you type "manor" instead of "man or", since both are English words or phrases--
He wanted to live in the manor.
Did you need a coat for a man or a woman?

shoot, chute

Shoot or shoot means to fire or throw something--
Tell the children not to shoot those arrows at the house.
They went to the firing range to shoot at paper targets.
Shoot also means the new growth of a plant--
I can see one green shoot coming up where we planted the seeds.
Water the seeds, then look for the first little shoot.

Chute or chute ( rhymes with shoot ) means a shaft or trough, perhaps with a slide, down which something can be dropped, or through which something can be moved--
There is a trash chute in the hall of the apartment building.
Their house had a laundry chute they could use to drop the laundry into the basement.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Just shoot all the trash down the garbage chute."

Note--"shot" is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "shoot"--
Today we shoot.
Yesterday we shot.
"Shot" is also a noun ( thing or idea ), meaning the firing or throwing of something--
Take a shot.
It's your shot!

doesn't , dozen

Doesn't or doesn't ( duh zent ) is a contraction ( short, informal form ) of "does not"--the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "do not"--
He doesn't want to stay for dinner.
It doesn't look like rain.

Dozen or dozen ( duh zen ) means twelve (12) of something--
Make sure to buy a dozen eggs at the store.
Could I have a dozen rolls please?

Now that you know that, you can say--
"One doughnut doesn't make a dozen."

Note--not to be confused with "don't", a contraction of "do not".
"Does", "does not" and "doesn't" go with he, she, or it--
He doesn't like that. He does not like that.
She doesn't like that. She does not like that.
"Do", "do not", and "don't" go with I, we, they, and you--
I don't like that. I do not like that.
We don't like that. We do not like that.
They don't like that. They do not like that.
You don't like that. You do not like that.