creak, creek, crick

Creak or creak ( rhymes with peak ) means a grating  noise made when parts of  floors, doors, gates, or shutters scrape together--
They could hear the stairs creak, and wondered who it was.
Would you fix the gate so that it doesn't creak?

Creek or creek ( rhymes with creak, or with crick ) means a small stream--
They are fishing for bait in the creek.
It's hot. Let's go wading in the creek.

Crick or crick ( rhymes with sick ) means a stiff  body part or joint--
He had a crick in his neck from sleeping in a chair.
The old man has had a crick in his elbow for years.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The door's creak reminded him of the crick in his back he got while fishing in the creek."

Note--an old bit of humor --
A sign near a stream has written on it--"Creek Creek", pronounced "Crick Creek" by some, and "Creek Crick" by others.
Note # 2--"Creek" is also the proper name of a tribe of American Indians or Native Americans.

ordinance, ordnance

Ordinance or ordinance means a local law or regulation--
There is a new ordinance against smoking in public buildings.
There is a city ordinance against dogs without a leash.

Ordnance or ordnance means cannon or other military weapons and their ammunition--
The army won the battle because of its innovative use of ordnance.
The new recruit was assigned to an ordnance and supply company.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"There is a local ordinance against having any kind of ordnance or military weapons, even as part of a war memorial."

Note-- "ordonnance" means the arrangement of the parts of a building, or the elements of a literary composition or painting--
His editor suggested that the ordonnance of the work made it difficult to follow.

symbol, cymbal

Symbol or symbol means something that is used as a sign--as representing something else-- a thing, person, place, idea, or concept.--
A heart is often used as a symbol of love.
In math problems, the letter 'x' is used as a symbol of an unknown quantity.

Cymbal or cymbal ( rhymes with symbol ) means the  metal disc used as a musical instrument, often by a drummer--
The ringing sound is the sound of the drummer hitting the cymbal.
In a symphony orchestra, a pair of cymbals may be clanged together, as part of a musical composition.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The crash of a cymbal is often used a symbol of a storm."

bat, batt

Bat or bat means the wooden stick used to hit a ball, such as a baseball--
He stood at the plate, clutching the bat.
He hit the ball so hard that the bat broke.
Bat may be used as a verb, meaning to swing at something--
The cat used to like to bat at this toy; now he's not interested.

Bat also means the small creature that flies at night and eats insects--
Listen; you can hear a bat squeaking.
She was superstitious, and frightened by the bat.

Batt or batt ( rhymes with bat ) means the large piece of stuffing inside of a quilt or comforter--
You will need more than one batt if you want this quilt to be warm.
Make sure to sew through the batt when you put the quilt together.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He kept his favorite baseball bat wrapped up in a quit batt to keep it from being scratched."

wet, whet

Wet or wet means coated or soaked in water or some other liquid--
She was so afraid of getting wet that she took an umbrella everywhere.
The laundry is still wet. Turn the dryer on again.
Wet may also be a verb ( action word )--
Don't wet the lawn with that sprinkler.

Whet or whet ( rhymes with wet ) means to sharpen or hone, literally or figuratively--
He whet the blade of his axe on a stone before using it to chop wood.
He always had a drink before dinner to whet his appetite.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Have a drink to wet your whistle and a snack to whet your appetite."
"If you get the grindstone wet, it won't whet the knives as well."

Note--the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) form of "wet" is "wet"--
We wet the deck with the hose this morning, and it's dry already.
The past tense of "whet" is "whetted"--
He whetted the knife until it was so sharp that it could split a hair.

Note # 2--the comparative ( more or less than ) form of "wet" is "wetter"--
Don't use that towel; it's wetter than this one.
Someone or something that sharpens a blade is a "whetter"--
The repairman is also a whetter of knives and tools.

verses, versus

Verses or verses is the plural ( more than one ) form of "verse", meaning a unit or stanza of a song or poem, or a division of a chapter of the Bible--
This song has three verses. Do you remember them all?
Hr forgot the verses, but remembered the refrain.
They memorize Bible verses in Sunday school.

Versus or versus means against or opposed to in a lawsuit, sports competition, or conflict--
Lawsuits in the United States are usually titled Smith v. Jones, an abbreviation of Smith versus Jones.
The seats were sold out to see the champion versus the contender.
Versus is also used to mean a choice between two alternatives--
It's pizza versus burgers--let's vote.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He wrote several verses in honor of Ali versus Frazier, but never finished the poem.

Note--something that is written "in verse" ( two words ) is written as poetry, whether it rhymes or not--
His last play was written in verse.
Something that is written "in verses" is written in stanzas, instead of as a single unit--
The song is written in verses with a refrain between each verse.
Not to be confused with "inverse" ( one word ), meaning in reversed order or proportion, or in a relationship in which when one decreases, the other increases--
Happiness increases in inverse proportion to time spent worrying about it.
Note # 2--"averse" ( one word ) means opposed to or against--
She wanted a long engagement, but he was averse to the idea.
Not to be confused with "a verse", meaning a stanza of a song or poem--
He learned a verse of that new song, but doesn't know the rest.
Not to be confused with "aver", meaning to state firmly or to insist upon--
In court, he decided to aver that he knew nothing about it.
"Avers" is the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "aver"--
If he avers that he was not present, his testimony won't be of any use to us.

style, stile

Style or style means fashion or way of doing something--clothing, hair, home decor, writing, music--
He only likes one style of music.
His style of writing is distinctive and recognizable.

Stile or stile ( rhymes with style ) means a  post that turns to let people through a fence or wall, or a bar that lifts to let people pass--
Put the stile back after you pass through.
"There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence, beside a crooked stile."

Now that you know that, you can say--
" He thought he had style when he hopped over the stile instead of paying the fare."

Note--"stylist" means someone who styles something, usually hair--
She had an appointment with her hair stylist, and didn't want to be late.
Not to be confused with "stylish" meaning in the latest fashion--
Her furniture is very stylish.
Note # 2--to "stylize" something means to render it in a particular fashion--
He tried to stylize the old folk song into a pop hit.
Note # 3--"stylus" means a pointed instrument used to write on an electronic device or wax tablet--
Use the stylus to sign your name on the screen.

legion, lesion

Legion or legion ( pronounced lee-jun ) means a division of the army, or a large body of troops or people--
"Our name is legion, for we are many..."
He ran away to join the foreign legion, supposedly.

Lesion or lesion ( pronounced lee-zhun ) means a kind of sore or scab--
He still has a lesion on his leg from the accident.
This lesion may not leave a scar. We'll have to wait to find out.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He had a lesion on his arm from an injury he got fighting in the foreign legion."

Note--the "American Legion" is the name of a specific group of people, so it is capitalized--
The veteran joined the American Legion. He enjoys the company of other veterans.
Note # 2--a "legionary" is a member of a legion; an individual soldier. "Legionnaire" is an alternative form of "legionary"--
Legionnaire's disease is still a famous incident in Philadelphia's history.

base, bass, bass

Base or base means the support on which something rests--
The base of the trophy is made of wood.
Base is also a verb, meaning to use as support--
He might base his suspicions on her odd tone of voice.
Base or base also means the place or spot used as a center of activity, such as military operations--
They set up a base at the foot of the mountain.
The New York office was the base for sales operations.

Base also is an old-fashioned way of saying low, meaning a nasty person or nasty behavior--
The knight called him a base varlet and challenged him to a combat.

Bass or bass ( pronounced to rhyme with base ) means having a low tone or sound--
"Mama sang bass, Daddy sang tenor..."
The bass speaker on the stereo is making a funny noise.
He plays the bass fiddle in a combo.
Bass also means a low-pitched voice or instrument--
This part was written for a bass, not a baritone.

Bass or bass ( pronounced to rhyme with glass ) is the name of a kind of fish--
Look, there's a show on TV about bass fishing.
They went fishing and caught some trout and some bass.

Now that you know that, you can say--
The bass instruments sounded odd, so he looked in the base of the cabinet and found that the cat had used it to hide a bass he had caught in the stream."

Note--the plural ( more than one ) form of "base" is "bases"--
He hit the ball out of the park and ran the bases slowly.
Note # 2--"basis" means  a foundation, used figuratively--
Their old school days were the basis of a long friendship.
Not to be confused with the phrase "base is"--
The base is crumbling ; we will need to repair it.
The plural of "basis" is sometimes written "bases" ( pronounced base-eeze ), but many people find this affected and avoid it by using another word, like foundations, or a different sentence structure.
Note # 3--the plural of "bass" is "bass".
The plural of "bass" is also "bass", no need to remember, they are the same, singular or plural.
"Basses" would mean more than one kind or species of bass, not more than one fish.

marshal, martial

Marshal or marshal means a type of military or law enforcement officer--
The marshal is still the law enforcement authority in some communities.
The U.S. federal government doesn't have a sheriff, but it does have a marshal service.
Marshal is also a verb ( action word ) meaning to group or arrange one's forces or resources--
Make sure to marshal your facts before beginning an argument.
The spectators watched him marshal the troops for review.

Martial or martial ( rhymes with marshal ) describes something related to or reminiscent of the military or war--
The peaked cap he wore gave him a martial aspect.
The president considered declaring martial law in force during the emergency.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The parade marshal arranged the bands and troops so that onlookers heard a medley of martial airs."

Note--not to be confused with "marital", meaning having to do with marriage or a married couple---
The police came to the door to investigate the loud marital dispute.

Note # 2--"Marshall", capitalized, is a proper name--the name of a specific person or place--
The Marshall plan helped  Europe recover from the war.

tear, tare, tear, tier

Tear or tear ( pronounced to rhyme with hair ) means to rend in pieces or pull apart--
Did you tear your shirt? You'll have to change.
Don't tear up the paper. I haven't read it yet.
Tear may also be used as a noun ( thing or idea ), meaning a rent or hole in something--
There's a tear in your shirt.

Tare or tare ( also rhymes with hair ) means the weight of a package containing goods which are to be sold by weight--
He subtracted the tare before suggesting a price.
The tare weighs ten pounds, so there are fifty pounds of vegetables.

Tear or tear ( pronounced to rhyme with dear ) means a drop of water that flows from the eye--
She said she wasn't upset, but there was a tear in her eye.
He never sheds a tear, even when he's hurt.

Tier or tier ( also rhymes with dear ) means one of a set or series of ranks or levels, as of seats in a theater--
Our seats are on the third tier.
You will be able to see better from the first or second tier.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He couldn't reach the top tier of cartons to check the tare, but he made a tear in the cardboard as a mark, instead of shedding a tear over it."

Note--"tare" is also the name of a plant or weed--
"an enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat..."

confident, confidant

Confident or confident means self-assured; having a strong belief in one's abilities or the outcome of a course of action--
He was confident that he would pass the test.
He is socially confident, and enjoys meeting new people.

Confidant or confidant ( sometimes spelled confidante when used to mean a female ) is a friend to whom one would tell one's secrets--
Her sister was a close friend and confidant, always ready to listen.
She trusted her confidant with all of her secrets.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He was quite confident that his confidant was trustworthy."

Note--"confidence" may mean the feeling of being self-assured or sure of an outcome--
His employer had confidence in the young man's abilities.
"Confidence" also means a secret, or a relationship of trust--
He took his associate into his confidence.
She would never betray a confidence.
Note # 2--a "confidence man" is a con artist--someone who perpetrates fraud or financial schemes on individuals by gaining their trust--
When he told the woman he had found some money, she knew that he was a confidence man.
Not to be confused with a "confidente", an old-fashioned type of settee or sofa. The plural ( more than one ) is "confidentes"--
They bid on two old confidentes at the antique auction.
"Confidants" or "confidantes" would be the plural form of "confidant" or "confidante"--
They were lifelong confidants.

turn, tern

Turn or turn means means to move to face right or left, or to revolve--
Make a right turn at the corner.
Turn the car around, this is a one-way street.
To turn something on or off means to flip the switch to power a device or to shut it down--
Turn on the light; it's dark.
To turn something up or down means to increase or decrease volume, speed, or power--
Turn down the radio; it's loud.
Turn up the heat; it's cold.

Tern or tern ( rhymes with turn ) means a sea bird, something like a gull--
You can see the tern feeding its young from here.
A tern landed on the rail of the ship.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If you turn to your right you will see a tern flying by."

Note--a "turnover" ( one word ) is a kind of pastry--
She made turnovers for dessert,.
"Turnover" ( one word ) also means the frequency of replacing goods or employees--
Employee turnover is too high--maybe we're not paying them enough.
To "turn over" ( two words ) means to roll  yourself , or a person or thing until the top side is down, or to pick something up and put it back with the other side up--
He doesn't know how to turn over a record; being too young to remember LP's.
She forgot to turn over, so she was sunburned on one side.
"Overturn" means to flip over on its back or side--
She was afraid they would overturn the cart.
"Overturn" also means to change an official decision--
The judges were called on to overturn the decision, and declare him the winner.
Note # 2--"in turn" ( two words ) means in order or sequence--
She shook hands with each of them in turn.
Not to be confused with "intern" ( one word ), meaning a learning or practicing employee or staff member, often unpaid--
She is an intern at a local publishing house.
Intern  means a medical student to most people, but there are other interns.
Note # 3--"turn in" most commonly means to deliver assigned work--
Make sure to turn in your papers by Friday.
"Turn in" is also an informal phrase meaning go to sleep--
Well, I think we'll turn in for the night.
Not to be confused with "turning", meaning revolving or moving to face right or left--
He was turning at the corner when he hit the tree.
"Turn into" usually involves magic--
She kissed a toad, hoping he would turn into a prince.
Not to be confused with "turn into", meaning to enter by moving to face right or left--
Go down the street and turn into the lot.
Note # 4--"terne" ( rhymes with turn ) is an alloy of lead and tin--
This will be plated with terne, so it will be more resistant to rust.

ball, bawl

Ball or ball means the spherical or globe-shaped object used in sports and games--
The game ended when the ball landed on the roof.
"Take me out to the ball game..."

Ball is also an old-fashioned term for a formal dance--
"... all of the ladies attending the ball..."
"After the ball is over, after the break of day..."

Bawl or bawl ( rhymes with ball ) means to make loud crying or sobbing noises--
Don't tease the baby; he'll start to bawl.
I wish the baby wouldn't bawl like that whenever he gets upset about something.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The baby started to bawl when he lost his ball."

Note--not to be confused with "brawl", meaning a fistfight involving two or more people--
The police were summoned to break up the brawl.

sear, sere, seer

Sear or sear means means to burn or scorch the surface of something--
She put the steak on the grill and turned it over quickly, to sear it.
Sear the meat to seal in the juices.

Sere or sere ( rhymes with sear ) means means dry or withered, as dry land with dead grass or plants--
The drought left the garden sere and depressing to look at.
The landscape was sere and deserted looking; it hadn't rained in months.

Seer or seer ( rhymes with see her ) means a psychic or clairvoyant--
He gained a reputation as a seer by correctly predicting the outcome of the election.
She goes every week to a seer, convinced that the woman can predict the future.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The seer correctly predicted that the heat wave would sear the land, leaving everything withered and sere."

Note--"Sears", always capitalized, means the department store--
Let's stop at the Sears store.
"sears", without the capital letter, is the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "sear"--
She sears the steaks on the grill before broiling them.
Not to be confused with "seers", meaning more than one psychic--
The seers disagreed about the future.

bow, bough, bow, beau

Bow or bow, when pronounced to rhyme with "go" means a decorative or looped knot made in a string or ribbon--
She tried hard to make the bow on the package look pretty.
If you tie your shoelaces in a bow, you'll be able to untie them easily.

Beau or beau ( rhymes with go ) is an old-fashioned word for boyfriend or suitor--
Her grandmother was so old-fashioned that she still asked after her beau.
They had been seen together many times; everyone assumed he was her beau.

Bow or bow, when pronounced to rhyme with "now", means a bend at the waist, to show submission to authority, or thanks, as to an audience--
In England, it is still the custom to bow to the queen.
The audience cheered when he came onstage to take another bow.
Bow may also mean to bend one's neck, usually called to "bow the head"--
On Sunday, he would bow his head through the entire service.

Bough or bough ( rhymes with now ) means a small branch of a tree--
"When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall..."
They tied decorations to each bough of the tree.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Her beau greeted her with a bow, and held out a bough of holly tied with a red bow."

Note--"bow" ( rhymes with go ) is also the arched piece of wood used to shoot an arrow or play a stringed instrument--
Robin Hood was famous for his skill with a bow and arrow.
Rosin up the bow and play us a tune.
Note # 2--"bow" ( rhymes with "now" ) also means the forward part of a ship--
The ship ran aground and the bow hit the pier.

toxin, tocsin

Toxin or toxin means a harmful or dangerous substance; a poison--
The government is still trying to decide if the new additive should be considered a toxin.
Lead was removed from gasoline because it can be an environmental toxin.

Tocsin or tocsin ( rhymes with toxin ) means an alarm or siren, the kind you might hear on an ambulance--
They all ran at the sound of the tocsin.
The noise of the tocsin woke them up.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"They workers sounded the tocsin to warn the populace of a toxin escaping from the factory."

Note--"toxic" describes something poisonous--
Make sure the cabinet with the toxic chemicals in it is locked.

forward, foreword

Forward or forward means toward the front or goal, or in advance, physically--
All volunteers please step forward.
They moved forward cautiously, because it was dark.
Figuratively, forward is an old-fashioned way of saying impertinent or presumptuous--
Her grandmother thought the young man was too forward.
Forward also means to send on a letter or email to an alternate destination--
We are moving, so we need to ask the post office to forward the mail.
The technical help center told her to forward the email to them.
Forward is also a position on a sports team--
He was a forward, and the team depended on him.

Foreword or foreword means an introductory passage in the front of a book, article, or essay--
The foreword was written by a very popular author.
Some people always skip the foreword and introduction, and go straight to the book.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The foreword of this article calls upon anyone with information about the incident to step forward."

Note--"forewarn" means to tell someone of trouble brewing, or to warn in advance--
"Forewarned is forearmed" means that if you know about trouble that might happen, you will be ready to fight it, because you will be "armed" in advance.
Not to be confused  with "forearm",  meaning your arm from the elbow to the wrist--
He has a tattoo on his right forearm.

Note # 2--"forworn" or "foreworn" are archaic ( no longer in use ) ways of saying tired or exhausted--
Forsooth, I am foreworn.

Note # 3--"forwards" is the third person singular ( he, she, it form ) of the verb "forward", meaning to send on the mail--
The post office forwards mail at no charge for a year.
"Forwards" may also mean moving toward the front--
In this dance, we go backwards and forwards.
"Forwards" may also be the plural ( more than one ) of "forward", the noun ( thing or idea)--
The forwards on the team met to discuss strategy.

a lot, allot

A lot or a lot means a large quantity--
We have a lot of homework to do.
He went to an auction and bid on a lot of chairs.
A lot may also mean an unimproved piece of land, without a home or building on it--
There is a lot for sale a few miles away. They are thinking of buying it and building a new home.
There is a lot on the corner that can be used for  parking.

Allot or allot ( rhymes with a lot ) means to portion out or distribute something--
The company will allot two uniforms to each employee.
The voters want the town council to allot money for a new bridge.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"We can't allot a lot of money for this project."

Note--"Lot" is  man's name, famous from the biblical story--
Lot survived the destruction of Sodom.
Note # 2--"allotment" means a share or portion, usually of something regularly divided into portions--
Some servicemen have the military send an allotment to their families.
Note # 3--"lot" may also be used figuratively, to mean one's fate or the circumstances of one's life--
Their lot was hard, but they rarely complained.
Note # 4--"lots" means more than one lot--
There are two vacant lots nearby.
Lots is also slang for a large quantity --
There are lots of sandwiches. Would you like one?
To "cast lots" means to throw dice or gamble--
"... and for my vesture they cast lots."

echo, eco-

Echo or echo means the sound you may hear if you yell into a canyon or ravine--a faint "repeat" of what you yelled, almost like one of those toys that repeats what you say--
 "...my echo, my shadow, and me..."
If you stand on the edge of the canyon and yell, you may hear an echo.

Eco- or eco- is a prefix ( a word "part" that is added to the beginning of a word ). Eco- is often added to existing words to mean "green", or non-polluting and earth-friendly--
He set up a website to promote a new line of eco-products.
The FBI uncovered an eco-terrorism plot.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The author of the weekly environmental report repeated all of the news in eco-terms, like a green echo."

Note--"echolocation" is how bats and some sea creatures find their way when they can't see. They make noises, and listen for the "echo". They can tell where things are because they can hear where the "echo" comes from--
Bats find their way by echolocation.

Note # 2--"Ecko" is the name of a manufacturer of kitchen gadgets, always capitalized--
He bought an Ecko kitchen strainer.

bridal, bridle

Bridal or bridal describes something connected to a woman on her wedding day, or connected to a bride--
She wore a bridal veil during the ceremony.
Her bridal trousseau is very chic.

Bridle or bridle ( rhymes with bridal ) means a part of a horse's harness, usually the part that goes through its mouth and ends in a set of reins--
Don't pull too hard on the bridle. It may upset the horse.
The colt isn't used to the bridle yet.
Bridle may also be used in a figurative way, to mean restrain or check--
His boss tried to get him to bridle his ambition.
Bridle may also mean to show resentment by making an upward movement of the head or stiffening the neck--
Her comments made him bridle with resentment.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Her bridal gown had floral streamers that looked a bit like the decorated bridle a horse might wear in a parade."