knave, nave

Knave or knave means a young man or boy, particularly a naughty or trouble-making young man--
"The knave of hearts, he stole some tarts..."
When she asked the knave if he let the cow into her garden, he ran away without answering.
Knave may also mean the jack in a deck of cards--
A knave is higher than a ten, but lower than a queen.

Nave or nave ( rhymes with knave ) means the central aisle of a church, with the pews on either side--
The nave of the church was decorated with flowers for a wedding.
The congregation didn't even fill the nave of the church.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The knave let balloons loose in the nave of the church."

Note--"knavery" means  the trouble-making behavior of a knave--
The dean chastised the class for its knavery.
"Knavish" describes trouble -making or foolish behavior, or the person who is making the trouble--
They left  paper streamers in the trees, and committed other knavish acts.
Not to be confused with "navy", the sea-going branch of the armed forces--
He joined the navy to avoid being drafted into the army.

throne, thrown

Throne or throne means the ceremonial chair a king or queen sits on--
The queen sits on the throne when she holds court.
No one may sit on the throne but the king.

Thrown or thrown ( rhymes with throne ) is a participle of "throw", meaning to cast or propel, usually with the hand or arm--
His has thrown the discus farther than anyone else.
The crowd was very quiet while the first ball was thrown..

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The objects thrown by the unruly crowd never got anywhere near the throne."

Note--"thrown out" may mean discarded, as trash--
I hope she hasn't thrown out my notes.
Note # 2--"thrown" or "thrown out" may also mean an injury, usually meaning a person's back--
He can't come to work today because he has thrown out his back.

discuss, discus

Discuss or discuss ( pronounced dis CUSS ) means to talk about a particular subject--
We need to discuss your report card, young man.
It's best not to discuss your personal life at work.

Discus or discus ( pronounced DIS cus ) means the flying saucer or Frisbee-shaped thing they throw in the Olympic Games --
The students practiced throwing the discus yesterday.
A discus looks a bit like a Frisbee, but it is heavy.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The newscasters should discuss the discus throw, and tell us who won."

cruel, crewel

Cruel or cruel means describes a person who is mean, or who likes to hurt other people--
"Don't be cruel to a heart that's true..."
 He didn't want the children to have a pet because he was afraid they would be cruel to it.

Crewel or crewel ( rhymes with cruel ) is a kind of needlework or embroidery used to make designs and pictures with yarn--
She spent months making a large scene in crewel embroidery.
She wants to go shopping for crewel yarn at the crafts store.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"It would be cruel to spoil grandma's crewel work."

leech, leach

Leech or leech means the creature that looks something like a worm with teeth--
A leech lives in the water, and survives by attaching itself to an animal or person and sucking its blood.
Centuries ago, people believed that a leech could cure disease.

Leach or leach ( rhymes with leech ) means to filter out chemically, or through percolation--
Some substances can be used to leach poison out of human tissues.
If the water rises, it may leach many of the nutrients out of the soil.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"When several medicines failed to leach the poison from his system, the doctor considered applying a leech instead."

proceed, precede

Proceed or proceed means to go on with or to continue--
Sorry to interrupt. Please proceed with what you were doing.
When you  have finished checking your sources, you  may proceed with writing the article.

Precede or precede to go before in time--
A speech by the president will precede the ceremony.
Dizziness and shortness of breath usually precede one of his attacks.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Let's proceed with our discussion of financing before we decide which speaker will precede the main program."

Note--"proceeds" may be the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of proceed--
He needs to tidy up before he proceeds with the project.
"Proceeds" also means the profits or "take" of a business or financial venture--
The treasurer went straight to the bank with the proceeds of the raffle.
Note # 2--"proceeding" may be the present participle of "proceed"--
They are proceeding with the meeting. We had better get back to the conference room.
Not to be confused with "proceedings", a noun ( thing or idea ), meaning a legal case or a meeting --
The judge warned the spectators not to interrupt the proceedings.

time, thyme

Time or time is what we measure with minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years--
Hurry up! We are wasting time!
Do you know what time it is?

Thyme or thyme ( rhymes with time ) means the culinary herb--
"Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme..."
Add 1/2 of a teaspoon of crushed thyme to the stew.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"I don't have time to go to the store for thyme. You'll have to use something else."

Note--"timeless" describes something that can be appreciated, no matter how many decades or centuries have passed--
Nearly everyone agrees that it is a timeless work of art.
Note #2--"out of time" means we have no more time left--to play a game, or to work on something--
We can't make this recipe because we're out of time.
Not to be confused with "out of thyme", which would mean we don't have any thyme to put in the dish we are cooking--
We can't make this recipe because we're out of thyme.
Note # 3--"time out" is what they do in baseball, or to naughty children--
The game was interrupted for a time out.
If you won't behave we'll have to put you on time out.

vile, vial

Vile or vile means despicable or loathesome, often meaning behavior--
What a nasty woman. Such vile manners!
This cake tastes vile. Did you put in salt instead of sugar?

Vial or vial ( rhymes with vile ) means a glass tube or small container , probably with a cap on the top--
She broke a small vial of perfume, and the whole house smelled of it.
The vial of medicine contains three doses.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The nurse gave him a vial of vile-tasting medicine for his sore throat."

Note-"phial" is an old-fashioned spelling of "vial"--
Dr. Jeckyl swallowed a phial of the potion, and became Mr. Hyde."

Note # 2--not to be confused with "file", meaning a folder or set of papers, or a particular body of information stored electronically--
Did you find the file on housing costs?

Note # 3--to "file" something--a verb ( action word ) means to arrange it alphabetically ( from A to Z ) in a set of files--
She had a stack of folders to file.

Note # 4--a "phiale"  is a kind of ancient Roman drinking cup shaped like a saucer--
They admired the strange phiale in the glass case at the museum.

summary, summery

Summary or summary means a short version or synopsis--
Write a one-page summary of the next chapter. Make sure to include the main points.
His summary of the sports article failed to mention the winning team.
Summary may also mean quick, or lacking ceremony, as in a legal proceeding--
He didn't have to wait for a trial, as it was a summary offense.
They took the soldier to the commanding officer for a summary court-martial.

Summery or summery describes something that seems like, or reminds us, of June, July, and August--
This summery weather makes me want to visit the beach.
She went shopping for a hat top go with her summery flowered dress.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He was assigned to write a summary of recent events, but he could only think of the summery weather."

secret, secrete

Secret or secret means something hidden from other people, or known only to those involved--
Don't tell about the surprise party. It's a secret.
Can you keep a secret?
Secret is also an old-fashioned verb ( action word ), meaning to hide something--
He was careful to secret the money in a hole in the wall.

Secrete or secrete ( pronounced seh-kreet ) means to emit or discharge a chemical or substance from a gland or cell of the body--
The pores of human skin secrete sweat and oil.
Human glands secrete hormones into our bodies.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Don't worry; it's no secret that we secrete sweat when it's hot out."

Note--"secretive" describes a person who doesn't tell others what he knows--
He has been secretive lately, and hardly talks at all.
"Secretly" describes the actions of someone hiding something--
Let's discuss this secretly.
He asked her friends secretly what she would like for her birthday.
Note # 2--"secretion" is the noun ( thing or idea ) form of "secrete"--
Sweat is a bodily secretion.

bowl, boll

Bowl or bowl means to play the game of knocking over pins with a ball rolled at them--
He spent years trying to bowl a perfect game.
She learned to bowl when she was in her teens.
Bowl also means a dish with sides--
Would you like another bowl of cereal?
We would like a bowl of spaghetti to share.

Bowl may also mean  a special or championship football game --
The Rose Bowl attracts a big crowd every year.
We will all miss the Hula Bowl, since it isn't played any longer.

Boll or boll  ( rhymes with bowl ) means the seed or pod of a plant, such as cotton--
The boll weevil is an insect that may live in cotton plants.
Cotton grows inside a boll, something like a protective shell.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The children and old people sat and picked the cotton from the boll, putting the cotton into a large bowl."

Note--"bole" ( rhymes with bowl and boll ) means a reddish-brown color, or the pigment used to make it.
Note # 2--the "Cotton Bowl" is a football game, or the Texas football stadium in which it is played.
Not to be confused with a "cotton boll", meaning a pod of cotton, as grown on the plant.

disperse, disburse

Disperse or disperse means to break up or scatter  group of people--
The police ordered the crowd to disperse.
We waited for the crowd to disperse before we left the theater.
Our troops were dispersed over a wide area.

Disburse or disburse means to pay out, expend or distribute money --
The treasurer cannot disburse any funds until the first of the month.
The soldiers waited in line for an hour before the officer  began to disburse any money.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The security guards made the crowd disperse, even those waiting for the secretary to disburse refunds."

Note--Not to be confused with "dispense", meaning to measure out or deal out, as a prescription, or to distribute in general--
He studied pharmacy, and could dispense medication.
Note # 2--to "dispense with " means to do away with, or omit something that is usually included--
We all have name tags. I think we can dispense with the formalities.

cannon, canon, canyon

Cannon or cannon means the large mounted gun  you might see used as a war memorial on a courthouse lawn--
They fire the cannon on the courthouse lawn every Fourth of July.
The story of Molly Pitcher taking her husband's place and firing the cannon is genuine history.

Canon or canon ( rhymes with cannon ) means the body of church law or rules, or a member of a certain religious order--
They ran in late for Sunday services and the canon scowled at them.
They are very religious people, and will not divorce unless they can do so under canon law.

Canon is also used to mean the accepted set of rules or works of reference of a particular discipline or area of study--
These history books are no longer accepted as part of the canon.

Canyon or canyon means a  valley or gap with steep sides, as  between two mountains or cliffs--
We are going to drive out west this summer to see the Grand Canyon.
This canyon looks familiar. Maybe they have used it as the set of a TV western.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If you fire a cannon in the canyon, the echo might reach all the way to the cathedral, where the canon could hear it."

Note--you may see "canyon" spelled "canon", but with a tilde ( ~ ) over the "n". This is the Spanish spelling of canyon. We borrowed the word from the Spanish who had settled in the American West and named its geographical features. Most American keyboards don't have a function for putting the tilde ( ~ ) over the "n".

saver, savor

Saver or saver means someone who clips coupons,  who buys things at bargain prices, who keeps things others might throw away, or who keeps money in the bank instead of spending it--
She was a saver, not a spender.
He was a saver of bits of string and old paper clips.

Saver may also mean someone who rescues people, physically, professionally, or socially, or something that helps people to economize or use resources well--
Thanks! You're a life saver!
The new form is a real time saver.
The coupons she clipped were a real money saver

Savor or savor ( rhymes with saver ) means to appreciate and enjoy the taste and aroma of something, literally or figuratively--
He liked to stand over the hot grill and savor the sizzling steak.
Let's just take a break and savor the day.
Savor may also mean the aroma of a dish or meal--
The savor of Thanksgiving dinner seemed to fill the house for days.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She was such a saver that there was usually money in the bank to go out for a dinner they could really savor."

Note--"savory" means having a tempting aroma--
 He could smell the savory aroma of meatloaf from the driveway.
Savory also means a main or side dish, and not a sweet--
The cookbook has a section for savory dishes, and one for desserts.

flew, flue, flu

Flew or flew ( pronounced "floo" ) is the past  ( yesterday, or some time ago ) tense of  the verb ( action word ) "fly"--
Yesterday a bird flew into the picture window. We'll have to keep the curtains closed.
He flew to New York last week on business.

Flu or flu ( rhymes with flew ) is a short form of "influenza", meaning a contagious disease something like a very severe cold--
Flu seems harmless, but it was a deadly epidemic during the First World War.
She can't go to work; she's still sick with the flu.

Flue or flue ( rhymes with flew )  means the opening in a chimney or boiler to let out the smoke or steam--
The house is full of smoke! You forgot to open the flue!
We can't light a fire, because the flue isn't working.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He felt a chill because he had the flu, but when we closed the flue, bits of paper and ashes flew out of the chimney."

Note--"fluid" ( pronounced floo--id ) means liquid, or having some of the same properties as a liquid--
Water is a fluid, ice is a solid, but steam is a gas.
Note # 2--"fluent" ( pronounced floo-ent ) means able to speak well, or quickly and clearly--
He studied five years before he became fluent in Spanish.

jam, jamb

Jam or jam means jelly or preserves-
"... jam tomorrow, and jam yesterday--but never jam today. It's jam every other day..."
We could make jam with the rest of the strawberries.
Jam also means to squeeze into something, or to stuff something tightly--
They all tried to jam into the same phone booth.
Don't try to jam everything into one bag.

Jamb or jamb ( rhymes with jam ) means the side of a doorway or window--the wood to which the door or window is attached--
He leaned against the door jamb and made a face.
The door is stuck because the jamb is crooked. A carpenter can fix it.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Who got raspberry jam all over the door jamb?"

Note-- "in a jam" is old-fashioned slang meaning to be in some trouble that will be tough to get out of--
Wally and the Beaver were in a jam, and couldn't see a way out of their difficulties.

hanger, hangar

Hanger or hanger means an object or device used for hanging things, usually meaning a clothes hanger--
I put the wire hanger in the recycle bin.
Here's a hanger for your coat.
She made a plant hanger out of twine.

Hangar or hangar ( rhymes with hanger ) means a large building used to house an airplane--
The plane left the hangar and was moving down the runway when the pilot heard the message.
We don't have a hangar large enough for that plane.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Inside the hangar there is a closet where you will find a hanger for your flight suit."

Note--a "hanger-on" is someone who sticks near a famous or dynamic person, as a member of an official or unofficial retinue--
He was the pop star's most persistent hanger-on, and went with him everywhere.

canter, cantor

Canter or canter describes one of the gaits of a horse--how the horse moves or steps--
She could put her horse through his paces--gallop, trot, and canter.
The horse was old, and wouldn't go any faster than a canter.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
Cantor or cantor means the person who leads a church or temple in singing a hymn--
He liked to sing, and was usually the cantor at weekly services.
"The Jazz Singer" is the story of a cantor who becomes a popular music star.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The cantor was a horseman, and would describe the timing of a song as a trot, gallop, or canter."

might, mite

Might or might means strength or power--
He had to push with all his might to move the stalled car.
"Fight, fight, fight it with all of your might..."

Might or might also means will probably or will possibly--
We might go to the movies on Saturday.
It might rain. Take an umbrella.

Mite or mite ( rhymes with might ) is a tiny insect, smaller than a flea--
The veterinarian treated the dog for a mite infestation.
She vacuums every day because she is allergic to dust mites.
Mite is also used figuratively, to mean a very small creature or a very small share or portion--
The story of the widow's mite is often used as an example of generous giving.
Our toddler is hiding in the closet. The poor mite is afraid of storms.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Scratch with all of your might, but you might not be able to remove a single mite."

Note--"miter" ( rhymes with fighter ) means the hat a bishop wears--
The bishop always wore his miter to confirmation services.
"Miter" also means to cut wood at an angle, or to set strips of cloth at an angle, to make a corner.--
A "miter box", with a slot cut at a 45 degree angle, may be used to saw wood so that the boards will make a neat corner.
Note # 2--"mighty" describes someone who is strong or powerful, like Mighty Mouse in the old cartoon--
"How the mighty have fallen."

five, fife, fief

Five or five ( rhymes with drive ) means the number 5--
Five is easy to remember because we have five fingers on each hand.
We leave work at five o'clock.

Fife or fife ( rhymes with life ) means a kind of small flute--
The man in the famous painting "Spirit of '76" is playing a fife.
He practiced every day, and eventually joined a fife and drum corps.

Fief or fief ( rhymes with beef ) means something like a sharecropper's or tenant farmer's holding of land--
The obligations of someone who held a fief sometimes included military service.
Some of the crops raised on the fief were owed to the lord of the manor.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"All five of the workers on the fief stopped when they heard the music of the fife."

Note--"feoff" ( also rhymes with beef ) is either an old-fashioned spelling of "fief", or the actual investiture of someone with land to hold as a kind of tenant--
The man was so reliable, that the lord decided to grant him a feoff of the land by the stream.
 Note # 2--"fie" ( rhymes with die ) is an old-fashioned mild expletive, like "darn!"--
Fie! This castle is too cold in winter!

flow, floe

Flow or flow means to run or stream, as the current of a river, or as a faucet--
Something is stopping the flow from this faucet. We'll need a plumber.
Make sure the water doesn't flow over the side of the tub.
Flow may also be used figuratively--
"Go with the flow" was his favorite saying.
"Flow" is now sometimes called "feng shui".

Floe or floe ( rhymes with flow ) means a solid mass of ice floating on water, as in the Arctic Ocean--
He took a photo of a seal on an ice floe.
He fell overboard, but managed to climb onto an ice floe, where the rescuers found him.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The ice floe rose and fell with the ebb and flow of the tide."

Note--"flowed" ( rhymes with road ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) form of "flow"--
The water flowed out of the faucet and soaked the floor.
Not to be confused with "flood" ( rhymes with blood ), meaning water covering the land, because of heavy rains, a hurricane, a broken dam, or from any other cause--
They all liked to hear the story of Noah and the flood.
The flood left a mess that took months to clean up.
Note # 2--"float" ( rhymes with boat ) means to stay on top of the water, instead of sinking--
They built a toy boat, but it wouldn't float.

propose, purpose, porpoise

Propose or propose ( pronounce pro--pose ) means to suggest or offer, usually meaning an idea or a plan--
"I would like to propose a toast..."
They had been dating for months, and she hoped he would propose marriage.

Purpose or purpose ( pronounce purr-pus ) means aim or intent--
The purpose of the meeting is to decide whether or not to hire more workers.
Write the letter again, and try to make sure that your purpose is clear.

Porpoise or porpoise ( pronounced poor- pus ) means the swimming creature that resembles a dolphin--
They could see a porpoise swimming in the harbor.
The funny noise they heard in the bay at night was only a porpoise.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"I propose that we all do some research, for the purpose of determining whether a porpoise is the same as a dolphin."