collar, choler

Collar or collar means the part of a shirt that goes around the neck,
Her dress had a lace collar, which looked very prim.
The collar of his shirt was too tight; it made him uncomfortable.
Collar may mean something else that fits snugly around the neck--
In Ancient Britain, bondsmen wore a thane's collar.
Collar is police TV jargon for an arrest--
The officers disagreed as to who had made the collar.
The officer ran around the back, hoping to collar the criminal.

Choler or choler ( rhymes or nearly rhymes with collar ) means anger--
His face was red with choler.
He tried not to give in to choler, but it was hard to keep his temper.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He felt such a surge of choler that his face and neck turned red from collar to hairline."

Note--"cholera" ( coller uh ) is the name of a contagious disease--
Most people in the United states have not been vaccinated for cholera.
Note # 2--"hot under the collar" means angry--
No, our boss gets hot under the collar when we leave early.

risky, risqué

Risky or risky ( Riss key ) means dangerous, or with the possibility of harm or loss of some kind--
The operation was risky, but he recovered.
This investment is too risky for someone who can't afford to lose the money.

Risqué or risqué ( riss Kay ) means naughty with sexual or mature content--
Many parents thought the movie was  risqué, and should have been rated 'R' instyead of 'PG'.
This show is too risqué for children.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The risqué nightclub revue seemed like a risky business proposition, and had trouble getting investors."

tea, tee

Tea or tea means the beverage, or the leaves used to make the beverage, or the plant on which the leaves grow--
Would you like some coffee or tea?
I would like a glass of iced tea.
Put some tea in the pot and then add the hot water.
Tea does not grow in the United States, so we import it.

Tee or tee ( rhymes with tea ) means the small wooden peg used as a support for a golf ball or football--
Make sure to remove your tee after you hit the ball.
A golf tee looks like a pointed wooden peg with a tiny bowl on the top. 
Tee may also mean the spot from which a golf ball is hit--
He left the tee and is looking for his ball.

Tee is also used to mean a T-shirt or t-shirt, one shaped like the letter "T"--
He ruined his favorite tee in the wash.
She never wears anything but a tee and jeans.
Tee may mean something shaped like the letter "T", as a joint for plumbing--
The plumber said he can't fix it unless he puts in a new tee joint.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"You should wash that tea out of your tee before it stains."
"He didn't have a spoon, so he stirred his tea with a golf tee."

yawl, y'all

Yawl or yawl means a small boat carried on a ship, with oars, sails, or both--
They rowed the yawl over to the other ship to speak to the captain.
We'll need four men to row the yawl.

Y'all or y'all ( rhymes with yawl ) is a regional contraction ( short, informal form ) of "you all", used mainly in the American South, wherever "you" might be used in the North--
Do y'all want to come to the movies with us?
What are y'all doing after school?

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Do y'all think you can row this yawl over to the that ship?"

catch, ketch

Catch or catch means to intercept or grab something that is falling, rolling, thrown, or flying--
He slammed into the fence while trying to catch a fly ball.
Now you throw the ball, and I'll catch it.
Catch may mean to grab someone who is running--
The baby is headed for the street! Catch him!
Catch may be used figuratively--
Did you catch the way he said that with a funny smile on his face?

Catch or catch also means to snare or trap--
How many fish did you catch?
Did you catch the skunk that's been raiding the garden?
Catch, meaning to snare or trap, may also be used figuratively--
The police are trying to catch a criminal.
Don't let me catch you at that again!

Catch may mean to become stuck or entangled--
Don't catch your coat on that nail.

Catch may mean the fish someone has caught--
He had his picture taken with his catch still on the line.

Ketch or ketch ( almost rhymes with catch, rhymes in some regions ) means a small boat with two sails--
We're worried because they are out in the ketch and it's starting to rain.
They spent the holidays learning to sail a ketch.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He threw a life jacket from the ketch, but she didn't catch it."

Note--"ketchup ", "catchup", or "catsup" means the tomato-based sauce used on hamburgers, French fries, and other foods--
We would like some more ketchup for our fries.
There are other flavors of ketchup--
Mushroom ketchup is good on hamburgers, too.
Not to be confused with "catch up" ( two words ), meaning to overtake or to come from behind to an equal standing or position, literally or figuratively--
Do you think that horse will catch up with the horse in front?
We are waiting for everyone else to catch up.
We'll give you some time to catch up on what you've missed.

tool, tulle

Tool or tool means a useful implement or device used for doing work of some kind, usually meaning something held in the hand--
He said he doesn't have the right tool for the job.
He left his tool outside, and it got rusty.
Tool may also be used figuratively, to refer to a person--
They hoped the politician would prove a useful tool for their organization.

Tool also means to work leather so as to leave a design--
He plans to tool a design of horses on a leather satchel.

Tulle or tulle ( rhymes with tool ) means the fine net fabric used to make puffy skirts or ballet costumes--
The ballerina's skirt was made of yards of pink tulle.
She wore a hat decorated with blue tulle.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She looked for a tool that she could use to poke a hole through several layers of tulle."

Note--"tule" ( rhymes with tool ) is a kind of shrub or weed that grows in the American Southwest--
The tule grows where rain collects, or where the ground is wet.

lea, lee

Lea or lea means a field or meadow, usually meaning a field used for hay--
He painted a picture of the lea with cows grazing.
The lea is almost ready for cutting.

Lee or lee ( rhymes with lea ) means the side of a ship that's away from the wind, or toward which the wind blows--
Should the sail be facing to lee or to windward?
The lee side of the ship was fairly dry, but the weather or windward side was drenched.
Lee also is used to mean shelter from the wind, generically--
They moored the boat in the lee of the cove.
They pitched their tent in the lee of the mountain.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If you look to the lee side, you can see the cattle grazing on a lea on the shore."

Note--"Lee", "Leigh" ( both rhyme with lea ) are proper names ( names of particular people, things, or places )--
Did you ask Lee if he can be here tomorrow?
Did you connect with Leigh on Facebook?
Note # 2--"lees" ( leeze ) means the dregs or sediment left in the bottom of a container of wine or some other liquid--
He poured the wine carefully, to make sure the lees stayed in the bottle.
Not to be confused with "leas", the plural of "lea", meaning a field of hay--
The workers will mow the leas tomorrow.
Note # 3--"alee" ( uh lee ) is a nautical term meaning facing away from the wind, toward the direction the wind is blowing--
If you are facing "alee", the wind is at your back.
Not to be confused with "a lea", meaning a field of hay or grass-
There is a lea of ten acres behind the barn.

el, ell

El or el stands for elevated, as a train set on tracks above the street level--
Here in Philadelphia, "el" stands for "Market-Frankford Subway-Elevated".
Do you want to drive, or take the el?

Ell or ell ( rhymes with "el" ) means an addition to a building, or a wing or room, set at right angles to the main building--
The conference room is in the ell at the back of the building.
They are thinking of adding an ell to the side of the building.

El is also an old-fashioned term for a measure of cloth--
He went to the store to buy an ell of cloth.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"We can take the el downtown to see the ell they are adding to the museum."

Note--"el" or "ell" might also be a way to spell out ( phonetically ) the letter "L"--
It's spelled el ee tee tee ee are.

sundae, Sunday

Sundae or sundae means a concoction of ice cream, fruit or syrup, whipped cream, and perhaps nuts and a cherry--
Let's go to the ice cream parlor for a sundae.
I'd like a butterscotch sundae with nuts and whipped cream.

Sunday ( always capitalized, rhymes with sundae ) means the first ( or the last ) day of the week--
A generation ago, it was illegal for most stores to open on a Sunday.
Let's go to the park on Sunday.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"We stopped for an ice cream sundae in that restaurant last Sunday."

patience, patients, patient's

Patience or patience means the ability to wait without getting nervous or angry, or to bear annoyance or discomfort without complaining--
I am about to lose my patience! Stop that!
Patience also means the ability to stick with a tedious, difficult or boring task--
He doesn't have the patience for something so tedious. 

Patients or patients ( rhymes with patience ) is the plural ( more than one ) of "patient", meaning the client of a doctor, dentist, or health care worker of some kind--
This doctor always has a lot of patients waiting.
Most of this dentist's patients seem to think very highly of him.
The doctor will lose his patients if he doesn't do something about the waiting room.


Patient's or patient's ( rhymes with patience ) is the possessive ( belonging to ) form of "patient", meaning the client of a health care professional--
Can I see the patient's chart, please.
Is this the patient's mother?

Now that you know that, you can say--
"This patient's patience will wear thin if the doctor keeps his patients waiting any longer.."

Note--"patient" may mean the client of a health care professional--
He is a patient at the local clinic, and needs a ride to get there.
"Patient" also means able to wait without getting nervous or angry--
Don't get upset. Try to be patient.
Note # 2--"patients' " is the plural possessive ( belonging to more than one ) of "patient" meaning the client of a health care professional--
Where have you putt he patients' charts?
Note # 3--"impatient" means fed up with waiting, or angry from waiting--
He is always impatient when there is a line at the store.
Not to be confused with "I'm patient", meaning I have the ability to wait calmly--
I'm patient when the children dawdle, but not when they misbehave.

bucket, bouquet

Bucket or bucket ( buck ett ) means a pail--
Grandpa went down to the pond for a bucket of water.
"There's a hole in the bucket..."

Bouquet or bouquet ( boo kay ) means flowers, arranged in  a vase or held in the hand--
The bride usually throws her bouquet over her shoulder after the wedding.
He bought a bouquet of roses on the way home.
Bouquet also means the aroma of wine or spirits--
He enjoyed the bouquet of the wine more than the taste.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He chose a Valentine's bouquet from several left in the big plastic bucket of water."

virtue, virtu, vertu

Virtue or virtue ( ver choo ) means moral excellence or uprightness--
He considered himself a paragon of virtue, but others disagreed.
His  chief virtue is his willingness to learn.

Virtue also means an attribute or quality, in general--
This product has the added virtue of being environmentally friendly.
"...the Scarecrow, by virtue of his highly superior brains, shall rule in my stead..."

Virtue is also an old-fashioned euphemism for chastity or virginity--
She is so old that she lost her virtue in the back of a horse and carriage. 
Her skimpy outfit gave her the look of a woman of easy virtue.

Vertu or vertu ( ver too, also spelled virtu ) means the excellence of style or execution of a work of art, or works of art or antiques in general--
Her home was filled with vertu collected during trips to Europe.
He was a connoisseur of vertu of all kinds.

 Now that you know that, you can say--
"By virtue of his appreciation for vertu of several kinds, his collection grew in value over the years."

lane, lain

Lane or lane means a narrow passage or a street wide enough for one car, or one of the divisions of a road or highway, wide enough for one car--
The house was set in a lane bordered by low stone walls.
Make sure to get in the right lane before the next exit.
There is a car approaching in the other lane.

Lain or lain ( rhymes with lane ) is a participle ( used with a helper verb ) of "lie", meaning to be placed or situated on, or to be in a prone or recumbent position, or in a state of inactivity--
This dish has lain on the table all day.
He has lain in bed all day.
This site has lain idle for years.
They promised the judge that they had lain their feud to rest.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"This tree branch has lain in the lane for a week. We should remove it."

auger, augur

Auger or auger means a tool used for boring,  like a drill bit--
He needs an auger to bore the hole.
A handle is used to turn the auger.

Augur or augur ( rhymes with auger ) means to predict or foretell the future, as from signs or omens--
These sales figures augur a good year, financially.
A new job is an augur of other new prospects.
Augur also means the Ancient Roman official in charge of foretelling the future--
The augur sometimes read the entrails of a bird.
They consulted an augur before deciding what to do.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He broke his auger the first thing this morning, which later seemed an augur of his day."

eruption, irruption

Eruption or eruption means the explosion of ash and lava that comes from a volcano--
Everyone on the west coast still remembers the eruption of Mount Saint Helens.
The most famous volcanic eruption was Vesuvius, which left behind Pompeii and Herculaneum.
Eruption may be used figuratively, as a violent outburst--
His patience finally ended in an eruption of shouting and emotion.

Irruption or irruption ( rhymes with eruption ) means a sudden or violent invasion or breaking in--
The meeting ended with an irruption by the protesters from outside the building.
Irruption may also mean a sudden burst of noise or activity by a crowd of people--
The peaceful crowd gave way to a violent irruption.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"News of the volcanic eruption was cut off by the irruption of a group trying to get to the news cameras."

Note--either "eruption" or "irruption "  might mean a violent outburst from a crowd.
Only "eruption" means an explosion by a volcano, spewing ash or lava.
Only "irruption" means a noisy invasion or interruption.

putty, puttee

Putty or putty means a paste used to seal cracks or seams, or to fill holes, in walls, wood, or pipes--
He went to the hardware store to buy some putty.
He wants some putty to fill the holes before he paints the wall.
Putty may be used to describe a person--
He was putty in her hands.
Putty may also mean to fill a crack or hole, as a verb ( action word )--
He'll need to putty those holes before he paints.

Puttee or puttee ( rhymes with putty ) means a long strip of cloth wound around the lower leg, as worn by a WWI soldier, or some other military personnel or sportsmen--
He is cutting up cloth to make a new puttee.
The puttee on his left leg has a hole in it.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He covered the stain on his puttee with some putty, and the sergeant didn't notice it."

Note--"putti" ( poo tee ) is the plural ( more than one ) of "putto", meaning a sort of cherub or baby angel often seen in old paintings or artworks--
The putti in this painting were added at a later date.
Note # 2--"puttees" is the plural ( more than one ) form of "puttee"--
His puttees came loose, and he tripped over them.
"Putties" is the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of the verb ( action word ) "putty", meaning to fill a hole or crack with putty--
If he putties this hole, you won't notice the damage.

laid, lade

Laid or laid is a past or present participle of "lay", meaning to put or place in a position of rest, or to set down, literally or figuratively--
He laid his head on the pillow and fell asleep.
He died on Monday and was laid to rest on Thursday.
He laid his case before the judge.

Lade or lade ( rhymes with laid ) means to load something with, or to burden someone with--
The manufacturer will have its own ship to lade with this cargo.
He resisted the urge to lade her with his problems.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The order is to lade the ship with the cargo, including what has been laid away in the warehouse."
"He didn't want to lade them with his worries, so he laid his feelings aside."

Note--you may encounter "lade" most often in "bill of lading"--
The bill of lading should be attached to each crate.
"Lade" is also the root of "laden"--
His worried face seemed laden with care.

worst, wurst

Worst or worst is the superlative ( most ) form of "bad" ( bad, worse, worst ) --
This is one of the worst movies I have ever seen.
"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..."

Wurst or wurst ( rhymes with worst ) means a sausage--
Their grandmother still makes wurst at home.
They have a really good beef wurst.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"This is the worst wurst I have ever tasted."

Note--"wurst" is originally a German word, and is often combined with other words--
I would like a liverwurst sandwich.
We are having bratwurst for dinner.

bite, byte

Bite or bite means to sink the teeth into--
Does the dog bite?
Don't bite off more than you can chew.
Bite may also mean the act of sinking the teeth into--
His bark is worse than his bite.
Bite may also mean a taste--
Try a bite of this pizza.
Bite may mean something to eat, informally--
Let's stop for a bite.
Bite may mean to take a piece from, in order to reduce the size of--
Let's take a bite out of crime.
Bite also means how the upper and lower teeth match--
The dentist said he needs braces to fix his bite.

Byte or byte ( rhymes with bite ) is combined from "binary unit", meaning a unit of information as used or stored by a computer, equal to one digit or character--
Eight bits make a byte, just as eight bits make a dollar.
The computer stores information by the byte.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Each byte of information we can keep secure helps to take a bite out of hacking and computer fraud."

mock, mach

Mock or mock means to ridicule or make fun of--
His classmates would often mock his studious attitude.
Mock also describes something imitation--
We are having mock turtle soup for dinner.
She wants a mock turtleneck sweater for her birthday.

Mach or mach ( rhymes with mock ) means the speed of sound--
The first pilot to break the sound barrier flew faster than mach 1, or the speed of sound.
Mach 1 is about 760 miles per hour.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"It later seemed foolish to mock the first attempts to fly faster than mach 1."