crews, cruise

Crews or crews is the plural ( more than one ) of "crew", meaning a team or set of people, working at the same job or task--
There are three crews, one for each shift.
This is where the people from the train crews eat their lunch.

Cruise or cruise ( rhymes with crews ) means to take a trip by boat or ship, particularly to sail about, instead of going from one place to another--
They plan on taking a cruise to Florida.
His ship is on a cruise, and won't return for several months.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"There are crews of people, day and night, working to make this cruise a pleasant experience."

Note--"crew" also means the team that rows a racing shell or scull, so "crews" would mean more than one team--
The crews are warming up for the race.
Note # 2--"cruse" ( rhymes with crews ) means an earthenware bottle or jar for liquids--
She brought home a cruse of olive oil as a souvenir of her trip.

locks, lox

Locks or locks is the plural ( more than one ) of "lock", meaning a device used to secure a door or gate, among other things--
All of these locks are rusty; we'll have to buy new ones.
Do we have the keys for any of these locks?

Locks is also the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "lock", meaning to secure a door, gate, drawer, box, etc.--
Make sure to leave before he locks the gate.
If she locks the door while we're out, we won't be able to get back in.

Locks is also the plural of "lock", meaning a section of hair--
He wrote a poem about her auburn locks, but she was not impressed.
They called her Goldilocks, because of her blond hair.

Lox or lox ( rhymes with locks ) is a spread made of smoked salmon or herring--
I'd like a bagel with lox and cream cheese.
Will you buy some lox next time you go to the store?

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The deli owner always locks the case with the lox in it."

Note--"lox" is also a kind of rocket fuel--
Does this rocket run on lox?

urban, urbane

Urban or urban ( err ben ) describes a city, or some aspect of city life--
They left the farm to live in the city, but urban life didn't agree with them.
His daily commute on the subway was a convenient aspect of urban life.

Urbane or urbane ( err bane ) means sophisticated or worldly--
He considered himself urbane and sophisticated, but he nearly shrieked when he saw the bill.
He affected a suave and urbane manner, but she could see that he was nervous.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Urban living has not made him sophisticated--that remark was anything but urbane."

Note--"suburban" describes a place just outside of a city, or an aspect of life in such a place--
The little suburban community didn't have the convenience of the city, nor was it as peaceful as a rural community.

must, mussed

Must or must describes an action that is imperative; something one ought to do, or should do-
We must do our homework before we watch TV.
You must be sure to unplug that before you remove the back.
Must is also used to express inevitability or certainty--
"Someday we all must die..."
There must have been a reason ...
Must is also used, informally, to mean something required or necessary--
The new phone is a must for the tech crowd.

Mussed or mussed ( rhymes with must ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "muss", meaning to make untidy or to leave in disarray--
She mussed her hair just before he took the picture.
His hair was mussed when he took off his hat.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"We must make sure that we don't leave the room mussed up; someone else will have to tidy it up if we do."

Note--"must" also means a kind of mildew or mold--
She didn't like the small of must in the basement.
"Musty" describes something that has mold or mildew on it--
What's that musty smell? We'll have to clean this with some bleach, or leave it in the sun.
"Mustier" is a comparative ( more or less than ) form of "musty"--
I washed it, but it smells even mustier.
Not to be confused with "muster", meaning to call or summon troops, or to assemble a troop-
The troops were ordered to muster at dawn.
"Mustered" is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "muster", meaning to assemble, or to be summoned to assemble--
The troops mustered at dawn.
Not to be confused with "mustard" ( rhymes with mustered ), the popular condiment--
Do you want mustard and ketchup on your burger?
Note # 2--"must" also means unfermented or new wine--
They tasted the must to determine if the wine would be good.
Note # 3--for trivia collectors, "musth" ( rhymes with must ) is a condition of frenzy or agitation that sometimes affects male elephants--
The elephants are not dangerous unless they are in musth.

patriot, expatriate

Patriot or patriot means someone who loves his or her country, or who supports or defends it--
He always wore a flag pin, and considered himself a patriot.
He was honored as a patriot who had served his country.

Expatriate or expatriate ( almost rhymes with patriot ) most commonly means a person who has left his or her country to live in another country, although it may be used as a verb, meaning to remove someone from his or her country, or to remove one's self--
He wrote his most famous novel while living as an American expatriate in Paris.
He lived as an expatriate for several years after the World War I.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"After living many years as as an expatriate, he returned to America and proved himself a patriot."

Note--an "expatriot" or "ex-patriot" would mean someone who once loved his or her country, but who no longer does, no matter where he or she lives--
He is so disgusted with the government that he now considers himself an ex-patriot.
Note  # 2--to "repatriate" means to return someone to his or her country--
We will try to repatriate all of the war refugees in the next several months.
Note # 3--not to be confused with "expatiate", meaning to expand or to enlarge upon a subject, in speech or in writing--
Once he begins to talk about politics, he tends to expatiate until he has exhausted the subject.

size, sighs

Size or size means the measure of magnitude, proportions, or dimensions--
What size dress does she wear?
These are the wrong size.
The size of the project was beyond their capability.

Size may also mean to measure the magnitude or dimensions of, literally or figuratively--
She gives a look meant to convey that she can size people up with a glance.

Size may also mean a kind of glue or stiffening agent applied to fabric or paper--
Make sure you wash the fabric to remove the size, before you work with it.
This paper is coated with a size that makes paint adhere better.

Sighs or sighs ( rhymes with size ) may be the plural ( more than one ) form of "sigh", meaning a loud  exhalation, or breathing out,  as an expression of despair, longing, or sadness--
His forlorn sighs could be heard in the next room.
His dramatic sighs made her wonder if he was insincere.

Sighs may also be the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "sigh", meaning to exhale loudly, as an expression of despair, longing, or sadness--
When he sighs she ignores him.
He sighs with despair every time we mention it.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"His lovelorn sighs begin again every time he wonders about the size of the ring."

Note--"assize" (one word,  more commonly assizes ) means a session of a law court--
The case will be heard at the next assize.
We will find out when the case is tried at the November assizes.
Not to be confused with "a size" ( two words ), meaning a measure of dimensions or magnitude--
These shoes are a size too small.
Note # 2--the plural ( more than one ) form of "size" is "sizes"--
These shoes are two sizes too small.

lacks, lax

Lacks or lacks may be the plural of "lack", meaning a need, or the absence of something necessary or desirable--
Their eager attitude won't make up for their other lacks.
Platitudes won't make up for the lacks in this plan.

Lacks may also be the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "lack", meaning to need or to be missing or without--
This stew lacks something--maybe it needs some salt.
He lacks the means to get back and forth to work, now that he doesn't have a car.
This school lacks discipline.

Lax or lax ( rhymes with lacks ) means loose or weak, as of order or discipline--
The general warned against lax discipline in camp.
The principal's lax enforcement of rules is causing something close to mayhem.
This school has a lax disciplinary policy.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The supervisor lacks confidence in the system, and his enforcement or the rules is lax."

Note--"LAX" ( all capitals ) is the abbreviation or code for Los Angeles airport--
I saw a tag on my luggage that said LAX, but I'm going to New York!

ivy, IV

Ivy or ivy  ( EYE vee ) means the evergreen vine that you may see climbing up buildings, or as ground cover in gardens--
He wanted to go to a college with stone buildings covered in ivy.
We'll need to cut back the ivy in the garden; it's growing up to the windows.

IV or I.V. ( eye VEE ) is an abbreviation of "intravenous", a medical term for medication or solution pumped into the bloodstream--
He can move about, but he has to take an IV stand with him.
He was so dehydrated that they gave him an IV saline solution.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The IV sedative made him so delirious that he dreamed of ivy growing up the walls of the operating room."

Note--"IV" is also the Roman numeral for 4--it is usually read "4" but sometimes as "IV"--
The children are learning to count in Roman numerals--I, II, III, IV, V, VI...
Note # 2--the "Ivy League" is a set of colleges that operates as a "team" for the purposes of admission--
He studies all the time because he wants to attend an Ivy League school.

glare, glair

Glare or glare means harsh bright light, direct or reflected--
The glare on a bright day can make driving difficult. Be careful.
The glare from the snow on a bright day can be hard on the eyes.

Glare also means an angry stare--
He is afraid she will glare at him in silence when he gets home.
Why did you mention that? Didn't you see him glare at you?

Glair or glair ( rhymes with glare ) means the white of an egg--
You will need to separate the glair from the yolk.
If you coat that with glair, the paint won't show through.
Glair may also mean a paste made with egg white, or to coat something with egg white--
You can treat that canvas with a glair paste.
If you glair the canvas first, the paint will adhere better.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He coated this with two coats of glair, but you can still see a glare when a bright light shines on it."

signet, cygnet

Signet or signet means a small seal, with an design or initial, as used on a ring or stamp to mark letters or papers--
All official papers are sealed with the duke's signet ring.
He wears a signet ring on his little finger, with his initials on it.

Cygnet or cygnet ( rhymes with signet ) means the young of a swan; a baby swan--
This fluffy little cygnet doesn't look anything like an adult swan.
Believe it or not, soon this funny-looking cygnet will be a graceful swan.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She stamped all of her papers with a signet engraved with a swan and its cygnet."

genus, genius, ingenius, ingenuous

Genus or genus is a scientific classification, one of the groups into which living organisms are divided--
He can identify all the local flora by family, order, class, genus, and species.
This is of a different genus than the other plants we have been studying.
Genus may be used to means class or group, figuratively--
This is a different genus of business plan.

Genius or genius means a person of uncommon intelligence or understanding--
They insisted he was a genius, but he insisted that he just worked very hard.
As the saying goes, "genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration".
Genius may also mean the spirit or character of a nation or set of people--
Independence of mind is often called the genius of the American people.
Genius is an old-fashioned term for the guardian spirit of a place--
The genius of these woods may not like it if we litter.

Ingenious or ingenious ( one word ) means very clever or original; inventive--
This is an ingenious invention; I don't know how anyone ever thought of it.
His new software is ingenious; it's different from anything else we have seen.

Ingenuous or ingenuous means naive; innocent or ignorant of the ways of the world; artless; with complete candor--
His ingenuous explanation demonstrated that although he was artless, he was intelligent and observant.
She had lived all her life among theater people, and he was sure that her ingenuous manner was insincere.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Some people consider it ingenious to place a genius in a different genus, apart from the rest of humankind, but this is ingenuous; geniuses just work harder."

Note--"ingenue" or "ingénue" means a person who is artless or naive, most commonly used to refer to a role on the stage or in a film--
That young woman would be just right in the role of the ingenue.
She is getting too old to play the ingénue.
Note # 2--"ingenuity" means cleverness, originality, or inventiveness--
It's just another product of Yankee ingenuity.
Note # 3--"genii" is a plural ( more than one ) form of  "genius", although "geniuses" is preferable, except when "genius" is used to mean the spirit of a place--
The genii of this place supposedly protect it from the incursions of civilization.
"Genii" may also be the plural of "genie", meaning a magical being, as in the tales of the Arabian Nights--
The genii who serve the evil magician have left him; out hero will win the day now.
Note # 4--"genie" means a magical being, like the one in Aladdin's lamp--
If  I rub this lamp, will a genie appear?

bruise, brews

Bruise or bruise means a contusion; the temporary purple or blue mark left after an injury--
He has a nasty-looking purple and blue bruise on his leg, but no other injuries.
If that bruise isn't gone in a few days, you should see a doctor.

Brews or brews ( rhymes with bruise ) may be the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "brew", meaning to make beer, or some other concoction that is boiled, steeped, or fermented--
He brews beer in his basement, but only shares it with a few friends.
She brews some kind of herbal tea; it tastes awful.
He brews coffee in an old-fashioned percolator.

Brews may also be the plural ( more than one ) form of "brew", meaning a beer or a concoction--
He went out to pick up some more brews.
These look like cauldrons full of witches' brews, what are they?

Now that you know that, you can say--
"When he went to order some more brews, he fell and got a bruise."

presentment, presentiment

Presentment or presentment is sometimes used as a synonym for "presentation".
"Presentation" is more common, more clear, and therefore preferable.
Presentment is most commonly used as a legal term, meaning a written statement of an offense--
"No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury..."

Presentiment or presentiment ( sounds a lot like presentment ) means a feeling of foreboding, or an idea of a future occurrence or danger--
Every time she heard the weird organ music, she had a presentiment of death and disaster.
He checked the locks on the doors, but couldn't rid himself of the presentiment of danger.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He woke up several times during the night, with an awful presentiment involving a presentment by a grand jury, for the murder of his partner."

guys, guise

Guys or guys is the plural ( more than one ) of "guy", an informal term for a man or boy--
The guys want to go out for a pizza.
All the girls stood on one side of the room, and the guys stood on the other.
Guys is also the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "guy", meaning to make fun of--
His friend guys him about that, but he doesn't pay any attention.

Guys may also be the plural of "guy", meaning a supporting or guiding rope or cable--
He wasn't looking when he ran into the guys that supported and steadied the tent.
Guys is also the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "guy", meaning to support with a rope or cable--
If he guys this with a length of cable, it should be sturdy enough.

Guise or guise ( rhymes with guys ) means a semblance or assumed appearance, literal or figurative--
He perpetrated several kinds of fraud, using the guise of an itinerant preacher.
She wore the guise of a friend, but with a knife ready to stick in his back.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The two guys on the news were in our neighborhood today, in the guise of door-to-door salesmen."

Note--"guy's" ( rhymes with guys ) is the possessive ( belonging to) form of "guy", meaning a man or boy--
That guy's car alarm is going off.
"Guy's" may also be a contraction ( short, informal form ) of "guy is"--
"This guy's in love..."
Note 2--"Guy" is also a man's given name--
We are waiting for Guy to go to the pizza place with us.
So Guy's might be a possessive form of "Guy"--
Is this Guy's backpack?
Or a contraction of "Guy is"--
Guy's coming with us for pizza.
Note # 3--not to be confused with "disguise", meaning clothing or makeup used to make someone look like someone else--
They'll never recognize you in that disguise.

slight, sleight

Slight or slight means small or insignificant in size, degree, or importance--
After the layoffs, there will be a slight increase in our workload.
There is a slight difference in the paint color, but I don't think anyone will notice.
Slight may also means a social offense or snub--
She overreacts to the least slight, real or imagined.

Sleight or sleight ( rhymes with slight ) means physical dexterity or craft--
He spends hours each day practicing sleight-of-hand magic tricks.
He wants to learn the art of legerdemain, or sleight-of-hand.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"To learn sleight-of-hand, you have to practice making a slight movement undetectable to the eye."

exceptional, exceptionable

Exceptional or exceptional means outstanding or superior--
The manager is coming over at lunchtime to commend us on our exceptional work.
His report was exceptional, much better than his usual work.
Exceptional also means involving unusual circumstances, not planned for by a usual set of rules or laws--
You may leave early today, because this is an exceptional case.
No may have a day off unless there is an exceptional reason for it.

Exceptionable or exceptionable means open to complaint or objection--
The voters are sure to find the tax increase exceptionable, but the rest of the platform will be popular.
He found her attitude exceptionable, and insisted that he had done his best to find a job.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Her fellow employees found it exceptionable that her every request was treated as an exceptional case."

wean, ween

Wean or wean means, in a human infant or the young of an animal, teaching the baby to eat solid food, or drinking from a cup, instead of nursing or using a baby bottle--
The doctor says it's too soon to wean the baby.
We have to wait for the mother to wean the puppies; then we can take one home.
Wean may also be used in a figurative sense--
We are trying to wean him from his obsessive use of video games.

Ween or ween ( rhymes with wean ) is an old-fashioned word for think or believe--
Yon tavern will provide us with ale, I ween.
Dost ween that the knight will be needing his sword?

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If we wait for his mother to wean him, he will make a fine hunting dog, I ween."

Note--a "wiener" ( wee-ner ) is a hot dog or Vienna ( Wien ) sausage--
Could I have a wiener with sauerkraut, please?
Not to be confused with a "weaner", meaning a device used to help wean a young calf--
He may become independent sooner if you use a weaner.

mannequin, mannikin

Mannequin or mannequin means a model for the demonstration or display of clothing, either live or as a dress form or shop-window figure--
She worked as a mannequin for a department store when she was a young woman.
What size is the dress on the mannequin? Someone is interested in buying it.

Manikin or manikin ( sometimes spelled mannikin, rhymes with mannequin ) means a little man, particularly used to refer to a woman dressed as or behaving like a man--
He got mad and tried to swing when they patted his head and called him a manikin.
They called her a little manikin, because she wore men's clothing, and tried to spit and swagger like a man.
Manikin may also mean a model of the human body used to teach anatomy--
The nursing students had to memorize all the parts of the body, and label them on a manikin.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If that little manikin would fix her hair and put on a stylish dress, she'd look as good as any fashion shop mannequin."

fawn, faun

Fawn or fawn means a young deer--
Look! A doe and her fawn are standing by that tree.
The story of Bambi begins when he is a fawn.
Fawn also means a light brown, the color of a young deer--
She insisted on a pair of fawn-colored boots, but we couldn't find any.
Fawn also means a show of affection from a dog--
He likes to have the dog fawn over him, wagging his tail and licking his hand.
Fawn also means to put on an act of servility, affection, or concern--
I can't stand to watch him fawn over the boss. He thinks it will get him a promotion.

Faun or faun ( rhymes with fawn ) means a god or spirit of the woods--
The locals believe these woods are inhabited by a faun, like Pan.
They are afraid that cutting down the tree will anger the faun who protects this forest.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"They ordered a statue of a faun for the garden, but instead of a Roman deity, they were sent a fawn, or young deer."

Note--you may have encountered the more familiar word "fauna", meaning any animal life--
They are doing a documentary on the local fauna.

call, caul

Call or call means to summon or to contact, by voice or by telephone--
The children are playing outside; will you call them and tell them it's dinnertime?
Did you call the plumber? The sink's still leaking.
Call is also a noun ( thing or idea ), meaning a summons or attempt to contact--
He came home in answer to her call.
Did you return his call?

Caul or caul ( rhymes with call ) means a close-fitting cap of net or sheer material--
In the evening, she always wore a caul made of fine gold net.
Some people are superstitious about a baby born with a caul.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"We should call a costume designer to find out if this caul looks authentic."

enormous, enormity

Enormous or enormous means very, very, large--
The blue whale is an enormous creature.
The new facility was built at an enormous expense.

Enormity or enormity means heinous or outrageous in character, or a heinous or horrible crime or act--
The public was shocked by the enormity of the crime.
The terrorists did not anticipate the strong public reaction to the enormity they committed.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The enormity of the act of terrorism generated an enormous outpouring of public sympathy and support."

Note--"enormousness" is a noun ( thing or idea ) meaning the state or condition of being very, very, large--
The whale's enormousness, so close to the ship, left the passengers astonished.
"Enormously" means to a great extent or degree--
The investigators were sure that he had profited enormously from the deal.
Note--"enormity", along with "heinous", and some other words, can be used, unwittingly, to beggar the English language. You may find authors using these terms to describe crimes which are, unfortunately, all too common. "Enormity" and "heinous" should be reserved for a particularly shocking or outrageous crime or act, or we will have nothing left to describe such incidents.

reference, reverence

Reference or reference means something used as a source of information--
The dictionaries and encyclopedias are in the reference section.
Reference is used to mean a statement of information concerning someone's work history or skills--
He asked his former employer if he could use his name for a reference.
Reference also means to mention, as in to refer to--
He made a reference to that campaign in his latest book.
His last reference to the incident started an argument that lasted for days,

Reverence or reverence ( almost rhymes with reference ) means a feeling of religious respect or awe--
Their parents insisted that all religions customs should be treated with reverence.
Some fans feel something akin to reverence for their idols.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The dictionary was not a mere reference work to them, but something to be handled with reverence."

syntax, sin tax

Syntax or syntax is a grammar term, meaning the use of word order and pattern, and how they make or change the meaning of a sentence--
Your essays will be graded on vocabulary and syntax.
His syntax is unusual; I wonder what his native language is?

Sin tax or sin tax ( two words, rhymes with syntax ) means a special tax on vice or "sin", such as the tax on cigarettes or alcohol--
Few politicians are willing to vote against a new sin tax.
Most people continue to buy alcohol, even with a high sin tax added to the price.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"His syntax is so awkward, that I'm not sure whether he is for the proposed sin tax, or against it."