stanch, staunch

Stanch or stanch means to stop the flow of a liquid--
Apply pressure to the wound to stanch the blood.
Wrap some duct tape around the pipe to stanch the water.

Staunch or staunch means firm in belief or principle; impervious to outside influence--
He's a staunch conservative; he won't vote for a tax increase.
He is a staunch supporter of the administration.
Staunch, said of a ship or boat, means watertight--
The staunch little craft got through the storm.
Staunch, said of a building or wall, means strong; able to withstand pressure--
The wall is staunch enough to hold back the enemy.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"His staunch defense of the new health program may help to stanch the flow of critical comments."

gardener, garner

Gardener or gardener means someone who works growing flowers, plants, fruit, or vegetables on a small plot of land, or someone hired to take care of the lawn and flowers--
He is an avid gardener; he spends hours in the yard, weeding and watering.
Ask the gardener to remove that dead shrub.

Garner or garner means to gather into a storage place; to gather or collect, literally or figuratively--
In September we garner the grain into the silo.
He is sure to garner a few awards and certificates when they see his entry.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The old gardener waited until the first frost to garner the remaining herbs into the shed."

sexist, sexiest

Sexist or sexist describes the behavior or attitude of someone who believes that women are inferior to men--
He's very sexist; he thinks all women should stay barefoot and pregnant.
She knows he's sexist, but she thinks he'll change.

Sexiest or sexiest describes a person, thing, or idea that garners the most sexual or romantic interest or attraction--
They are watching a competition to find the sexiest person on TV.
That is the sexiest car commercial I have ever seen.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She thinks the book is sexist; he thinks it's the sexiest thing he's read in a long time."

into, in to

Into or into ( one word ) means within or inside of; included, literally or figuratively--
Just walk into his office, and tell him you quit.
Plug that into the outlet in the kitchen.
He has been voted into our club.
Into also means up against or to a point of contact, literally or figuratively--
He backed the car into a pole.
I ran into her at the store; she can't babysit.
Into may mean towards, or in the direction of--
Don't spit into the wind.
Speak into the microphone.
Look into my eyes.
Into also means brought to a state, form, or condition--
He went into shock when he heard the news.
Has this been translated into English?
She coaxed him into it.
A witch cast a spell on him, and turned him into a toad.
Into is also a 60's slang term for interested in or fond of--
He's into surfing; he thinks it's groovy.
He's just not that into you.
Into may also be used to talk about division problems ( math ) --
Five goes into thirty-five seven times.

In to or in to ( two words ) , used with a verb ( action word ) means enter or go within for the purpose or intention of ( to )--
She went in to see what's on television.
In to may also mean to insert or place within, for the purpose or intention of--
Plug this in to see if it works.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She looked in to see if they were behaving, and they all hopped back into their seats."

Note--In two  ( two words ) means divided or broken in half--
Why don't you break that in two and share it?
In two may also mean
We'll be back in two hours.
Note # 2--In too ( two words ) describes a state or condition of excess--
He can't come out; he's in too much trouble.
You put in too much salt.
Note # 3--Not to be confused with "intuit", meaning to know through insight, without reasoning--
Did you intuit that, or did you hear her say it?

whirl, whorl

Whirl or whirl means to spin or turn about; to rotate rapidly--
Hod the pinwheel up to the breeze, and you can watch it whirl.
From here you can see the water whirl when it hits the jetty.
Let's give it a whirl!

Whirl may also mean something that spins or turns rapidly--
The water becomes a whirl when it enters this little cove.
Her life was a whirl of meetings, appointments, and seminars.

Whorl or whorl ( rhymes with whirl ) means a circular pattern or arrangement of parts, as in a flower or a fingerprint--
He wants to cut the seashell in half, so that each whorl is visible.
The largest whorl is different in this fingerprint; it was made by someone else.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The lights were arranged in a whorl, and when the display began to whirl, my head began to whirl, too."

why no, wino

Why no or why no ( two words ) is a familiar expression, meaning for what reason, cause, or purpose ( why ) [ is there] an absence or lack of ( no )--
They have all kinds of coffee. Why no tea?
You were away for a week. Why no postcard?

"Why, no" is also a common phrase, meant to express surprise ( why ) and denial ( no )--
Why, no, I haven't eaten any of the doughnuts.
Why, no, I haven't heard from him this week.

Wino or wino ( one word, rhymes with why no ) is a slang word meaning a drunken derelict; someone who sits on the curb and drinks wine out of a bottle that is still in the paper bag--
Tell him not to sit on the curb; he looks like a wino.
Leave the old wino alone.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Why, no, I didn't give the wino any change."

accidental, occidental

Accidental or accidental means unintentional; happening by chance or mishap--
The overcharge was accidental; we'll have to apologize and refund the money.
The dog walking by was accidental, but we liked the effect, and used it in the ad.

Occidental or occidental describes something western, capitalized when used to refer to the West as a specific place or region, as in Western Hemisphere, in common use meaning Europe and America--
He is researching different aspects of Occidental and Oriental culture.
Not capitalized, possibly,  when used to describe something as western in a general sense ( western still meaning the Western Hemisphere, or Europe and America )--
He is from China, but he has occidental political ideas.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"His description of Europe as Occidental was not accidental; Europe is considered a part of the West."

intermural, intramural

Intermural or intermural describes a meeting or sporting event involving representatives from more than one school or institution--
We will be competing with Nextown High School at an intermural track meet.
He runs his fastest during an intermural event.

Intramural or intramural describes a meeting or sporting event involving representatives from a single school or institution--
We  hope that many of our students will want to partcipate in intramural sports.
We want to start an intramural softball league, just for fun.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The winning intramural baseball team will represent our school in the intermural championship playoffs."

enumerable, innumerable

Enumerable or enumerable describes something that can be counted, or named specifically, as when listing items--
Let's write down the ideas that are enumerable, so that we can discuss them in an orderly way.
This warehouse is immense, but a team of inventory specialists will render the contents enumerable."

Innumerable or innumerable describes something that cannot be counted, as grains of sand, because there are too many to count--
The documents in this warehouse are innumerable; we count only the boxes they're packed in.
The stars seem innumerable, and yet astronomers have counted them.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The details of this project are innumerable; let's talk about the enumerable, larger goals."

untenable, untenantable

Untenable or untenable describes an argument or position that cannot be defended or sustained, literally or figuratively--
He has been arguing just to be contentious, and now he's in an untenable position.
Their position was untenable in the face of the onslaught; they fell back in disorder.

Untenantable or untenantable means unfit to be rented or occupied--
The building has been listed as untenantable, until the necessary repairs are made.
The dwelling looked sound, but the noise in the area made it untenantable.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The leaking roof makes the building untenantable, and any argument to the contrary is untenable."

waddle, wattle

Waddle or waddle means to walk with short steps, swaying or rocking from side to side--
He walks with a bit of a waddle since his last operation.
The baby is starting to walk, or rather to waddle.

Wattle or wattle means a fleshy appendage hanging from the chin of a bird, such as a turkey--
See the turkey's red wattle!
Save a scrap of red to make a wattle for the stuffed rooster.

Wattle also means the poles or sticks woven together to make a fence, or as a support for a thatched roof--
They built a cabin, and made a roof of wattle and daub.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Wait for the turkey to waddle across the yard, and you will see his wattle swing back and forth."

Note--"what'll" is a contraction ( short, informal form ) of "what will", meaning which option or course of action--
What'll we do now?
What'll you have?

today, two-day

Today or today means this present day or calender date--
There will be a meeting today at 6 p.m.
Can you have this done today?

Today may also mean the current age or era--
Today many people do their shopping on the internet.

Two-day or two-day describes soemthing that exists or lasts for about 48 hours--
We took a two-day trip; we both wanted to stay longer, but we couldn't.
The extra cost for two-day shipping may be worth it if you're in a hurry.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"I needed my package today; that's why I paid for two-day shipping."

Note--"today's" describes something that belongs to this day or calender date--
Do you know today's date?
Is this today's schedule?
Not to be confused with "two days", meaning two ( 2 ) calender days or about 48 hours--
It will take two days for your package to arrive.
We will be home in two days.

prodigy, protégé

Prodigy or prodigy means a marvelous or wonderful example, most commonly used to refer to a child who displays extraordinary talent--
He was a child prodigy; he could play as well as an adult when he was only seven years old.
He was a mathematical prodigy at ten, but his adult career has been lackluster.

Protégé or protégé  is French for "protected", most commonly used to refer to a person under the care or protection of a patron or sponsor--
He is planning a gala to introduce his protégé to society.
She manages to have her protégé mentioned in the press nearly every week.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The little musical prodigy is the protégé of a wealthy banker."
 

foreshortening, for shortening

Foreshortening or foreshortening ( one word ) means a method of distorting a drawing or image to give the illusion of three dimensions--
The foreshortening gives the painting an odd look; maybe you could try a different angle.
See how the foreshortening makes the figure appear to exist in real space.

For shortening or for shortening ( two words ) means with the purpose or object of, or in consideration of ( for ) making something smaller in length ( shortening )--
How much did he charge for shortening the dress?
We still owe the tailor for shortening those pants.

For shortening ( two words ) may also mean in exchange ( for ) vegetable fat used in cooking or baking ( shortening )--
Can I substitute butter for shortening in this recipe?
You can use vegetable oil for shortening, if we're out of butter.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The foreshortening will look more realistic if you use a ruler for shortening the back legs of the table."

Note--"foreshortened" means distorted to give the illusion of three dimensions--
The drawing is foreshortened in the front; part of the figure seems to be close to the viewer.
Not to be confused with "for shortened", meaning suiting the purpose of  ( for ) [ something ] made smaller in length ( shortened )--
This is just the weather for shortened school days.

duct, ducked

Duct or duct means a conduit or tube throught which water, air, or some other substance can be conveyed--
You will need a professional to repair the duct.
Some duct tape ought to hold it for a while.
He had a blocked tear duct, and it was infected.

Ducked or ducked ( rhymes with duct ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "duck", meaning to stoop or bend, so as to avoid a blow or missile--
He ducked just in time; that was aimed at his head.
He swung, but his opponent ducked, and he missed.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He ducked just in time to avoid hitting his head on a heating duct."

ordeal, or deal

Ordeal or ordeal ( one word ) means a harsh, prolonged, experience; a trial or test of endurance--
Trial by ordeal was once used to prove guilt or innocence.
They needed a long rest after their harrowing ordeal.

Or deal or or deal ( two words ) means, as an alternative ( or ), to  take action with respect to something, most commonly meaning the distribution of cards in a game ( deal )--
Are you going to talk all night, or deal the cards?
Are you going to whine, or deal with the problem?

Or deal may also mean, as an alternative ( or ), plain wood planks ( deal )--
Do you want the table top made of plywood or deal?

Now that you know that, you can say--
"When the ordeal was over, he didn't want to talk to the police, or deal with the reporters."

climatic, climactic

Climatic or climatic means having to do with the weather, or changing weather patterns or conditions--
Our ambassador wants to discuss climatic change with their president.
The lower crop yields are due to soil depletion; climatic changes have not affected the crops.

Climactic or climactic means having to do with the highest or most intense point; the climax--
There was a brief period of climactic tension, then everyone started yelling at once.
He is at a climactic point in his career; he's afraid he'd miss something while away on vacation.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The climactic point of the argument came when he denied the existence of climatic change."

Note--"climacteric" means a critical period or phase--
He believes that next year will be a climacteric, and that his life will change drastically.
It will take another two weeks for this fruit to reach its climacteric.

overly, overtly

Overly or overly means excessively; too--
He is often overly cautious; he won't try any thing new.
The manager can be overly exacting, but he pays us well.

Overtly or overtly means openly or publicly--
He was overtly hostile; there wasn't anything subtle about it.
He made the offer overtly; everyone knew about it.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He is overtly ambitious, and not overly sensitive to the opinions of his coworkers."

Note--"overlie" means to be over or upon, as covering or stratum--
A mat of leaves overlie the wildflower seedlings you are looking for.

goldbrick, gold brick

Goldbrick or goldbrick ( one word ) means to shirk work, usually by hiding--
Don't try to goldbrick in this outfit, soldier!
They would goldbrick most days, hiding behind the mess hall.
Goldbrick may also mean a person who shirks work, usually by hiding--
I'm going to fire that goldbrick when he comes in tomorrow.

Gold brick or gold brick ( two words ) means an ingot made of gold, the precious metal--
Don't bother, I wouldn't trade this sandwich for a gold brick.
The person who can guess how much that gold brick weighs will win it.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"That goldbrick wouldn't work steady if you paid him a gold brick a day."

flagon, flag on

Flagon or flagon ( one word ) means a large container for holding liquid, usually with a handle and a spout--
Innkeeper! A flagon of ale for my friends!
We're thirsty; hand over that flagon of mead.

Flag on or flag on ( two words ) means a design on cloth, meant to represent a nation or organization ( flag ), on top of or attached to something ( on )--
The flag on the coffin means the deceased was in the military service.
Put the flag on the pole, and don't let it touch the ground.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If you can put that flag on the top of the tower, I'll buy you a flagon of ale."