honorable, honorific

Honorable or honorable means upright or highly principled--
"So are they all, all, honorable men..."
He was an honorable man, and always did the upright thing.

Honorable may also mean noble or artisocratic, used as a form of address for the opffspring of British peers--
The Honorable John Smith will attend.

Honorific or honorific means a formal title of address, or a title of respect--
To many people, the use of an honorific in writing is archaic.
Should we include a drop-down menu to choose an honorific?

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The honorific given to a judge in the United States is The Honorable.

mall, maul

Mall or mall means a shopping center, usually confined to one large building, or a  public walk or promenade--
Let's go shopping at the mall.
They like to stroll up and down the mall when the weather is nice.

Maul or maul ( rhymes with mall ) means to injure by shoving or beating--
The keeper didn't expect the lion to maul him.

Maul may also mean a heavy hammer--
You may be able to drive these posts in with a heavy maul.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The pop star made an appearance at the mall, where his fans tried to maul him, hoping for a souvenir."

I let, eyelet

I let  ( two words ) means that the speaker ( I ) permitted or allowed ( let )--
I let the bread get stale; we'll have to toast it.
I let him stop at a friend's house on the way home from school.

I let may also mean that the speaker ( I ) leased or rented ( let ) something--
I let the apartment to a nice young couple.

Eyelet or eyelet ( one word ) means a small hole, round and finished on the edges, or fabric made with small holes or "eyes"--
We can make the belt bigger if we add another eyelet at the end.
She wore a jacket made of white eyelet; it looked very nice.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"I let her borrow my new eyelet dress, and she spilled coffee on it."

opposite, apposite

Opposite or opposite means contrary or radically different; the reverse or inverse--
We told him to drive west, but he went in the opposite direction.
The opposite of hot is cold.

Apposite or apposite means relelvant or suitable; apt--
His reply was somewhat rude, but apposite.
He seemed to digress, but in the end his remarks were apposite.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The opposite of apposite is irrelevant."

Note--"oppose it" ( two words ) means to  resist, combat, or act against ( oppose ) something ( it)--
Do you think he will support the measure, or oppose it?

Note # 2--"a posit" ( two words ) means one ( a ) assumption or postulate ( posit )--
If we can agree on a posit, we can begin our argument from there.

Note # 3--"op cit" is used in footnotes, an abbreviation of the Latin opere citato, meaning "in the work cited"--
See Chapter VII, op. cit.

a rose, arose

A rose or a rose ( two words ) means one ( a ) flower that grows on a shrub, usually with thorns, often used for cut flowers or perfume ( rose )--
She carried a bouquet of roses, and he had a rose in his lapel.
We planted a rose bush in the front garden.

Arose or arose ( one word ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "arise", meaning to spring up; to ascend or to appear--
The balloon arose slowly, and the people below seemed to shrink.
"When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter."

Now that you know that, you can say--
"A question arose at the meeting, concerning the use of a rose for our company logo."

arrange, a range

Arrange or arrange ( one word ) means to set in order; to put in place according to some system or plan--
If we arrange them in alphabetical order, they'll be easier to find.
Will you arrange the flowers?

Arrange may mean to make plans or a deal of some kind--
He wants to arrange for someone to meet him at the airport.
We want to arrange for delivery on Saturday.

A range or a range ( two words, rhymes with arrange ) means one ( a ) area or tract defined by the scope, extent, or limits of something ( range )--
After you go over the hill, you'll see a range of mountains in the distance.
This gun has a range of more than a mile.
A range may be used figuratively--
We have TV's in a range of prices.

A range may also mean one ( a ) stove ( range )--
We bought a range and a refrigerator when we moved here.
There is a range in the cellar; I wonder if it works.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The vehicle has a range of 500 miles; you'll need to arrange to refuel."

with, width

With or with means accompanied by--
I would like a hot dog with mustartd.
She went to the movies with her aunt.

With also means by or through the use of--
He painted it with a decorative finish.
She cut the bread with a knife.

With also means in the keeping of, or under the care of--
We left the children with a baby sitter.

With may mean of the same opinion; or as an ally--
Are you with us or against us?

Width or width ( almost rhymes with with ) means the measure of something from side to side; how wide it is--
He wants to know the width of the shoe.
Multiply the length by the width to find the area.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Check the width of the desk with a tape measure, to make sure it will fit in the truck."

Note--"withe" ( often pronounced to rhyme with with ) means a willow twig, or some other flexible twig--
She needs a willow withe to braid into a handle for her basket.

wart, wort

Wart or wart means a small bump on the skin caused by a virus--
He thinks he got a wart form touching a toad.
He went to the doctor to have a wart removed.

Wort or wort ( rhymes with wart ) means a type of plant, usually added to the name of the plant--
St. John's wort is supposed to be good for that.
Penny wort would grow well here.

Wort also means the liquid that will become beer when fermented, or mash for distilling--
Now we'll add the hops to the wort.
We'll have to let the wort cool before we add the yeast.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He says that spiderwort can be used to get rid of a wart."

Note --"whort" ( rhymes with wart ) means the whortleberry, an edible European berry--
They went out for a walk, to pick whort if they're ripe.

a trophy, atrophy

A trophy or a trophy ( two words ) means one ( a ) award or prize, usually commemorating a victory of some kind, literal or figurative ( trophy )--
He won a trophy for having the highest batting average.
The mounted deer's head is a trophy from a hunting trip.
He displays his expensive car like a trophy.

Atrophy or atrophy ( one word ) means debiliation caused by lack of use; to decline or waste away, literally or figuratively--
He has been diagnosed with atrophy of the heart.
If he doesn't move around every day, his muscles may atrophy.
Political consciousness can atrophy through lack of use, as a body part does.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"When you see him now, suffering from atrophy of the muscles, it's hard to believe he once won a trophy for best athlete."

viola, voila

Viola or viola is a four-stringed instrument, larger than a violin or fiddle, but similar in appearance, and a bit lower in tone--
She plays the viola in the local orchestra.
We have heard her practice that tune on her viola dozens of times.

Viola or viola is also the scientific or Latin name for a pansy, the small purple or blue garden flower--
Some viola will look nice in the front garden.
He wore a viola in his buttonhole, to celebrate the end of the cold weather.

Voila or voila, borrowed from French, means "there it is!" or "look!"--
Now remove the aluminum foil, and voila! you have an ice cream cake.
Then we subtract the same amount from both sides, and voila! we have the correct answer.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"We just need to tune the viola, and voila! everything sounds much better."

errant, arrant

Errant or errant means wandering or roving--
He was a knight errant, in quest of adventure.
It was a sultry day, without even an errant breeze.

Arrant or arrant means downright or thorough--
A pox upon him for an arrant fool!
He's an arrant scoundrel, and ought to be banished.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"This knight errant may be an arrant knave, or so it seems to me."

at all, a tall

At all or at all ( two words ) means in the slightest degree; in any way, or for any reason--
He won't mind at all if we are a bit late.
It was no trouble at all.
Why worry at all?

A tall or a tall ( two words ) describes one ( a ) person or thing of greater than average height--
He's a tall man; he has to stoop to get in the door.
On one side of the room there is a tall bookcase.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He set it on top of a tall chest of draweres, where no one noticed it at all."

bird, burred

Bird or bird means the feathered two-legged creature, usually capable of flight--
We'll have to look for that bird in the guide; I don't know what it is.
A bird is building a nest in the eaves; we should seal that off.

Burred or burred ( rhymes with bird ) means rough or prickly--
The seed pod is about the size of a walnut, round with burred edges.
You'll need to sand this, unless you meant the edges to be burred.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The logo will have a bird in the center, and burred or saw-toothed edges."

attention, a tension

Attention or attention ( one word ) means mental concentration or consideration--
May I have your attention please.
He seems to have a short attention span; we'll have to work on that.

A tension or a tension ( two words, rhymes with attention ) means one ( a ) straining or stretching under force or pressure ( tension ) , physically or psychologically--
The machine just needs a tension adjustment.
This is supposed to be good for a tension headache.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"This cable may snap under a tension that's too much for it, so pay attention."

rants, rance

Rants or rants is the plural ( more than one ) of "rant", meaning a violent or extravagant speech--
The moderator took down the worst rants, but the comments remaining are still quite rude.
That's just one of his rants; pay no attention.

Rants is also the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "rant", meaning to speak violently and wildly--
He rants when he gets excited; don't listen to him.
He rants about politics whenever he sees his paycheck.

Rance or rance ( rhymes with rants ) is a kind of dull red marble, with blue or white veins--
They are looking for some rance with blue veins, for the top of the piece.
The pedestal is rance with white veins.

Rance may also mean a prop of some kind, such as a pole or board--
Use the board as a rance to hold up the side of the shed.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"After he's been to an auction, he rants about rance and ormulu, among other things."

anyway, any way

Anyway or anyway ( one word ) means in whichever case or event; nevertheless--
They won't be home until later, anyway.
He dislikes sports but he watches baseball anyway, just to be sociable.

Any way or any way ( two words ) means no matter which method or direction--
Do the job any way that is most economical.
Turn any way you like; we'll just go around until we get back to start.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"You can prepare the salad any way that you like; he won't eat it anyway."

textual, textural

Textual or textual describes something having to do with a printed work--
Please make sure that your comments are textual and not merely speculative; we're here to discuss a book.
He belongs to a sect that relies on textual analysis of scriptures to make decisions.

Textural or textural describes something related to the tactile quality of a surface; what it feels like to the touch--
The class is learning words to describe textural differences in cloth, wood, and paper.
The youngest children enjoy a book with some textural variety, such as a bit of fur or a feather.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The toddlers are more interested in the textural aspect of the book than they are in its textual merits; they like to turn the pages and feel each one."

awe, aww

Awe or awe means a feeling of reverence or wonder before a sublime or imposing thing, place or idea--
As he stood and looked at the mountains, he felt a profound awe.
It may be a coincidence, but it inspires awe, just the same.

Aw or aw ( sometimes spelled aww, rhymes with awe ) is an imitation of the sound people make before something or someone cute and adorable--
Aw! What a cute puppy!
Look at the baby! Aww, he's adorable in his little suit.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Aww! The baby is so cute. We felt such awe when we watched him being born."

try, tri-

Try or try means to attempt, or to test or evaluate--
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."
Try this sauce and see if you think it needs more salt.

Tri- or tri- ( rhymes with try ) is a prefix ( added to the beginning of a word ), meaning "three"--
He enjoys watching any old movie with a love triangle for a plot.
The three countries signed a tripartite pact.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The city was ruled by a triumvirate; its members feared that the populace would try to rebel."

sue, sault

Sue or sue means to institue legal proceedings; to bring a civil suit against--
We will sue them for the amount of our losses plus court costs and legal fees.
He's threatening to sue; we ought to talk to a lawyer.

Sue may also mean to petition or to make an appeal to--
He advised the general to sue for peace, but his advice went unheeded.

Sault or sault ( sometimes spelled soo, rhymes with sue ) means a waterfall or rapid--
There is a sault up ahead; we'll have to carry the canoe around it.
He wants to try to take the boat over the sault; but it looks dangerous.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He was injured going over the sault, and now he wants to sue the tour guide."

Note--"Sue" ( always capitalized ) is a female given name, short for Susan, Suzanne, or Susannah--
Ask Sue if she can come with us this weekend.
Note # 2--"Sioux" ( always capitalized, rhymes with sue ) is the name of a tribe of Native Americans or American Indians--
The Sioux were the original inhabitants of this land; there are only a few of them left.

electric, electronic

Electric or electric describes something that produces electric current, or something that is powered by electric current--
Lightning can be seen during an electric storm.
An older model sewing machine works the same whether it is electric or powered by a treadle.

Electronic or electronic describes something made with electronic circuits, such as diodes, transistors, or semiconductors--
The computer is an electonic device; it uses electricity to transmit information.
This device uses electronic circuits to reproduce sounds and text; no parts move inside.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Strong electric current nearby can interfere with an electronic device."

overly, overlie, overlay

Overly or overly means excessively; too--
He tends to be overly precise; this job will take him all day.
You may think we're being overly cautious, but the danger is real.

Overlie or overlie means to be spread over or upon, as a layer or stratum--
This granite will overlie the front steps of the building.
A layer of sediment will overlie the rocks at this time of year.

Overlay or overlay  means to spread or put over, as a sheet of paper or a coating of a decorative substance--
He plans to overlay the entire piece with gold leaf.
Overlay may also mean a layer, or a transparent sheet placed over a photo or map, either blank or with additional information--
Changes in the map will be noted with an overlay.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"An overlay of marble will overlie the pedestal; we hope it won't seem overly ornate."

Note--"layover" ( one word ) means a wait between connecting flights--
We will have a two-hour layover in Chicago.
Note # 2--"lay over" ( two words ) means to be placed or spread ( lay ) on top of ( over )--
The towel should lay over the railing, so it will dry.

lime, Lyme

Lime or lime means the green citrus fruit--
He wants a wedge of lime to squeeze on his salad.
Lime may be used to describe something that looks like a lime--
He wants to paint the trim lime green.

Lyme ( usually capitalized, rhymes with lime ) is the name of a place; the disease borne by ticks was named for it--
The doctor thinks he may have Lyme disease.
Make sure to check for ticks; they can carry Lyme disease.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"It's called Lyme disease after a town in Connecticut; eating a lime doesn't have anything to do with it."