threat, thereat

Threat or threat means a stated intention to do harm or injury, or, generally, a potential harm or injury--
The police considered the threat serious, and went to get an arrest warrant.
The threat of losing his job straightened him right up.

Thereat or thereat is an archaic ( no longer used ) word meaning at that place, or because of that--
"Wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat."
They gathered around the strange object, and wondered thereat.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"When he heard the king's threat, he told the truth, and the court wondered thereat."

put, putt

Put or put ( pronounced to rhyme with foot ) means to move something to a particular place or spot, or, figuratively, to bring someone to a particular state or condition--
Put the soda in the refrigerator.
Try to put him at ease; he's very nervous.

Putt or putt ( pronounced to rhyme with but ) means a light golf stroke, meant to roll the ball into the hole--.
He'll never make the putt; I'm sure to win.
You can putt the ball into the cup; it'll be good practice.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He put the ball back where he started; he wants to try that putt again."

beetle, beadle

Beetle or beetle means an insect of the order Coleoptera, with a hard shell and chewing mouth parts--
The cat is trying to catch a beetle that crawled under my desk.
A beetle usually has wings hidden under its shell.

Beadle or beadle means an officer or assistant employed by a church or possibly a school--
The beadle had to ask them to be quiet during the service.
The beadle will help you find a place to sit.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He got in trouble with the beadle when he put a beetle on the shoulder of the child in front of him."

inflames, in flames

Inflames or inflames ( one word ) is the third per son singular ( he, she, it ) form of "inflame", meaning to make red, hot, or sore,physically or emotionally--
Eating spicy food always inflames his gout.
The reporters hope to be standing by if his speech inflames the crowd.

In flames or in flames ( two words ) means on fire, literally, or completely and suddenly ruined, figuratively--
They watched helplessly as the building went up in flames.
Our plans for a new house went down in flames.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Agitation inflames his ulcer; don't tell him the project went down in flames."

mead, meed

Mead or mead is a fermented alcoholic drink made from honey--
He brought a bottle of mead back with him from Poland.
They want to have a medieval dinner, with mead and a roast ox.

Meed or meed ( rhymes with mead ) is an archaic ( no longer used ) word, meaning a deserved share or reward--
He has slain the dragon; what meed should we offer him?
He will have his meed of fame when the battle is over.

Mede or mede is an archaic word for a piece of meadow or grassland--
What a fine day to frolic on the mede!
He is writing a poem about a cow in a mede, forsooth.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Tell the squire we would offer him a meed, a fine bottle of mead, if he will meet us in the mede."

Note--"Mede" ( a proper noun, always capitalized, rhymes with mead ) means a person from Ancient Media in Persia--
Darius the Mede was the ancient king who saw the handwriting on the wall.

impetuous, impetus

Impetuous or impetuous means done quickly, without thought or care--
Calm down; don't make an impetuous decision you'll regret later.
He can be impetuous; he feels and then acts, without thinking.

Impetus or impetus means the driving or motive force--
The directors have offered a bonus, as an impetus to innovation.
A deadline can provide the impetus needed to finish a project.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"His last episode gave him the impetus to seek help for his impetuous behavior."

helpless, hapless

Helpless or helpless means unable to care for oneself; unable to deal with a problem--
This little kitten is still helpless; we'll have to take care of it.
He seems helpless; he doesn't take care of himself or his apartment.

Hapless or hapless means unlucky or unfortunate--
The hapless passenger left his passport at the counter.
The hapless man was walking under the window just as the pot fell off the ledge.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Everything seemed to go wrong; the hapless homeowner was helpless without a real professional to advise him."

heaven, haven

Heaven or heaven, according to some religious beliefs, means a place of bliss, a paradise where the good dwell with God after death--
"Our Father, Who art in heaven..."
"Imagine there's no heaven, it's easy if easy if you try..."

Heaven is also used to mean a state of happiness or bliss--
"Heaven, I'm in heaven, and my heart beats so that I can hardly speak..."
"Just Molly and me, and baby makes three, we're happy in my blue heaven..."

Haven or haven means a place of safety or refuge, as a small port or harbor for a boat, literally or figuratively--
This little inlet may make a safe haven for our boat.
The vacation cabin was a haven from the pressures of life in the city.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"After the pressures of  competition, the snug little haven seemed a veritable heaven on Earth."

barrage, borage

Barrage or barrage means a concentrated attack of repeated shells or bombs, or figuratively, words--
The fortifications were nearly destroyed by the last barrage.
The assailant fled, chased off by a barrage of blows and kicks.

Barrage may also mean a small dam or obstruction placed in a watercourse--
A barrage here diverts the water into the mill  stream.

Borage or borage is a flowering edible herb, native to Europe--
The flavor of borage is similar to cucumbers.
Borage is used in several different home remedies.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"His talk on the uses of borage was followed by a barrage of questions from the audience."

cretin, Cretan

Cretin or cretin is an archaic medical term, meaning a person deformed by a thyroid deficiency--
Cretin was once a medical diagnosis, thought to be congenital, or possibly caused by a lack of sunlight.

Cretin is more commonly used as an offensive term for a stupid person--
No, you may not call your brother a cretin!

Cretan ( a proper noun, always capitalized ) means a person from Crete, an island in the Mediterranean, politically a part of Greece--
According to some legends, Zeus, king of the gods, was a Cretan.

Cretan may also describe something that comes from Crete--
He enjoys Cretan literature, and he can talk about it at length.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He is a famous Cretan actor; don't behave like a cretin."

gored,gourd

Gored or gored is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "gore" meaning to pierce with a horn or tusk--
The matador was gored by a bull.
He was gored by a boar when he was out hunting.

Gored may also be the past tense of "gore", meaning made of triangular panels, as a skirt--
I am looking for a pattern for a six-gored skirt.
 
Gourd or gourd means a large fleshy fruit with a thick, hard skin, used for food or as a con
tainer--
We could use this gourd as a bird feeder.
A small gourd makes a good rattle.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The stag  gored a large gourd with his antlers, and he can't shake it loose."

calipash, calabash

Calipash or calipash means the edible greenish substance found under a turtle's shell--
The recipe calls for calipash; do you know which part of the turtle that is?
He wants to make turtle soup, and garnish it with calipash.

Calabash or calabash means a kind of gourd or squash, used for food or as a container--
You can bake the calabash, or just add it to the stew.
A dried calabash makes a good water bottle.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The turtle's calipash is considered a delicacy, but squash or calabash is a plain everyday food."

grease, Greece

Grease or grease means melted fat or some oily substance; a lubricant--
Don't leave that grease on the floor; someone might slip and fall.
There is a grease spot on your tie.

Grease may also mean to lubricate--
The recipe says that you should grease the pan.
If you grease that hinge it will stop squeaking.

Greece ( a proper name, always capitalized ) means the country in Southern Europe--
They plan to go to Greece next year.
Today we are going to read about Ancient Greece.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"We were packing for our trip to Greece, and he decided to grease the wheels of our suitcases."

brute, bruit

Brute or brute means a beast or nonhuman creature--
Take that, you brute!
He behaved like a brute; she may never speak to him again.

Brute may also mean irrational or merely carnal--
He overcame the felon by brute force.
Some people believe that brute cunning is superior to human reason.

Bruit or bruit ( from the French, rhymes with brute ) means to spread a rumor--
He may bruit it about, but no one will believe him.
You should not bruit something about unless you can prove that it is true.

Bruit may also mean an unusual noise--
They are a quiet couple, unlike the bruit that surrounds them.
The doctor wondered if the bruit he heard could have been caused by stress, and not by disease.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She may bruit it about that he is a brute if she sees him in this state; let's move on."

Note--"brut" means

nice, gneiss

Nice or nice means pleasing or agreeable--
They are nice people; let's invite them to dinner.
We went to a nice restaurant last night.

Nice or nice also describes something with, or done with, great precision, skill, tact or delicacy--
It's a nice distinction, but you ought to be able to explain it to someone who is not an expert.
That was a nice way to handle a difficult situation.

Gneiss or gneiss ( rhymes with nice ) means a metamorphic rock, made up of bands of different colors--
This gneiss has a lot of mica in it; you can see it glitter.
Their assignment is to determine the composition of a specimen of gneiss.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"This is a nice example of gneiss made up of feldspar and quartz."

Note--"Nice" ( a proper name, always capitalized ) is a city in France. It is pronounced to rhyme with "niece"--
We spent our holiday in Nice; it was very nice.

bleat, bleed

Bleat or bleat means the cry of a calf, sheep, or goat, or a noise that resembles this--
When our dog hears the bleat of a calf, he runs to look for it.
He makes a sound like the bleat of a goat, and the children all laugh.
We hear the bleat of that car alarm nearly every night.

Bleat, said of a calf, sheep, or goat, may also mean to make a cry, or said of a person, to make such a noise, or to complain uselessly and foolishly--
I can hear the calf bleat from here; is he stuck in something?
Well, there's no need to bleat like a sheep over it; that won't help.

Bleed or bleed means to issue forth blood, as when injured--
It won't bleed so much if you hold a bandage over it and press down.
He feels faint if he sees someone bleed.

Bleed or bleed may also mean to run or flow out, as dye from cloth, or sap from a cut on a tree--
The dye may bleed if you wash that in hot water.
The tree will bleed where you pruned it; paint the end if it doesn't stop.

Bleed may mean to draw out air or water, as from a pipeline--
You have to bleed the air out of the radiators before you turn on the heat.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Don't bleat like a calf; go and get a bandage so it won't bleed all over."

geranium, germanium

Geranium or geranium means a flowering plant, originally from Africa, commonly grown as a house or garden plant in the United States--
The red geranium looks cheerful in the window.
The geranium may survive if you put it in a pot and keep it indoors until the weather is warm.

Germanium or germanium is one of the elements of the periodic table, a metal used in transistors, fiber optics, and infrared devices--
Germanium is scarce, and used to make only a few electronic components.
Fiber optic systems use germanium.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She bought a sterling silver brooch in the shape of a geranium, made with germanium to keep it from tarnishing."

jive, gyve

Jive or jive means the slang or jargon of the culture of narcotics addicts, or deceptive talk, with no real meaning--
The squares don't get our jive; they won't know what we're talking about.
That jive talk doesn't fool me!

Gyve or gyve ( rhymes with jive ) means a shackle or fetter, most commonly for the leg--
The gyve left a scar on his leg that he carried for the rest of his life.
He meant to escape, but first he had to remove the gyve from his leg.

Gyve may also mean to shackle or fetter someone, most commonly by the leg--
If you gyve them together, they won't be able to run away.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"For all your jive talk, you might as well wear a gyve on your leg as be shackled to a drug habit."

email, émail

email or e-mail ( rarely capitalized ) means electronic mail, the message you get on your computer--
Just send an email when you find out about the job.
This mails seems to be spam, but I'm not sure.

Email or émail is a French word, used in English to mean a kind of enamel, or decorative enamel ware--
He wants to see the old piece of émail that's included in the auction.
This émail is a copy of an older work; the technique is not the same.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The antique dealer sent an email about that piece of  émail you admired."

Note--the French word for "email", meaning electronic mail, is "mél" ( rhymes with mail ), short for "message électronique"--
He has a French pen-pal who sends him "mél".

chaff, chafe

Chaff or chaff means the husks of grain, separated during threshing--
"...and gather the wheat into his garner, but he will burn up the chaff..."
Farmers once had threshing parties, and neighbors helped them separate the grain from the chaff.

Chaff also means to mock or to tease--
Watch, she will chaff him about that new tie.

Chafe or chafe means to irritate by rubbing, or to rub against in a way that annoys--
That coat will chafe your neck if you don't wear a scarf.
The rain was cold, and their wet clothes were beginning to chafe.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He helped to bundle the chaff, until the work gloves started to chafe his hands."

morays, mores

Morays or morays is the plural ( more than one ) of "moray", meaning an eel that usually lives in the ocean, most commonly in a tropical climate--
The longest morays measure more than ten feet.
Tourists were permitted to feed the morays in the past, until too many were bitten.

Mores or mores ( most commonly pronounced to rhyme with morays ) means the fundamental values or moral views of a group--
Most people never deviate markedly from the mores of their family and friends.
The mores of a group are observable through social behavior.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"One of the more interesting mores of this group is the sharing of morays at a great feast."

Note--"more rays" ( nearly rhymes with morays ) means additional ( more ) fish with a flattened body, that live on the sea bottom ( rays )--
There are more rays near this cove than I have ever seen in one place before.
"More rays" may also mean additional ( more ) beams of light, or lines that look like beams ( rays )--
The cat sleeps where there are more rays of sunlight.

indeed, in deed

Indeed or indeed ( one word ) means in truth or in reality, sometimes used for effect or emphasis--
"A friend in need is a friend indeed."
Did you indeed see a monster under the bed?

In deed or in deed ( two words ) means ( in ) action or performance--
Try to be considerate in deed, as well as in speech.
He is always polite, in word and in deed.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If he were as brave in deed as he is in words, he would be a superhero indeed."

flight, flyte

Flight or flight means the act, capacity, or manner of moving through the air, or flying--
He got a wonderful video of an eagle in flight.
People dreamed of flight long before the Wright brothers.
The flight of a bee is different than the flight of a bird.

Flyte or flyte ( also spelled flite, rhymes with flight ) means to dispute or mock; to contend in words--
He let loose a scathing flyte, and the company waited for a response from his victim.
We'll need a dictionary to understand each word of this ancient flyte, but the general idea is clear.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He was skilled in the art of flyte; his words seemed to take flight and sting his target."

Note--"flit" means to dart quickly or to skim along--
Be quiet; we're watching a dragonfly flit over the water.