mood, mooed

Mood or mood means a passing state of mind or emotion --
Don't try to talk to him; he's in a bad mood.
Let's watch a movie; I'm in the mood for a thriller.

Mooed or mooed ( rhymes with mood ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "moo", meaning, said of a cow, to make a bellowing sound --
We tried to get the cow to move out of the road, but she just mooed at us.
Bossy mooed a greeting to the farmer when he entered the barn.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The old cow was in no mood for nonsense, and mooed angrily to tell us so."

Monday, mundane

Monday ( always capitalized ) means the first day of the work week; the day between Sunday and Tuesday --
We'll see you first thing Monday morning.
Some people call Sunday the first day of the week, and some say Monday is the start of the week.

Mundane or mundane ( almost rhymes with Monday ) describes something that is a part of the world of everyday cares; something dull, routine, or uninteresting --
Our new intern can work on the more mundane tasks until he gets some experience.
He gets bored with his mundane existence, and longs for something different.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He's usually tired on Monday, and works on the more mundane assignments."

intuition, in tuition

Intuition or intuition ( one word ) means the capacity to understand something without using thought or reason, using instinct or emotion --
It sounds reasonable, but my intuition tells me it's a bad idea.
Use your intuition, but look for evidence, too.

In tuition or in tuition ( two words ) means [ in ] fees paid to a school or college, or for instruction of some kind ( tuition ) --
He still owes thousands in tuition; he won't be able to graduate until it's paid.
There will be another increase in tuition next year.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"We paid a fortune in tuition, and she still decides things by intuition."

insolvent, in solvent

Insolvent or insolvent ( one word )  means bankrupt; unable to pay debts and bills --
The company is insolvent, and will probably be sold.
He is insolvent; he may declare bankruptcy.

In solvent or in solvent ( two words ) means [ in ] a liquid used to dissolve something ( solvent )--
Those brushes will be fine if you leave them in solvent overnight.
The particles are suspended in solvent; they should be evenly distributed.

Now that you know that you can say--
"This business is insolvent; the parts left soaking in solvent will have to be disposed of properly."

Note -- "solvent" also means able to pay debts and bills --
The company is solvent now, but how long can it remain profitable?

coy, koi

Coy or coy means speaking or interacting with false or pretended shyness or modesty--
She enjoys the attention; she's just being coy.
Don't be coy; tell them why they should hire you.

Koi or koi ( rhymes with coy ) means the ornamental carp from Japan, often seen in garden ponds --
We should put some koi in the pond.
Give the children some bread to feed the koi.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She's coy when people admire her koi; she never mentions all the time she spends caring for them."

a stray, astray

A stray or a stray ( two words ) means one ( a ) something or someone separated from its group or not in the right place ( stray )--
There is a stray dog outside; I called the pound.
I found a stray spoon in the garden; the children must have been digging with it.

Astray or astray ( one word ) describes someone or something that has moved away from the right path or correct route, literally or figuratively --
"We're little lost sheep who have gone astray..."
He was led astray by evil companions, your honor.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"One of our sheep went astray, but a stray dog chased him home."

royal, roil

Royal or royal describes something related to a king, a queen, or a kingdom --
He wants to visit the royal palace.
He claims to be of royal blood.

Roil or roil means to churn or stir up water or some other liquid, making it cloudy --
If you are careful not to roil the water, you'll be able to see the fish.
Don't roil the wine; handle it carefully.

Roil may also mean, figuratively,  to agitate or disturb --
Don't roil him with your teasing; he'll be hard to live with.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"One mention of the royal family will roil him to republican speechifying."

ache, ague

Ache or ache means a constant or long-lasting dull pain, either physical or emotional --
His cast came off yesterday, but he still has an ache in his leg.
He felt an ache in his heart every time he thought of her.

Ache may also mean to suffer with constant or long-lasting dull pain --
What a game! I ache all over!
That noise makes my head ache.

Ague or ague means a fit of fever, chills, sweating, and pains in the joints, caused by influenza,  malaria, or some other illness --
He has been in bed all week with the ague.
This will help with the joint pains until he gets over the ague.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The ague left him with an ache in his hip that isn't getting any better."

gaffe, gaff

Gaffe or gaffe means a social blunder--
He is still embarrassed about his gaffe at last night's party.
He got her name wrong, a minor gaffe she'll soon forget.

Gaff or gaff ( rhymes with gaffe ) means a stick with a hook on the end, used for fishing--
Get the gaff, I'll need your help landing this fish.
Be careful, don't play with the gaff.

Gaff may also mean to land or spear a fish, using a stick with a hook on the end--
If you reel him in a bit, I'll try to gaff him.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He dropped the gaff in the water-- a fishing gaffe he won't soon forget."

insincere, in sincere

Insincere or insincere ( one word ) means not genuine; hypocritical --
He says he wants the job, but he seems insincere.
His grief may be insincere, but it would be awful to mention it.

In sincere or in sincere ( two words ) means [ in ] free from pretense; genuine --
This award is given in sincere appreciation of many years of loyal service.
He is in sincere sympathy with the protesters.

Now that you know that, you can say --
"This apology is insincere; write it again in sincere tones."

hypocritical, hypercritical

Hypocritical or hypocritical means saying that you live by a certain code or standard, but behaving in a way that proves you insincere--
He pretends to be ambitious, but he's actually lazy and somewhat hypocritical.
She's hypocritical --"do as I say, not as I do" is her motto.

Hypercritical or hypercritical means excessively hard to please or fault-finding--
A visit from her hypercritical in-laws always wore her nerves to a frazzle.
Don't let her annoy you; she tends to be hypercritical.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He says "don't judge" in a hypocritical tone, because he's actually hypercritical."

Note--"Hippocratic" is the name of the oath taken by doctors, named for Hippocrates, a physician of Ancient Greece--
"Above all do no harm" is part of the Hippocratic Oath.

gall, Gaul

Gall or gall means bile, or some other bitter substance--
"A honey tongue, a heart of gall..."
"...they gave him wine to drink, mixed with gall..."

Gall also means to cause a sore by rubbing--
Fasten the saddle properly, or it will gall the horse.

Gall may mean a growth on a tree or plant--
A gall like this may be caused by insects.

Gall may also mean a brazen, rude, impudent, attitude--
He had the gall to tell me I ought to retire!

Gall may also mean to cause resentment or bitterness--
Being slighted may gall him, but he'll get over it.

Gaul ( always capitalized, rhymes with gall ) means an ancient country located where France is today, but a bit larger, including parts of the territory of Belgium, Germany, and Italy--
"All Gaul is divided into three parts."
The buildings the Romans left behind in Gaul are still a tourist attraction in France today.

Gaul may also mean one of the people of the ancient country that is France today--
Vercingetorix, the famous Gaul, was captured by the Romans.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He had the gall to tell me that he knows more about Gaul than anyone."

Note--"Gallic" ( always capitalized ) describes someone or something from Gaul--
Julius Caesar wrote an account of the Gallic wars that is still a classic.

a tune, attune

A tune or a tune ( two words, one t ) means one ( a ) melody or strain of music ( tune )--
I have a tune stuck in my head, but I can't remember the name of it.
He composed a tune to use in the commercial.

Attune or attune ( one word, two t's ) means to become more aware or receptive, or to make more aware or receptive--
He meditates in an attempt to attune himself to nature.
He hopes to attune the firm's product line to the younger consumers.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He constantly hums a tune, and claims it helps him to attune himself to the demands of his job."

Note--"a toon" ( rhymes with attune ) means one animated or cartoon being--
Roger Rabbit isn't real, he's a toon.

accurate, a curate

Accurate or accurate ( one word, two c's ) means correct in all details; precise; hitting the mark or target--
I'm sure his figures are accurate; he's very experienced.
The description was accurate; it's fabulous.

A curate or a curate ( two words, one c ) means an assistant clergyman, one who helps a priest or minister with pastoral duties--
The old minister seemed overworked, and in need of a curate.
He worked as a curate in a small rural parish.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He relies on a curate for accurate information about his parishioners."

a stir, astir

A stir or a stir ( two words ) means one ( a ) act of mixing something, most commonly food or drink, by moving a spoon or utensil through it ( stir )--
Give the soup a stir when you go in the kitchen.
She burned the gravy; she never gave it a stir.

A stir or a stir ( two words ) may also mean one ( a ) commotion or todo ( stir )--
There is a stir in the hall; do you know what's going on?
His entrance caused quite a stir.

Astir or astir ( one word ) means bustling, in a state of activity, or moving about--
It was a quiet night; no one was astir.
He is never astir before nine.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"There is a stir at the train station, the whole city seems to be astir."

a fire, afire

A fire or a fire ( two words ) means one ( a ) set of flames or burning objects ( fire )--
There was a fire in the store last night.
We lit a fire in the old wood-burning stove.

Afire or afire ( one word ) is an old-fashioned term meaning in flames or burning--
The old ship was afire, and they feared for their lives.
They could see smoke from a mile away; and they wondered if the town was afire.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He smelled smoke, and suspected a fire, but he never imagined his own barn afire."

along, a long

Along or along ( one word ) describes movement in a particular direction; of a particular kind; or beside a particular object or place--
If you move along to the right, there will be room for us to get by.
He strolled along, and never noticed how late it was getting.
He walked back and forth along the fence, hoping to see her pass by.

Along or along may also be an informal term meaning with ( I, us, you, him, her,them )--
Take an umbrella along, in case it rains.
We're going shopping; would you like to come along?

A long or a long ( two words ) describes something ( a ) that measures a great distance from one end to the other ( long ) literally or figuratively--
"But we've come such a long way already!"
You'll need a long piece of string, to start.
He made a long speech, and the audience grew restless.
We'll have a long vacation next month.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"You can go along the creek until you get to the road but it's a long walk."

becoming, be coming

Becoming or becoming ( one word ) is a participle ( used with a helper verb ) of "become", meaning to change or grow into; to begin to be--
It was late, and she was becoming anxious.
That habit seemed cute at first, but it's becoming annoying.

Becoming or becoming is also an old-fashioned term for flattering or suitable, as clothing or a hairstyle might be--
Her new hairdo is very becoming.
Bright colors are so becoming when the weather is warm.

Be coming or be coming ( two words ) means [ be ] arriving or approaching--
Will you be coming to the picnic?
Winter will be coming soon; we should have the furnace serviced.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He's becoming a pest; I hope he won't be coming to the party."

cupola, copula

Cupola or cupola means a small dome on top of a roof, usually set on a cylinder or drum--
He is on top of the gazebo, painting the cupola.
If you look out the upstairs window, you can see the cupola on top of the school.

Copula or copula means a link or tie, meaning a word used to link the subject of a sentence to its complement--
A copula is most commonly a form of the verb "to be".
"He was late."  The copula is "was".

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Find the copula in this sentence: The cupola is charming."

haze, hays

Haze or haze means dust or vapor causing a mist or fog, literally or figuratively--
There's a haze in the lobby, but I don't smell smoke.
He's in a haze; he was out late last night.

Hays or hays ( rhymes with haze ) is the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "hay", meaning to cut and store dried grass for animal fodder--
The farmer hays here in the end of July.
He usually hays enough to feed his cows all year.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"When he hays this field, there is a haze from here to the road."

Note-- "hay's" ( rhymes with haze ) may be a contraction ( short, informal form ) of "hay is", meaning the dried cut grass [ is ]--
The hay's almost gone; we'll have to buy some.
"Hay's" may also be the possessive ( belonging to ) form of "hay", meaning dried cut grass--
He enjoys the hay's scent; he doesn't mind mowing.

francolin, franklin

Francolin or francolin means a type of partridge or game bird  native to Africa and part of Asia--
They offered us some roasted francolin, and we enjoyed it.
If you look closely, you will see a francolin in the tall grass.

Franklin or franklin means a freeholder or petty landowner, in 14th or 15th century England--
He traced his family tree back to a franklin from 1452.
He was a franklin, not an aristocrat.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The franklin sat eating his partridge like a great chief with a roast francolin."

Note--"Franklin" may also be a slang term for a hundred dollar bill--
Don't get a ticket; it will cost you a Franklin.

budget, budge it

Budget or budget ( one word ) means an estimate or plan of expenditures for a certain purpose or period of time--
Our grocery budget is really unrealistic; we can't seem to stick to it.
There's no money left in the budget this month for a night out.

Budget may also mean to estimate or plan expenditures--
Let's budget our money so that we can afford some new furniture.
Make sure to budget your paycheck so that you can pay the bills.

Budget may also describe a low-cost item or service--
They're selling budget housewares; do we need any?
It's that budget home remodeling telemarketer again; he calls every week.

Budge it or budge it ( two words, almost rhymes with budget ) means to move [ it ] the least bit, physically or mentally--
This door is stuck; I can't budge it.
Maybe we can at least budge it if we all pull together.
He's sticking to his decision; pleading won't budge it.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If we budget our resources, we may be able to budge it, and maybe work it loose."