sure, shore

Sure or sure means certain or convinced--
Are you sure that's the right number?
He was sure he had met her somewhere before.

Shore or shore ( rhymes with sure ) means the beach, or the land bordering an ocean or lake--
Let's go to the shore for the day.
They liked to visit the shore in the summer.
To a sailor, shore means land--
The sailors were always glad to be on the shore.
The sailors had shore leave for the day.
Shore also means to brace something physical by propping it up with a beam or post--
He tried to shore up the garage wall with some pieces of lumber.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Are you sure this is the way to the shore?"

Note--"seashore" is another way of saying "shore"--
You might "see the shore", or "see the seashore", or be "sure you see the seashore".

rap, wrap

Rap or rap may be a verb ( action word ), meaning to knock lightly or quickly--
He liked to rap his knuckles on the table, even though it annoyed her.
As a  noun ( thing or idea ) rap means a light or sharp knock--
Make sure to give a loud rap on the door, so we'll know it's you.

Rap is also a form of popular music--
Did you hear the new rap song?

Wrap or wrap ( rhymes with rap ) means to cover something on all sides--
Wrap the baby up in a blanket. It's cold out.
Let's buy some paper to wrap the present.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Give a rap at the door before you come in. I don't want her to look while I wrap the present."

Note--"rap" is also slang for a criminal indictment--
A "bum rap" or a "bad rap" means a false conviction.
To "beat a rap" means to be found not guilty.
Note # 2--to "wrap up" may mean to finish a project or discussion--
Let's wrap this up.
Let's wrap up the meeting by taking questions from the audience.

bore, boar, boor

Bore or bore means to cut a round  hole into--
They needed to bore a hole through the mountain to construct the tunnel.
He tried to bore a hole through the wall.
The past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) form of "bore" is "bored".
Bore or bore is also a measure of the inside of the hole--
The bore is the measure of the inside of the barrel of a gun or cannon.

Bore or bore is also the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) form of "bear", meaning to carry a load or burden, or to tolerate or put up with something--
Without his horse to help him, he bore the load alone.
He bore her nagging with patience for forty years.
Bore is also the past tense of "bear",  meaning to have a baby--as in to "bear a child"--
His wife bore him many sons.
She bore a child after several years of marriage.

Bore also means to fail to sustain the interest of an intended audience, by being dull and tiresome--as a verb ( action word ) or a noun ( thing or idea )--
Long lectures nearly.always bore students.
The new comedian was a bore.
The audience was bored.

Boar or boar ( rhymes with bore ) is a male pig or hog--
The coat of arms had a wild boar on it.
They went out to see the wild boar in the woods.

Boor or boor ( rhymes with bore )means a person with no social graces or manners--someone who says awkward and annoying things, and spills at parties--
They thought the new co-worker was a boor, and didn't invite him again.
Don't talk about money so personally. People will think you are a boor.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"They all found the speech on the wild boar a bore, and the speaker a boor."


Note--a "Boer" is a descendant of the Dutch settlers in South Africa--
The British fought the Dutch in the Boer War.

all, awl

All or all means the entire lot, set or quantity of--
Did you have to eat all of the cookies?
He spent all of his money on comic books.
All may also mean completely--
Are you all right?
Is it all finished?

Awl or awl ( rhymes with all ) means a tool used for boring holes--
He made a new hole in his belt with an awl.
Don't let junior play with the awl. It's sharp, and he might get hurt.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If I had an awl, I could make new holes for all of the shoelaces."

Note--"all right" is always 2 words, meaning "is everything right?", or "everything is right"--
Are you all right?
We are all right.
Are the answers all right?
The answers are all right.
"Already" ( one word, one "l" ) means "so soon?" or "so quickly"--
Is it quitting time already?
Are we already home?
We are already home!
Are we going already?
We are going already!
"All ready"  ( 2 words, 2 "l's" ) means "everything or everyone set to go", or "everything or everyone prepared"--
I was waiting until dinner was all ready to call everyone to the table.
We are all ready to go.
We are all ready to go already.

way, weigh, whey

Way or way means a path or course, or a method or means of doing something--
Do you know the way to San Jose?
Is this the way to the sports arena?
That is not the way to win friends and influence people.
That is not the right way to give a cat a bath.
That's one way of looking at the problem.
Way may mean a direction--
Look both ways before you cross the street.
Is this a one-way street?
Way may mean a manner, habit, or custom--
He spoke in an old-fashioned way.
It is the way of new Yorkers to butt in line.
Way or ways may mean an aspect or approach--in a physical or in a mental sense--
I disagree with this editorial in some ways, but agree with it in others.

Weigh or weigh ( rhymes with way ) means to find out how heavy something is--
They put the baby on a scale to weigh him.
How much does this pumpkin weigh?
One may weigh in a mental or figurative sense--
He weighed the options, and decided to take the job.
The good recommendation will weigh in your favor.

Whey or whey ( rhymes with way ) is the watery milk left over when making cheese-
In the nursery rhyme, she was eating curds and whey.
Whey is newly popular with some vegetarians.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Do you know the proper way to weigh curds and whey?"

Note-- "a way" ( two words ), means a manner or method, direction or approach--
There must be a way  to fix this.
 "Away" ( one word ) means absent, at a distance, or in another direction--
He is away for the weekend.
"Throw away" means discard, or put in the trash--
She threw it away by accident.
"Aweigh" ( rhymes with away ) is an old-fashioned term for "weigh", meaning, nautically, to raise the anchor as a preparation for sailing--
"Fly, Navy, down the field, anchors aweigh..."

foul, fowl

Foul or foul means disgusting, dirty, or spoiled--
What is that foul smell?
Even a rat won't foul its own nest.
Foul may mean against the rules or unfair, as in some sports--
The fourth foul ball makes an out, in baseball.
"Foul play" is an expression from the old detective novels, meaning crime--
The detective began to suspect foul play.

Fowl or fowl ( rhymes with foul ) means a chicken, a duck, or another bird that is commonly eaten, such as a turkey or pheasant--
The fowl in the barnyard made a lot of noise.
They liked to hunt wild fowl in the woods.
Chickens are the most common domestic fowl.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The barnyard was foul with the mess made by the fowl."

Note--to "foul up" something means to make a mess of it, or to ruin it--
Be careful. Don't foul up, or the team will never let us forget it.
Something that is "fouled up" is ruined--
The old army word "snafu" is said to be an acronym for "situation normal, all fouled up".
"Fouling" means getting something dirty--
He never stops fouling his own nest.
 Note # 2--"foul language" means obscene language, cursing or swearing--
The student was sent to detention for his foul language.
Note # 3--a "fowler"  hunts fowl, such as geese or pheasants--
The fowler shot a duck and a partridge.
A "fowling piece" means a gun used for shooting fowl--
He kept his old fowling piece cleaned and oiled.

not, knot

Not or not is used to express a negative--a refusal, or the absence or denial of. Not may modify ( describe ) an action or a state of "being"--
It is not raining; we don't need an umbrella.
You may not go to the movies. It's too late.
It does not matter.
Do not do that.
We are not going.
We were not allowed to go.
It was not raining.
He is not sure.
"Isn't" is a contraction ( short form ) of "is not"--
It isn't raining.
"Doesn't" is a contraction of "does not"--
It doesn't matter.
"Don't" is a contraction of "do not"--
Don't do that.
"Aren't" is a contraction of "are not"--
We aren't going.
"Weren't" is a contraction of "were not"--
We weren't allowed to go.
"Wasn't" is a contraction of "was not"--
It wasn't raining.
"Won't" is a contraction of "will not"--
He won't answer.
"Can't" is a contraction of "can not"--
He can't go with us.

Knot or knot ( rhymes with not ) may be what you get in your shoelaces when they become tangled or tied in a way you didn't intend. Knots are also made on purpose to secure or fasten things with string, rope, twine, or the like--
I got a knot in my shoelace.
The girl scout learned to make a square knot.
Something is "knotted" if it has knots in it--
The strings are all knotted. I can't get them loose.
A "knotty" problem is difficult to solve--
We may never straighten out this knotty problem.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"I meant to tie a bow, not a knot."

Note-- "Ain't" is always incorrect--
I'm not going.
I am not going.
You're not going.
You are not going.
He's not going. She's not going. It's not going.
He is not going. She is not going. It is not going.
We aren't going.
We are not going.
They aren't going.
They are not going.
Remember the old rhyme--
"Ain't ain't a word, ain't ain't in the dictionary, and I ain't gonna say ain't no more."
Don't write if you find "ain't" in a dictionary, unless it fails to note that "ain't" is incorrect with an inc. or something like it.
Note # 2--some more "not" contractions --
"couldn't"  for "could not"
"wouldn't" for "would not"
"shouldn't" for "should not"
"hasn't" for "has not"
"haven't" for "have not"
"shan't" for "shall not"
"mustn't" for "must not"