current, currant

Current or current means the flow or movement of a river or stream--
It's hard to swim against the current.
The current of a stream can still be used to power a mill wheel.
Current also means up-to-date, or happening in the present, not the past--
Our teacher asked us to bring a newspaper article to class, to discuss current events.
There are several current theories about the recent crime wave.

Currant or currant means a kind of berry used in baked goods and liqueurs--
Creme de cassis is flavored with currants.
The bakery had currant buns in the window.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The current fashion calls for herbal tea and currant scones for brunch."

Note--"concurrent" means happening at the same time ( as another incident or event )--
 The sale was designed to be concurrent with the promotion of the new model.
Note # 2--"currently" means at the present time--
"We are currently experiencing difficulties with our computer system."
Note # 3--"currency" means money--present day, currently circulating paper money--
It isn't safe to transport large amounts of currency.

slow, sloe

Slow or slow describes a person or thing taking more than the usual amount of time for an action or function--
What time is it? My watch is slow.
Pay attention. There's a "SLOW" sign up ahead.

Sloe or sloe ( rhymes with slow ) means a currant--a kind of a berry used in cakes and liqueurs--
Sloe gin is made with blackcurrants.
Sloe-eyed means having dark eyes, especially where that is not common.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The recipe for sloe preserves calls for very slow cooking."

Note--"slowly" is an adverb--it describes a verb, or an action--
Must you walk so slowly? We'll never get there.
The boat glided slowly over the water.

muscle, mussel

Muscle or muscle means the body tissue that produces movement when we flex it, expand it or contract it--
Diet and exercise are meant to increase muscle and decrease fat.
She pulled a muscle working out, and has to take a few days off.
Her muscles ached after the long walk.

Mussel or mussel ( rhymes with muscle ) means the small dark blue or black teardrop-shaped creature that has two shells, like a clam or an oyster--
Mussels in red sauce are a local specialty.
He found a mussel shell on the beach and used it to dig a moat for the sand castle.
"Crying cockles and mussels, alive, alive oh..."

Now that you know that, you can say--
"If you want to open the mussel shell, you have to cut through the muscle at the hinge."

Note--to "muscle" your way means to push and shove--
He muscled his way through the crowd.
To be "muscled" or "well-muscled" means to have prominent muscles, or to be muscular--
The body builders were all very muscular looking.
The body builders all looked well muscled.

cash, cache

Cash or cash means money--the green kind with the pictures of Americans of the past on it--
I need to stop at an ATM to get some cash.
We're out of cash, and this store doesn't accept credit cards.
Cash may be used as a verb ( action word ), meaning to present a check to a bank for cash--
He stopped at the bank to cash his paycheck.
Ask the teller if you can cash a check.

Cache or cache ( rhymes with cash ) means to hide in a secret place. Cache also means the secret place in which things are hidden, or the things hidden in the secret place--
He decided to cache the valuables in the chimney.
It took all night to find the cache where they had hidden the loot.
The burglars never found the cache of jewelry hidden under the floor.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Using the oven as a cache for the cash was a bad idea, they decided, when they heard the smoke alarm."

Note--"cashed" is the past tense of the verb ( action word ) "cash", meaning someone took a check to the bank to redeem it for cash--
I cashed my check on Friday.
"Cached" is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "cache", meaning hidden--
He cached the stuff where no one will find it.

Note # 2--"cashes" is the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "cash", meaning to redeem for cash--
He cashes his check on Fridays.
"Caches" may mean the plural ( more than one ) of  "cache", or it may be the he, she, it form of "cache"--
There are several caches of stolen goods in this house.
Or  "caches"  may be the third person singular ( he, she, it )  form of "cache"--
He caches his loot in the floorboards.

sore, soar

Sore or sore describes a tender or aching body part, as from a recent injury, surgery, or overexertion--
She tried jogging, but it made her feet sore.
His arm is still sore from the shot the doctor gave him
Sore is also a noun ( thing or idea ), meaning a blister or infected spot--
She had a sore on her foot from her new shoes.
The bee sting left a sore that burned for days.

Soar or soar ( rhymes with sore ) means to glide through the air. A plane or a bird may soar--
He used binoculars to watch the falcon soar into the distance.
They watched until they saw the plane soar into the clouds.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"I have been watching those eagles soar for hours, wondering if their wings ever get sore."

Note--a "sore spot" may be figurative, as in the thing your friend doesn't like to hear mentioned--
Don't talk about work with him--it's a sore spot.
Note # 2--to "be sore" is out of date slang for to be angry--
Gee, Mom and Dad will be sore when we get home.

tied, tide

Tied or tied is the past ( yesterday, or some time ago ) form of "tie", meaning to secure with a knot or bow--
We tied some balloons to the mailbox so our guests will be able to find the house.
I tied my shoelace in a knot, and I can't work it loose.

Tide or tide ( rhymes with tied ) means the cyclical movement of the oceans, measured by how far up the beach the water rises--
They waited for low tide to dig for clams.
When the tide is high, we'll leave to go fishing.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"We tied up the boat at high tide, and when the tide went out it keeled over."

Note--the ocean's tide may be in or out, low or high, and even "ebb" or "neap"--
We'll leave when the tide's in.
Is the tide in? No it's out.
Not to be confused with something that is "tied in"--
This product is tied in with that new TV show.

oversees , overseas

Oversees or oversees is the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of  "oversee", meaning to supervise or to be in charge of--
Our supervisor oversees all of that type of work.
That man oversees all of the company's manufacturing.

Overseas or overseas ( rhymes with oversees ) means someplace that is across the ocean from the United States--
It cost a small fortune to have everything shipped overseas when they moved to France.
He spent four years in the army, but was never sent overseas.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He oversees all of our firm's overseas shipping."

Note--"over the sea" means sailing on the ocean, or traveling across it--
They thought their boat might take them over the sea, and liked to plan for the trip.