cheap, cheep

Cheap or cheap may mean inexpensive, in a good way, or shoddy, in a bad way--
Let's buy some of this--it's cheap!
This cheap stuff never works for long.
Cheap may also describe someone who refuses to part with money, even when spending would save money in the long run--
He was too cheap to maintain his car properly, so now he needs a new one.

Cheep or cheep ( rhymes with cheap ) is the sound some birds make--
Every time the bird said cheep, she gave him some more bread crumbs.
She liked to hear the little birds cheep.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He bought a cheap doormat that said "cheep" when someone stepped on it."

college, colleague

College or college ( pronounced coll ledge ) means a post-secondary school, or one of the departments of a university--
He planned to attend the local college after graduating from high school.
They like to watch college sports on weekends.

Colleague or colleague ( pronounced coll league ) means a co-worker or collaborator--
His colleague was a hard worker, and always did his share.
He was uncomfortable with his new colleague, but they soon got to know one another.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"His colleague on the new project had been his teammate in college."

Note--"collage" ( pronounced coe LAHJ ) means a work of art made by pasting bits of different colored or printed paper to a background of some kind--
He liked to tear pieces from magazines and paste them into a collage.

veil, vale, avail

Veil or veil means a piece of cloth that covers the face or part of the face--
An American bride often wears a white veil.
It is still the custom in some countries for a woman to wear a veil in public.

Vale or vale ( rhymes with veil )  is an old-fashioned word for "valley", meaning a depression in the landscape, as between two hills--
The sunset filled the vale with golden light.
Some people believe that life is meant to be a vale of tears.

Avail or avail ( one word, rhymes with a veil ) means usefulness, advantage or profit, usually of an action--
He tried every suggestion in the instruction manual, but to no avail.
To "avail oneself"  means to take advantage of an opportunity, or to help oneself  to something--
Since he had to go to California on business, they decided to avail themselves of the chance to visit the Pacific.

 Now that you know that, you can say--
"They searched all over the vale for the veil the bride had lost, but to no avail."

Note--"vale" ( pronounced voll-ay ) is a Latin word, meaning farewell--
Ave atque vale means hail and farewell, or greetings and good-bye.
Note # 2--you may see "vail" in an older book, meaning to be of use or profit.
"Vail" may also mean a tip or gratuity, or to lower something, including one's hat to the gentry.

rest, wrest

Rest or rest means to relax, or to take a nap or a break--
Let's rest for a while.
You should rest, or you'll be tired later.
Rest may mean a nap or a break--
You look tired. Why don't you lie down and get some rest?
We have been working all morning. It's time for a rest.
Rest may mean to lean on something--
He like to rest against the wall and watch everyone go by.
If you rest your foot on the step, you will be able to tie your shoe.
Rest also means the remainder--
What happened to the rest of the cereal?
Are you going to watch TV for the rest of the day?
Rest is used in several expressions--
Give it a rest!
This is no time to rest on your laurels.
The deceased will be laid to rest on Tuesday.

Wrest or wrest ( rhymes with rest ) means to struggle with someone for possession of a thing--
He got a firm grip on the weapon and tried to wrest it from her.
The child would not let his playmate wrest the toy from him.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He needed a rest before making another attempt to wrest the remote control from his roommate."

Note--a "rest" may mean a type of musical notation, denoting a pause--
You didn't notice that there's a rest here.
A "rest" may also mean a thing specifically used to support something --
She used a saucer for a spoon rest.
The chair had a comfortable back rest.
This piece of wood will make a rest for your tools.
Rest also means a nap or a break--
Let's take a rest.
Not to be confused with "arrest", literally meaning to stop, but usually meaning to be taken into custody by the police--
The police read him his rights because he was under arrest.

shoe, shoo

Shoe or shoe means footwear, singular ( only one )--
He had a nail in his shoe, and had to stop to remove it.
"One, two, buckle my shoe..."

Shoo or shoo ( rhymes with shoe ) means to cause or force a cat, dog, or some other animal to leave a house, a room, or another place--
Shoo the cat away from the stove; I'm cooking.
Shoo! You're being a nuisance!

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He tried to shoo the barking dog away by throwing a shoe at it."

Note--the plural of  "shoe" is "shoes" ( pronounced shooze ) or "a pair of shoes"--
My shoes got wet in the rain.
Not to be confused with "shoos" ( rhymes with shoes ), the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "shoo"--
She shoos that cat away every day, but it keeps coming back.

label, lapel

Label or label ( pronounced LAY bell ) means the slip of paper or plastic that identifies the contents of a can, jar, bottle, box, or another container--
The label says to keep this refrigerated.
If you label each of the boxes, we'll know what's in them when we want to unpack.

Lapel or lapel ( pronounced luh PELL ) means the part of a jacket or coat collar that is folded back to leave a "V" shape in the front--
When he got dressed up, he always wore a carnation on his lapel.
He is still wearing a campaign button from the last election on his lapel.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The label on the can says that this cleaning fluid will remove the spot from my lapel."

wig, whig

Wig or wig means a hairpiece, or an artificial, removable  head of hair--
She shaved her head, but later regretted it and wore a wig.
No one will know it's a wig--really.

Whig or whig ( rhymes with wig ) means a member of a political party now defunct in the United States--
Instead of democrat or republican, people were once whig or tory.
An American whig was someone in favor of independence from England.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"A whig rarely wears a wig, so the man is probably a tory."