memories, memorize

Memories or memories ( mem or eez ) is the plural ( more than one ) of "memory", meaning something kept in mind, or brought to mind from what someone has learned or experienced--
The old people like to sit and share memories of when they were young.
He had a lot of fond memories of his life back home on the farm.
Memories may also be the plural of "memory", meaning the mental faculty, or ability to remember--
Many old people have trouble with their memories.
Our memories get a real workout in this class.

Memorize or memorize ( mem or ize ) means to commit to memory, so as to be able to recall at some future time--for an exam or test, for example--
We have to memorize all of these vocabulary words for a quiz on Friday.
I am trying to memorize all of the important points in this chapter, but I keep forgetting some of them.

Now that you know that you can say--
"The students were sure that their memories were worn out, after all the words they had to memorize."

Note--"memory's" ( rhymes with memories ) may be the possessive ( belonging to ) form of "memory"--
The new medication should improve his memory's function.
"Memory's" may also be a contraction ( short, informal form ) of "memory is"--
His memory's not what it used to be.

grade, grayed

Grade or grade means level or stage--
She is in the 5th grade.
He will be in a higher pay grade next year.

Grade also means a measure of quality, physical or intellectual--
This is a higher grade of diamond, so it's more expansive.
She got a good grade on her last exam.

Grade also means to decide on a level of quality, or to judge the level of quality--
The teacher will grade our papers this week.
He will grade the papers by tomorrow.

Grade also means the level of a road or trail, or to make a road or trail level.--
This trail still has a steep grade.
The road crew will grade this until it is nearly level.

Grayed or grayed ( rhymes with grade ) means turned gray, as of hair or unpainted wood--
By the time he turned 50, his hair had grayed.
The unpainted house grayed with the years.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"His mother was sure that worry over his failing grade was the reason her hair had grayed so quickly."

Note--"grey"  is either British, or it was written a long time ago.

prose, pros

Prose or prose means writing that is not in verse, or not poetry--
He is famous for his poetry, but his prose is even better.
There are two kinds of writing--prose and poetry.

Pros or pros ( rhymes with prose ) may be the plural ( more than one ) of "pro", short for professional--
He may play another year as an amateur before he joins the pros.
Pros may also be the plural of "pro", meaning for, or not against--
The pros outnumber the cons by six votes.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The real writing pros can have 500 words of prose ready in less than an hour."

Note--"pro" is also a Latin word, meaning "for"--
The lawyer will take the case pro bono.

led, LED

Led or led ( rhymes with head ) is the past tense of "lead" ( rhymes with bead ), meaning to direct or to go in advance of--
"Seventy-six trombones led the big parade..."
The captain led his troops into battle.

LED ( always capitalized, "ell ee dee" ) stands for "light-emitting diode"--
An LED looks like a miniature light bulb.
Your digital display may be an example of an LED.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The invention of the LED led to the development of a low-energy light bulb for home use."

Note--"lead" may also mean the metal or element ( pronounced to rhyme with head )--
Lead protects Superman from kryptonite.
The dentist puts an apron full of lead pellets on patients before an x-ray.
Note # 2--"LCD" ( ell cee dee ) stands for "liquid crystal display"--
New TV's usually have an LCD screen.

coin, coign, quoin

Coin or coin means a disk of metal of some kind, used as money--
 "May you purse always hold a coin or two..."
This machine doesn't accept bills; we'll have to look for a dollar coin.

Coin also means to make metal into money--
Only the government may coin money.
The U.S. Mint is where you can watch our government coin money.

Coin also means to invent a new word or phrase--
He was sure that he had coined a new phrase, but no one repeated it.
Texting inspired him to coin several new phrases, such as "R U home?"

Quoin or quoin ( rhymes with coin, sometimes spelled Coign or coign ) means the outside corner of a brick or stone building--
At a quoin of the building you will see a cornerstone, with the year of its construction carved on it."
The old man stood by a quoin of the wall, asking alms of passersby.

Quoin also means a wedge or corner-shaped brick or block--
The building is red brick, but each layer has a quoin made of a different material.
Printers still use a quoin to hold type securely in the tray.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"At a quoin of the old stone wall, the old man found a gold coin."

diverse, divers

Diverse or diverse ( dih VERSE or digh VERSE ) means of various or different kinds--
It was a diverse crowd--old, young, male and female.
This restaurant has a dessert cart with a diverse assortment of pastries.

Divers or divers ( DIGH verz )  is an old-fashioned word meaning several, or an assortment--
He chose divers of the employees to work overtime.
He dumped his clothes and divers articles out of his suitcase, looking for the key.

Divers ( DIGH verz )  may also be the plural ( more than one ) of "diver", meaning someone who goes under water, or who jumps into the water--
Tell the divers not to climb the ladder until the board is empty.
Warn the divers that there are rocks below the water on the other side.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The divers performed a diverse selection of stunts, followed by divers of them jumping at the same time."

facts, fax

Facts or facts is the plural ( more than one ) of "fact", meaning a bit of information, or a statement of truth or reality, as opposed to error or fantasy--
Make sure to check your facts before you submit your report.
Trivial rumors are often accepted as facts, if they are repeated often enough.

Fax or fax ( rhymes with facts ) is an abbreviation ( short form ) of "facsimile", meaning a reproduction, as in a scan or photocopy--
Remember the fax machine? Almost no one uses them now.
You can fax the documents to this number.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Please fax the documents, complete with all the necessary facts, by the end of the week."

Note--"factor" ( one word ) means one of the elements of a result or state of affairs--
His abrasive personality was the main factor in his professional difficulties.
"Factor" also means an agent, most commonly a financial agent who does business for someone else--
He will be acting as the company's factor for all shipments of goods overseas.
Factor also means one of the numbers that may be multiplied to make a specific product; a divisor--
Is 7 a factor of 42?
Factor may be used as a verb ( action word ), meaning to find one of the divisors of, or, figuratively, to consider the elements that make up a result or state of affairs--
If you factor in her age, her health is really pretty good.
Not to be confused with "fact or" ( two words ), meaning a bit of information or reality, as an alternative to error or fantasy --
Is this fact or fiction?
Note# 2--the plural ( more than one ) of "factor" is  "factors"--
We have considered all of the relevant factors, and are ready to make a decision.
"Factors" may also be the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of the verb "factor"--
When he factors in all of the pertinent data, the result may be different.
Not to be confused with "facts or", meaning more than one fact or bit of information, considered with an alternative--
Are these facts or rumors?
Not to be confused with "fax or", meaning a facsimile document, considered with an alternative--
Do you want these documents by fax or by mail?