liberty, libertine

Liberty or liberty means freedom, personal or political --
"My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty..."
One person's liberty ends where another's begins.

Libertine or libertine is an old-fashioned term for a person of loose morals, a party animal or playboy --
He wants to live like a libertine of the 18th century.
They called him a libertine because he lived with several different women, but never married.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She was a real libertine; she advocated social and sexual liberty, among other things."

automation, automaton

Automation or automation means the use of machines or electronic devices to do work once done by people --
Increasing automation means increasing unemployment.
Many factories are now run almost entirely through automation.

Automaton or automaton means a robot, or a pre-programmed device of some kind --
He plans to make an automaton that will be able to make intelligent decisions.
She moved stiffly and artificially, like an automaton.

Now that you know that you can say--
"When the automation is complete, an automaton will be able to run all of this machinery."

assailable, a salable

Assailable or assailable means vulnerable to attack, literally or figuratively --
The fortress is assailable only from the north; the other sides are surrounded by water.
The opposition has found our candidate assailable through his personal connections.

A salable or a salable ( also a saleable, rhymes with assailable ) describes something ( a ) that is good enough to sell, or that can be sold for cash ( salable ) --
This is still a salable item, but you won't get much for it.
People buy gold because it is nearly always a salable commodity.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"They think his business record is assailable, but he never promotes anything except a salable painting."

fail, flail

Fail or fail means not succeed, or not work as planned or needed--
If you fail this course, you'll have to repeat it next semester.
Our plan will fail if we don't stick to the schedule.

Fail, said of a business, means to become bankrupt --
During the 1930's, a run on the bank could cause it to fail.

Flail or flail means a farm implement; a short pole with a heavy stick that swings free attached to the end, for threshing or beating grain --
He has a flail and some old rakes hanging on the wall.
This flail was used to separate the grain from the chaff.

Flail also means to swing wildly, or to beat as with a farm implement --
She saw his arms flail about, and wondered what he was swinging at.
He used the handle to flail the assailant on all sides.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"This project will fail if we continue to flail about, taking swings at each problem, but not solving any of them."

prominent, preeminent

Prominent or prominent describes something that stands out or that is easily noticed, or someone who is well-known, professionally --
After a few miles you will see a prominent ridge; turn right at the next intersection.
He has been a prominent member of the town council for many years.

Preeminent or preeminent ( also spelled pre-eminent ) describes a person who is the most famous, best qualified or most distinguished in some field or occupation --
He is the country's preeminent economist; let's ask him what he thinks.
She had the assistance of the preeminent researcher in her field.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"We'll need to choose the preeminent applicant from a group with several prominent candidates."

chow, ciao

Chow or chow is an informal word for food --
I'm hungry; let's get some chow.
There's plenty of chow, and the drinks are in the cooler.

Chow is also a breed of dog --
That chow must be hot in this weather.
He wanted a chow, but they can be impatient with children.

Ciao or ciao ( rhymes with chow ) is an Italian word frequently used by English speakers, meaning good-bye or hello --
See you at work tomorrow. Ciao!
Ciao! I didn't expect to see a familiar face!

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Let's meet for some chow after work on Friday. Ciao!"

Note-- "chow hound" means someone who thinks about and pursues food constantly--
He's a real chow hound; always first in line for food."

Taurus, torus

Taurus ( always capitalized ) means the constellation seen in late Spring, or the sign of the zodiac associated with it --
At this time of year Taurus is visible in the Northern Hemisphere.
He says he's a Taurus, and that's not compatible with her sign.

Torus or torus describes something three dimensional, round with a hole in the center --
A doughnut with a hole in the middle is a torus.
He's looking for a computer program that will help him to graph a torus.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Look through the part shaped like a torus, and you will see Taurus just above the horizon."