costume, custom

Costume or costume means an outfit worn to pretend to be someone or something else--
You won't recognize him in his Halloween costume.
We couldn't find a pirate costume, so we'll have to make one.
Costume is also an old-fashioned term for any outfit of clothes--
She looked quaint in her old-fashioned costume.

Custom or custom means a traditional or usual way of doing things--
Bobbing for apples is an old custom.
The local custom is to leave the lights on for the trick-or-treaters.
Custom also means trade or patronage--
If this store doesn't have what I want, I will take my custom elsewhere.
Custom also means made-to-order or made-to-measure--
He had a suit custom-made, and looked very sophisticated.
We will have to order some custom-made drapes, because nothing in the stores is the right size.

 Now that you know that, you can say--
"In America, it is a Halloween custom to wear a costume and go trick-or-treating."

Note--"accustom" ( one word ) means to be used to, or familiar with--
The teacher gave short assignments often, to help accustom the students to regular homework.
Not to be confused with "a custom" ( two words ), meaning a traditional or usual way of doing things--
Our neighbors have a custom of sitting outside on Halloween night.
Note # 2--a "customer" means someone who patronizes a store or business--
"The customer is always right."
Not to be confused with a "costumer", who makes costumes, for the stage, the movies, or for a special event--
The costumer said that our gowns would be ready by the weekend.

airy, aerie, eerie

Airy or airy ( pronounced air ee ) means letting in air, or with room for air to circulate--
This room is nice and airy when all of the windows are open.
Airy may also be used figuratively, to mean light and breezy--
She dismissed his objections with an airy manner.

Aerie or aerie ( pronounced to rhyme with airy or with eerie ) means the nest of an eagle or hawk, built in a high, remote place--
The photographer had to scale a cliff to get to the eagle's aerie.
They built a platform on top of the tree, hoping a hawk would use it as an aerie.

Eerie or eerie ( pronounced ee ree ) means unearthly or scary, as in a ghost story--
The new movie promises to be an eerie tale of the supernatural.
The eerie sound was really just the howling of the wind.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The breeze in the room made it feel airy, as a treetop aerie might be, including  the eerie  howl of the wind."

Note--"Erie" ( rhymes with eerie ) is a city in Pennsylvania, or one of the Great Lakes--
Lake Erie borders on Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, Michigan, and Canada.
 Note # 2--"eery" is an old-fashioned spelling of "eerie"--
'Twas eery, and everyone was frightened, though some denied it.
Note # 2--"aery" is an old-fashioned spelling of "aerie".
"Aery" ( pronounced airy or AA er ee ) means light, ethereal, or unsubstantial, as mist or fog--
 The lighting made the scene seem like an aery vision.

sword, sward

Sword or sword ( pronounced sord ) means the weapon, shaped like a long knife, used in past centuries before guns were invented--
You can tell that he is an officer because he is wearing a sword.
His grandfather's sword hung over the fireplace, as a sort of decoration.

Sward or sward ( pronounced sword ) means an expanse of grass or lawn--
There was room to play ball on the sward in back of the house.
The land in front of the house was one unbroken sward.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He slashed at the long grass with his sword, hoping to turn the overgrown field into a sward."

Note--a "broadsword" is a very large sword, once used in battle--
He faced the enemy army and slew many of them with his broadsword.
A "broad sward" means a wide expanse of lawn or turf--
There is a broad sward beside the woods, just right for a picnic.
Note # 2--a "broken sword" means a sword broken in pieces--

He couldn't fight with his broken sword.
A "sward" might be broken by trees or shrubbery--
The vast sward was broken in a few places by clumps of shrubbery.

gate, gait

Gate or gate means the part of a fence that opens and closes, to let people in and out--
Make sure that you shut the gate, so the dog won't get out.
The gate is getting rusty; we should oil the hinges.

Gait or gait ( rhymes with gate ) means the way a person walks--
He walked with an unusual gait that was easy to recognize, even from a distance.
Gait also means the way a horse moves--
His gait was a mix of a canter and a gallop.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"His gait always changes to a steady trot before he tries to jump over the gate."

Note--a "gaiter" is a cloth or leather covering for the shoe, ankle, and lower leg--
The last time he wore a gaiter, it was part of a World War I uniform.
Not to be confused with a "gater" or "gator", which are both regional slang for an alligator--
When they asked if I had ever eaten gator, I thought they were joking.

broach, brooch

Broach or broach means rise to the top of the sea, as of a fish or submarine--
He looked over the side, and was surprised to see a large fish broach the surface.
Broach also means a sharp tool used to pierce something, as when tapping a keg--
He had an old-fashioned tool he used to broach the keg.
Broach or broach is more often used figuratively, meaning to bring something up for discussion or conversation, especially for the first time--
I am afraid to broach the subject with the boss, but I really need a raise.
He didn't want to broach the subject with everyone listening.

Brooch or brooch ( rhymes with broach, or with pooch ) means a clasp or pin, worn to secure a garment or as an ornament--
His mother gave me a pearl brooch when we were married.
I would like to have this old brooch mended; it's pretty.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Since it seems a good time to broach the subject, what happened to the brooch I gave you for Christmas?"

gram, graham

Gram or a gram means a unit for the measurement of weight--
Some grocery items are still measure by the ounce, instead of by the gram.
A gram of flour is really only a pinch. A kilogram is closer to two pounds.

Graham or graham ( rhymes with gram ) means a mixture of wheat flour and wheat germ--
Graham crackers are a favorite with toddlers.
She is making a cheesecake with a graham cracker crust.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"This recipe for graham crackers calls for one gram of wheat germ for each gram of wheat flour."

Note--"Graham" is also a male's given name, or a fairly common surname or family name--
Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone.
"Gram" may also be a family nickname for a grandmother--
What shall we get Gram for her birthday?

pigeon, pidgin

Pigeon or pigeon ( pidge un ) means the bird you may see adorning city statues or parks--
He found a young pigeon, and raised it for a pet.
The same pigeon came to the park every day, and waited for him to scatter bread crumbs.
Pigeon may also means a dupe, or the mark of a con artist--
He spent days chatting with the locals, looking for a pigeon.

Pidgin or pidgin ( pidge in ) means a sort of language made of two or more languages, using only the simplest and most practical terms and grammar--
The merchant sailors used a pidgin that allowed them to communicate in several countries.
They spoke a pidgin that was part English and part Cantonese.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He couldn't understand even pidgin English, and didn't realize that he had ordered roast pigeon."

Note--"pitch in" means to help with a group task--
This will go a lot faster if we all pitch in and help.