hollow, hallow

Hollow or hollow means empty inside; having a space or cavity within, literally or figuratively--
This hollow gourd will make a nice bird feeder.

It was a hollow victory, in the end.

Hallow or hallow means to consecrate or make holy; to venerate or honor as holy--
"But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate--we can not consecrate--we can not hallow--this ground."
They held a special service to hallow the ground to be used for a cemetery.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"His pledge to hallow her memory rang hollow, since he had behaved badly when she was alive."

lapse, laps

Lapse or lapse means a slip or error; or a fall or decline to a lower grade or state--
It was a minor lapse; I'm sure we can overlook it.
Be sure to tell the doctor if you have a memory lapse.
It was a lapse in judgment, but I'm sure he can correct it.
He thinks we will lapse into barbarism without constant supervision.

Laps or laps ( rhymes with lapse ) is the plural ( more than one ) of "lap", meaning the part of the body from waist to knees, when sitting down--
The mothers all had their babies in their laps.
They sat on the ground, their laps full of the apples they had gathered.

Laps may also be the plural of "lap", meaning a circuit of a course, track, or pool--
He ran three laps of the track before he got tired and stopped.
Four laps of this track make a mile.

Laps may also be the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "lap", meaning, of water, to wash against the shore in a repetitive motion--
He likes to sit and listen, as the ocean laps the shore.
At high tide, the water laps against the deck.

Laps may be the third person singular ( he, she, it ) form of "lap", meaning, of an animal, to drink water by scooping it up with the tongue--
What an odd sound the dog makes when it laps water from the bowl!
He laps soup out of the bowl, and what a noise it makes.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The coach let his attention lapse, and counted three laps instead of four."

Note--"Lapps" ( always capitalized ) is the plural of "Lapp", meaning a person from Lapland--
The Lapps live in the northern part of Scandinavia.

in here, inhere

In here or in here ( two words ) means within ( in) this place or location ( here )--
It is too warm in here.
Put the suitcases in here.
Were they in here when the alarm went off?

Inhere or inhere ( one word, rhymes with in here ) means to be a permanent and inseparable quality or attribute--
In a democratic legislature, long debates inhere.
This job seems easier when you are aware of the problems that inhere in industry.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Let's go in here, and avoid the problems that inhere in a public argument."

Note--"inhere" is a verb ( action word ). The related adjective "inherent" describes a quality or attribute that is permanent and inseparable--
Long debates are an inherent part of the democratic process.

rift, riffed

Rift or rift means a fissure or cleft; an opening made by splitting something solid, literally or figuratively--
From a distance, you can see that the canyon is really a rift in the mountain.
His comment caused a rift in their relationship that seems to be permanent.

Riffed or riffed ( rhymes with rift ) is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "riff", meaning to repeat a melodic phrase--
He sometimes riffed the same bit of a tune for an hour, like variations on a theme.
When he felt blue, he picked up his saxophone and riffed every sound he heard.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He riffed on the sad theme of his rift with his girlfriend, until everyone was depressed."

cyst, cist

Cyst or cyst means a swelling or lump on a body, made of a sac filled with fluid--
He wants the doctor to look at the cyst on his leg.
He has had a cyst removed before, so they are going to do a biopsy.

Cyst or cyst also mean a kind of cell or sac containing reproductive bodies or a dormant animal--
If you look at the slide through your microscope, you will see a cyst containing reproductive cells.

Cist or cist ( most commonly rhymes with cyst ) means a box or casket for religious uses; a prehistoric tomb or casket--
The archaeologists are very excited about the cist they found at the excavation site.
The cist seems to contain a skeleton; we'll have to dig it out before we're sure.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He believes the cyst was caused by handling a cist containing human remains, but it seems unlikely."

shyer, shire

Shyer or shyer ( sometimes spelled shier ) is the comparative ( more than ) form of "shy", meaning bashful or timid--
You make the speech; he's shyer than you are.
He was shyer before he went away to camp.

Shire or shire ( rhymes with shyer )  is a British word for a county or administrative district--
This is the largest forest in the shire.
Everyone in the shire knows them; they're quite famous, locally.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"How can he run for public office? He's shyer than anyone in the shire."

tort, torte

Tort or tort means a civil wrong, such as negligence or a breach of trust, which has injured the plaintiff in some way--
He hasn't committed a crime, but he may have committed a tort--you'll have to bring a civil suit.
If the goods were delivered as stipulated, there is no tort.

Torte or torte ( rhymes with tort ) is a kind of cake, usually a rich, dense cake--
She sends a chocolate torte every year, from a catalog.
We are trying to make a raspberry torte; I hope it's as good as it looks.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"You can sue, because his negligence is a tort, and it caused the destruction of your torte."