assault, a salt

Asaault or assault ( one word ) means a physical or violent attack, literally or figuratively--
He was charged with assault, but he may be released on bail.
Must you assault our ears with that awful music?

A salt or a salt ( two words, rhymes with assault ) means one ( a ) sodium chloride ( salt ), used for seasoning or preserving food--
There was a salt shaker on the table a minute ago; have you seen it?
The nurse said that a salt water gargle would make his throat feel better.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He used a salt water rinse on the cut he got in the assault; it looks better now."

shoal, sheol

Shoal or shoal means a shallow part of a river or body of water, often where a sand bank or land is exposed at low tide--
There is a shoal here when the tide is out, too shallow for a boat to cross.
They ran the boat onto a shoal, and waited for the tide to come in.

Sheol or sheol ( pronounced to nearly rhyme with shoal ) means the abode of the dead; hell--
"All your pomp is brought down to Sheol..."
"Her house is the way to sheol, descending to the chambers of death..."

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Their boat capsized when it hit a shoal, and the sudden plunge into the water seemed like a descent into sheol."

error, err or

Error or error ( one word ) means a mistake, or a mistaken belief--
You'll lose ten points for each error, so answer carefully.
Don't get his name wrong; he counts it an unpardonable error.
He answered in error, and lost the game.

Err or or err or ( two words ) means to make a mistake, to be mistaken or incorrect ( err ), offered as an alternative ( or )--
Did I err, or is this correct?
How will we know whether we err or take the right road?

Now that you know that, you can say--
"It will be counted as an error if you err or leave a space blank."

shirred, sherd

Shirred or shirred is the past tense ( yesterday, or some time ago ) of "shirr", meaning, of eggs, to bake in a dish--
Grandmother used to make shirred eggs in a custard cup, with a piece of bread stuffed into it.

Shirred is also then past tense of "shirr", meaning, in sewing, to gather up on three or more threads--
The bottom of the blouse is shirred at the waist.

Sherd or sherd ( rhymes with shirred ) means a fragment, most commonly of broken pottery--
He's very excited about the pot sherd he found; the site may turn out to be full of artifacts.
He wants an expert to look at that sherd; it may be ancient.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"She made a little cloth bag, shirred at the top, for each precious sherd."

Note--"shard" means any piece of broken glass, shell, or of some other substance that leaves sharp fragments when broken--
He stepped on a shard of broken glass, and needed some stitches.

tough, tuff

Tough or tough means strong and durable; not easily cut or broken--
This canvas should be tough enough to make a tent.
This meat is tough; we should marinate it.
Tough, of persons, means strong, hardy, or capable of great endurance, for good or for ill--
The veteran soldiers seem tough next to the new recruits.
He looks like a tough customer.
Tough may also mean hard, or difficult to solve--
This is a tough problem.
Tough luck.

Tuff or tuff  ( rhymes with tough ) means fragments of volcanic rock--
The site of the eruption is covered in tuff, some of it still warm.
People sometimes take a piece of tuff as a souvenir; many of them have mailed them back over the years.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"The bottoms of your shoes are not tough enough to walk across that field of tuff."

aftermath, after math

Aftermath or aftermath ( one word ) means what follows a disaster or violent event--
Many people were left destitute in the aftermath of the flood.
There were thousands of refugees in the aftermath of the battle.

Aftermath also means the new growth of grass that follows mowing--
The aftermath will grow back thicker, and the lawn will look better.

After math or after math ( two words ) means later in time, place, importance, or emotion ( after ) arithmetic, a course in arithmetic, or a book of arithmetic ( math )--
I have English after math; what do you have?
After math, I like science best.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"There was a fight after math class, and in the aftermath some students made a break for it."

obvious, oblivious

Obvious or obvious means easily noticed, seen, or recognized, literally or figuratively--
Look for the house with the large pine tree; it's obvious, even when driving by.
The answer should be obvious to anyone who did the assignment.
The reason for his dismissal was obvious; he missed too much work.
Don't stare; you're being too obvious.

Oblivious or oblivious means unaware; unmindful; lacking memory--
He seems oblivious to the noise the kids are making; doesn't it bother him?
He woke up oblivious of where he had been the night before.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"He seems oblivious to the effects of his behavior, no matter how obvious we make our disapproval."