Carat and carrot are, of course, homophones. And this means that phrases such as ’24-carrot gold’ are commonplace. It’s an amusing mistake, but not when someone else finds it in your writing.

Carat

• (or karat) a measure of the purity of gold
• a unit of weight of precious stones

Carrot

• tapering root vegetable (often orange in colour)
• the plant that produces carrots
• something offered as an incentive or a means of persuasion

My tip: carrots are root vegetables (and they will rot).

Sources:

• Collins English Dictionary, 2009
• Oxford Dictionaries Online
• Pixabay (image)