‘Coal’ and ‘kohl’

May 2, 2016Hannah McCall 2 Comments

Coal and kohl are homophones. Coal is sometimes used when the writer actually means kohl, but I have never come across a ‘kohl mine’ or a ‘kohl fire’.

Coal

a black or brown rock consisting largely of carbonised vegetation
one or more lumps of coal
a piece of red-hot, glowing coal or other material
to provide with a supply of coal
to extract coal

Kohl

a powder or substance used to darken the area around the eyes
to darken with kohl
an abbreviation of kohlrabi (a type of cabbage)

‘Brake’ and ‘break’

April 25, 2016Hannah McCall 1 Comment

I regularly see break and brake used incorrectly. They are homophones and it’s very easy to type the right letters in the wrong order.

Break has lots of meanings but I am going to list the core ones (I have also omitted brake’s rarer ones). If you would like a more extensive breakdown, you should visit Oxford Dictionaries online.

Brake

to make a moving vehicle slow down by using a brake
a device for stopping or slowing a vehicle
a thing that slows, hinders or stops progress, activity or momentum

Break

to separate or become separated into pieces
to damage or become damaged so as not to work
to cut through or penetrate
to interrupt
to fail to observe or to infringe
to crush emotional strength or resistance
to go through change or enter a new state
to suddenly become public
an interruption of continuity or uniformity
a pause in work or activity
a gap or opening
an opportunity or chance

Unfortunately, I don’t have a simple tip to help anyone who may struggle with using break and brake. If you have a suggestion, please share it in the comments!

Thank you to James J Harris for suggesting this post.

‘Pair’, ‘pare’ and ‘pear’

March 21, 2016March 21, 2016Hannah McCall Leave a comment

Pair, pare and pear are homophones. I sometimes see pair used when pare or pear would be appropriate. It depends on the context, but it can be very confusing when these words are used incorrectly.

Pair

a set of two
a thing with two joined parts (e.g. a pair of shorts)
to put together to form a pair

Pare

to trim by cutting away the outer edge or layer
to reduce something

Pear

the edible fruit and its tree

‘Faint’ and ‘feint’

February 15, 2016March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 2 Comments

They may be pronounced the same way, but faint and feint have very different meanings. Perhaps the most confusing usage is that of feint as a word for lined paper – the lines may be faint but the type of paper is feint (or feint-ruled).

Faint

barely perceptible; lacking clarity, brightness or volume
possible but unlikely
lacking conviction, force or enthusiasm
feeling weak and/or dizzy
a sudden loss of consciousness
to lose consciousness for a short time
to grow weak or feeble

Feint

a deceptive or pretend movement designed to distract
to make a deceptive or distracting movement
paper printed with faint or pale lines across it

‘Aisle’ and ‘isle’

February 8, 2016March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 5 Comments

It is fairly common to see isle used where aisle would be appropriate, but the different meanings are straightforward to grasp.

Aisle:

a passage between rows of seats or seating areas
a passage between rows of cabinets and shelves (containing goods)
a lower part in a church parallel to but divided from (by pillars) the nave or chancel

Isle:

an island

The similarity between isle and island is a useful indicator of which word to use. If the thing you are writing about is not an island, you know that you need to use aisle.

‘Coo’ and ‘coup’

February 1, 2016March 16, 2016Hannah McCall 4 Comments

Coo and coup couldn’t really be more different in meaning. The sentences produced when they are used mistakenly can be distracting if you enjoy the surreal.

Coo

the soft throaty sound made by birds such as doves and pigeons
to speak in a soft, gentle way; a loving murmur
(old-fashioned British slang) an exclamation of surprise or amazement

Coup

(coup d’état) a sudden, violent and illegal overthrow of a government
a difficult or brilliant action successfully achieved

I am tickled by the idea of pigeons leading a violent regime change or armies taking part in a gentle murmur. But you probably don’t want that in your dissertation or novel. Unless you do …

‘Plain’ and ‘plane’

January 25, 2016March 16, 2016Hannah McCall Leave a comment

This is fairly basic but it is easy to type or write the wrong word when you are in a hurry. I tend to find that plane is used in place of plain. I haven’t yet seen an aircraft referred to as a ‘plain’.

Plain

without decoration or adornment
without pattern or with one colour or with simple weave (when a fabric)
having no particular beauty
flat or smooth
easily understood; clear or simple; unequivocal
a lowly person or lowly people (usually in social rank or education)
a simple stitch in knitting
to mourn, lament or complain

Plane

an aeroplane
to glide, skim or soar without moving wings
a level surface; level or flat
a flat surface on which a straight line joining any two points on it lies entirely on that surface
a level of existence, thought or attainment
a tool with a block and projecting steel blade for smoothing timber or wooden surfaces; to smooth timber or remove material using a plane
a type of tall spreading tree