Welcome to this edition of Words For Thought, the blog on wordrefiner.com. Like many of the previous blogs we are looking at homophones. Words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. 
I understand how important it is to have an error free manuscript. With over 40 years of experience, I have found that homophones give almost every writer fits and difficulties. Because we sound words out in our mind, it is easy to write the wrong word.
Let’s not forget typographical errors also, a slip of the finger on the keyboard can create a different word that may not be caught by a spell-checker. There are many groups of words that vary by only one letter, such as vary and very, or must, mist and most.
The correctly spelled word in the wrong context will not be flagged by most spell-checkers. Word Refiner is dedicated to uprooting all of these hidden errors and providing your document free of spelling errors that you want and deserve.
Now, onto today’s episode!

Three of the shortest words in the English language.  So simple and yet they will trip you up, if they are used incorrectly.  Because they sound alike. 

1st is To.  To is a preposition, it can be used with nouns, pronouns, and verbs.  We go to the stadium to see the football game.  We forgot to bring our blanket, we were cold.

2nd is Too.  This word can be used in multiple ways also.  You ate too much ice cream.  I want some ice cream too.  The first example deals with the concept of excess, the second is like saying also.

3rd is Two.  While not often mixed up with the first pair of homonyms, it is subject to typographical errors, as they all are.  An easy way to remember for my numerically challenged friends is the letter “w”.  It is used in other words dealing with numbers like twice, and twenty.

Perhaps this tip will help: when in doubt, try reading the section aloud; unless you are in a library, then reading aloud is not allowed.  Oops, two more homophones. No extra charge.

Thanks to my friend Ev Valle, of Valle Translations, for suggesting this trio of homonyms.

There they are, three words with identical sounds.  If you use the wrong word the reader might think they hit an invisible tree root and lose the reading momentum you worked so hard to build.  Use every tool available to prevent that from happening, do not give your readers a reason to not finish your story. Use Word Refiner, beta readers, critique partners, proofreaders and editors to ensure that your work is error free and as smooth as possible.
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this issue of Homophones Hurt Your Writing on Words For Thought.  Follow me on twitter: @wordrefiner, for more alerts about hazardous homophones search for  #HomophonesHurtYourWriting or #TyposHurtYourWriting on twitter.
Don’t forget the free offer for writers under the “Learn More” tab on our website.

Remember: Words Have Meaning and Spelling Makes a Difference. 
​Copyright © 2015 Mark L Schultz 

​

Welcome to this edition of Words For Thought, the blog on wordrefiner.com. Like many of the previous blogs we are looking at homophones. Words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. 
I understand how important it is to have an error free manuscript. With over 40 years of experience, I have found that homophones give almost every writer fits and difficulties. Because we sound words out in our mind, it is easy to write the wrong word.
Let’s not forget typographical errors also, a slip of the finger on the keyboard can create a different word that may not be caught by a spell-checker. There are many groups of words that vary by only one letter, such as vary and very, or must, mist and most.
The correctly spelled word in the wrong context will not be flagged by most spell-checkers. Word Refiner is dedicated to uprooting all of these hidden errors and providing your document free of spelling errors that you want and deserve.

Now, onto today’s episode!

Three single syllable words that sound exactly alike, such excellent candidates for #HomophonesHurtYourWriting and by chance #TyposHurtYourWriting; multiple opportunities to provide a less than smooth ride for your reader.

Buy means to purchase something.  Simple enough, unless your finger misses the key for “u”.  Your spellchecker won’t catch that, it sees a correct word; will you?

By is a preposition, a part of speech that helps direct action: “She went by the fence as she walked down the road.”

Bye is an abbreviation for goodbye.  It can also be an acronym for Before Year End.  There are other meanings also; in sports or competitions, it means a competitor is advanced to the next round without having to participate in the present round.

The English language is so much fun, we are having fun aren’t we?

There they are, three words with identical sounds.  If you use the wrong word the reader might think they hit an invisible tree root and lose the reading momentum you worked so hard to build.  Use every tool available to prevent that from happening, do not give your readers a reason to not finish your story. Use Word Refiner, beta readers, critique partners, proofreaders and editors to ensure that your work is error free and as smooth as possible.
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this issue of Homophones Hurt Your Writing on Words For Thought.  Follow me on twitter: @wordrefiner, for more alerts about hazardous homophones search for  #HomophonesHurtYourWriting or #TyposHurtYourWriting on twitter.
Don’t forget the free offer for writers under the “Learn More” tab on our website.

Remember: Words Have Meaning and Spelling Makes a Difference. 
​Copyright © 2015 Mark L Schultz 

​

Welcome to this edition of Words For Thought, the blog on wordrefiner.com. Like many of the previous blogs we are looking at homophones. Words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. 
I understand how important it is to have an error free manuscript. With over 40 years of experience, I have found that homophones give almost every writer fits and difficulties. Because we sound words out in our mind, it is easy to write the wrong word.
Let’s not forget typographical errors also, a slip of the finger on the keyboard can create a different word that may not be caught by a spell-checker. There are many groups of words that vary by only one letter, such as vary and very, or must, mist and most.
The correctly spelled word in the wrong context will not be flagged by most spell-checkers. Word Refiner is dedicated to uprooting all of these hidden errors and providing your document free of spelling errors that you want and deserve.
Now, onto today’s episode!

Pair has multiple meanings of course, like so much of the English language.  We will consider two of them today:
1st is to put two things together. Like pairing a wine with a particular food in a meal.

2nd is to have a pair of apples or two of anything.

These two definitions are similar but not the same. 

Look how Pair contrasts with Pare, this homonym is quite the opposite in meaning. 

Pare means to reduce or make smaller.  When you Pare an apple, you are removing the skin of the apple, thus making it smaller.  You can also Pare a list of 7 items down to 3.

Pear, we have been talking about fruit, so we cannot ignore the third homonym of this set.  What a wonderful thing to eat, a ripe Pear, they can be so sweet and juicy or firm and crisp in taste, depending on the variety you eat.  I prefer the former personally.

There they are, three words with identical sounds, and two of the words even have the same letters.  If you use the wrong word the reader might think they hit an invisible tree root and lose the reading momentum you worked so hard to build.  Use every tool available to prevent that from happening, do not give your readers a reason to not finish your story. Use Word Refiner, beta readers, critique partners, proofreaders and editors to ensure that your work is error free and as smooth as possible.
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this issue of Homophones Hurt Your Writing on Words For Thought.  Follow me on twitter: @wordrefiner, for more alerts about hazardous homophones search for  #HomophonesHurtYourWriting or #TyposHurtYourWriting on twitter.

Don’t forget the free offer for writers under the “Learn More” tab on our website.

Remember: Words Have Meaning and Spelling Makes a Difference. 
​Copyright © 2015 Mark L Schultz 

​

The Power of Eleven and One Chance to Get It Right! 

The last time, we explored all the ORE words with four letters or less. Including ore, there were 12 words. 

This time we are going to examine the EST words with four letters.

Why?

Because, by simply typing the first letter wrong of any of these words, you have created a hidden spelling error. These are all words that are already in your spellchecker, therefore this misplaced word will not be flagged by your computer. Other people will likely see it and your work of perfection is marred.

We do not want that to happen to you. The Hyper-Speller at Word Refiner is here to help.

Onto our Evil Eleven!

Best that which is ultimate or highly favored. We have our best friends, foods, movies and more.

Fest an event or a show with a designated focus, like a chocolate fest.

Gest this is a little obscure, perhaps; a story of adventures and heroic exploits.  As writers, we love obscure words don’t we?

Jest this is a joke or humorous story. Mrs. Word Refiner’s favorite joke:

        What did the fish say when she hit the wall?         Dam!

Lest this is an odd word because it is usually used in a situation where fear is a component: He drove slowly lest he get a speeding ticket.

Nest a dwelling place built by birds and other animals. 

Rest what we like to do after working hard on a blog or a book.

Test Something people in school are required to take as a measure of their knowledge.  In reality, we all have tests everyday of many different kinds.

Vest an article of clothing worn over a shirt, and sometimes under a jacket as well.

West one of the four points on a compass, also a reference to unlimited opportunity in the famous phrase: go west young man.

Zest a passion for life and adventure, also a cooking term for a hint of flavor added with a piece of citrus peel.
 
There they are, 11 words with similar sounds and the same last three letters.  If you use the wrong word, the reader could feel like they rammed a floating log while boating,  as they read your book. They may feel like leaving your story because it is too hard to figure out what you are trying to say.  Do everything in your power to prevent that from happening, do not give your reader a reason to close your book. Use Word Refiner, beta readers, critique partners, proofreaders and editors to ensure that your work is error free and as smooth reading as possible.
 
Thanks for stopping by, we hope you enjoyed this issue of Typos Hurt Your Writing on Words For Thought.  Follow us on twitter: @wordrefiner; for more Hazardous Homophones and Terrible Typos search for #HomophonesHurtYourWriting and #TyposHurtYourWriting on twitter.
Don’t forget the free sample of “proofreading your book” for writers under the “Learn More” tab on http://www.wordrefiner.com/.
We offer another service at a great value, see the “Review Your Book” tab.
 
Remember: Words Have Meaning and Spelling Makes a Difference. 
​Copyright © 2015 Mark L Schultz 

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