Typos Hurt Your Writing: Bate, Cate, Date, Fate, Gate, Hate, Late, Mate, Pate, Rate, Sate, Yate

Welcome to this edition of Words For Thought, the blog on wordrefiner.com. Like some of the previous blogs we are exploring typographical errors. Words that look almost the same, but have different spellings and meanings. To find more on Twitter use the hashtag: #TyposHurtYourWriting.
I understand how important it is to have a manuscript free of spelling errors. With over 40 years of experience, I have found that typos give many writers problems. Less than perfect typing can create hidden errors. There are many groups of words that vary by only one letter, such as came, dame, fame and game. The correctly spelled word in the wrong context will not be flagged by most spell-checkers. The Hyper-Speller at Word Refiner is dedicated to exposing all of these hidden errors and providing your document free of spelling errors that you want and deserve. I find these invisible spelling errors in 95% of published books. I find these invisible spelling errors in 95% of published books.

Now, onto today’s episode!
 
We have found a nice even dozen of four letter words that end in –ate. They are so pretty, all lined up. Some are familiar and some are foreign, from a different time or place. Like little treasures in an egg carton, there is something for everyone.
Bate might seem faintly familiar to a lot of people. It has several definitions including to moderate, lessen or restrain. It can refer to a hawk trying to escape, or part of the procedure of tanning leather.
Cate is an archaic word, from Middle English, it refers to dainty or choice morsels of food.
Date is a busy word. We use it to refer to a romantic or social appointment. It is the marking of the day on a calendar indicated by a number. It also refers to a dark brown fruit that has a large pit, it is sweet and usually eaten dried. It is the name of the tree this fruit grows on and is found in the Middle East and Africa. I really enjoy eating dates.
Fate has a rather dark history. It is commonly thought of as the prescribed course of events that are beyond the control of humans. In ancient times there were three goddesses responsible for the birth, life and death of people; their names were Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos.
Gate is a hinged barrier used to prevent moving through a wall, fence or hedge. It is also what must be paid as an entry fee for an event or exhibition. It can also be an electrical circuit with an output that depends on the combination of several inputs.
Hate is a very simple and powerful word. It means an intense dislike for someone or something.
Late most of us are very familiar with. Accomplishing something or an event that starts after the appointed or expected time. One day I ran over a fork, the flat tire made me late for a dentist appointment. It can also refer to a specific person no longer living.
Mate has several definitions. It can be part of a pair of items, or animals. It can be a fellow member or joint occupant of a certain thing. It is also commonly used to refer to a best friend in Australia and New Zealand. It is short for the declaration of victory in chess: Checkmate! Mate` is a shrub in South America that the leaves are used to make a bitter tea high in caffeine.
Pate is a person’s head. It is the paste used to make porcelain. It is the highly flavored paste made from finely minced ingredients usually meat or fish.
Rate is a quantity or frequency measured against some other quantity. It is also the fixed price paid for goods or services.
Sate to fill a desire or appetite completely. To be satisfied.
Yate is any of several eucalyptus trees or their wood.
 
There they are, twelve words with similar sounds and the same last three letters.  If you use the wrong word the reader might feel like they stumbled over a hidden object as they walk through the forest of your book. They may feel like leaving your story, because it is too hard to figure out what you are saying.  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 as possible.
 
Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this issue of Typos Hurt Your Writing on Words For Thought.  Follow me on twitter: @wordrefiner; for more Hazardous Homophones and Terrible Typos search for #HomophonesHurtYourWriting or #TyposHurtYourWriting on twitter.
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Remember: Words Have Meaning and Spelling Makes a Difference.​ 
​​Copyright © 2016 Mark L Schultz