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Homonym help: Through the letter 'H'
Jagruti Sharma
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August 17, 2007

For most of us, English is still a challenge. With all its irregularities, exceptions and rules, English is a very difficult language to master.

With that in mind, rediff.com presents our English Bloopers series. Here, we publish written and spoken mistakes spotted and sent to us by observant Get Ahead readers. It's a great way to review the basics, clarify a few issues and share a laugh or two! 

Jagruti Sharma
, director of
Words Infocom Limited, sent a tremendous list of homonyms that tend to trip up non-native speakers of English. Homonyms are words that sound the same when pronounced, but are spelled differently and have different meanings.

Example: 'Loose' and 'lose'

Many people make this mistake. They inevitably interchange the words 'loose' and 'lose' while writing. 'Lose' means to 'suffer a loss or defeat'. Thus, you would write:

~ 'I don't want to lose you," and not 'I don't want to loose you.'

'Loose', on the other hand, means 'not firm' or 'not fitting.' In this context, you would write,

~ "My shirt is loose," not "My shirt is lose." 

Twice a week, we'll provide the most common homonyms in the English language. We'll go in alphabetical order. Today, let's look at the letters 'F', 'G' and 'E'.


 facet

any of several sides or aspects of something, as in: We carefully considered every facet of the problem.

faucet

spigot or tap, as in: The dripping of the faucet kept me awake.


facetious

funny, not serious, as in: His father didn't like his facetious remarks about such a serious subject.

factitious

artificial, as in: Her factitious laughter didn't fool anyone.

fictitious

imaginary, as in: This story is completely fictitious.


facilitate

make easy, as in: Computer programmess facilitate letter-writing.

felicitate

congratulate, as in: His parents called long-distance to felicitate the happy couple.


facility

(1) ease of doing something, as in: The gymnast showed her facility with the parallel bars.

(2) something made to serve a function, as in: Visitors are invited to tour our new kitchen facility.

felicity

great happiness, as in: The trip to the country was a time of felicity for me.


faint

lose consciousness, as in: For a minute, I thought I was going to faint.

feint

pretend to strike a blow, as in: His strategy was to feint with his right hand while preparing to deliver a mighty blow with his left.


fair

exhibition or marketplace, as in: We bought these baskets at the local farmers' fair.

fare

cost of a ride in a vehicle, as in: I would like to go by airplane but I can't afford the fare.

fare

experience good or bad results, as in: We'll see how our business fares with the new marketing plan.


farther

more distant in space, as in: Each day I try to walk a little farther than the day before.

further

additional or more, as in: If there are no further questions, we will adjourn the meeting.


faze

scare or worry, as in: The flash-flood warnings didn't seem to faze him at all.

phase

aspect or stage of development, as in: Most two-year-olds go through a rebellious phase.


feat

noteworthy deed, as in: Her performance on the ice concluded with a remarkable feat of agility and speed.

feet

plural of foot, as in: These shoes hurt my feet.


fewer

not as many as (applies only to number), as in: Only people with fewer than ten items should use Express Lanes in the supermarket.

less

not as much as (applies to extent, degree, bulk), as in: There is less chance of misunderstanding if you choose the right word.


finale

concluding part, as in: I had to leave the show early, so I missed the finale.

finally

in the end, as in: After competing many times, he finally won the Gold Medal.

finely

(1) excellently, as in: She stood out from the others because she was finely dressed.

(2) in small pieces, as in: For extra flavour add one cup finely chopped onions.


fineness

state or quality of being nearly perfect, as in : This gold jewelry is of exquisite fineness.

finesse

tactfulness or smoothness, as in: We must handle that customer with utmost finesse.


fir

type of evergreen tree, as in: He planted a fir tree in the front yard.

fur

animal hair, as in: My dog has black and tan fur.


fiscal

financial, as in: The fiscal year begins July 1.

physical

relating to the body or the material world, as in: I must make an appointment with my doctor for a physical examination.


flair

talent, as in: You have a flair for the dramatic.

flare

(1) a signalling device using bright light, as in: We used a flare gun to tell the rescue team where to find us.

(2) outward spread, as in: I could tell you were mad by the flare of your nostrils.


flaunt

make a showy display, as in: It is considered rude to flaunt one's wealth in front of others.

flout

treat with contempt, as in: Rebellious youths flout authority.


flounder

struggle clumsily, as in: I forgot my speech and had to flounder around for something to say.

founder

sink, collapse, or fail completely, as in: The iceberg caused the ocean liner Titanic [Images] to founder.


flour

ground wheat powder, as in: Make a paste of flour and water.

flower

a blossom, as in: The child handed his mother a flower.


flew

past tense of fly, as in: The birds flew south every winter.

flu

short term for influenza, as in: I can't come to work today because I have the flu.

flue

passage to let air or gas escape, as in: Don't block the chimney flue or the house will fill with smoke.


for

a preposition meaning on account of or because of, as in: She was fired for stealing.

fore

at or to the front, as in: Out of all the software makers in the world, his company has come to the fore.

four

one more than three, as in: We have four children in our family.


forbear

abstain or refrain from, as in: I will forbear mentioning his name again.

forebear

ancestor, as in: Most people have at least one forebear they admire.


foregoing

preceding, as in: The foregoing paragraph is about the words forbear and forebear.

forgoing

doing without, as in: To save time, we are forgoing the usual formalities.


foreword

brief and simple introduction in a book, as in: The foreword was written by a noted scientist.

forward

onward or toward the front, as in: Despite the obstacles, he kept moving forward to his goal.


formally

done in a valid and binding way, as in: They formally announced their engagement a month ago.

formerly

previously, as in: She was formerly the mayor of New York.


fort

military post, as in: The fort was surrounded.

forte

something in which a person excels, as in: His forte is design and hers is business, so they make a great team.


forth

forward, as in: She came forth to meet him.

fourth

next after third, as in: This is the fourth time we have met.


genius

person with exceptional intelligence or talent, as in: Only a genius can assemble that puzzle.

genus

kind, sort, or classification, as in: The dog, the wolf, and the coyote belong to the same genus.


 

gibe

jeer or taunt derisively, as in: I would never gibe someone because it's unkind.

jibe

agree with, as in: His alibi doesn't jibe with the testimony of eye-witnesses.


grate

(1) framework of iron bars, as in: Clean out the ashes under the grate in the fireplace.

(2) scrape or shred, as in: I will grate the cheese next.

great

extraordinary or outstanding, as in: You did a great job on your term paper.


guessed

decided based on little evidence, as in: I didn't know the answer to that question on the test, so I guessed.

guest

visitor, as in: Thank you for treating me so well while I was a guest in your country.


hail

(1) salute, greet or call, as in: You hail a cab while I watch our bags.

(2) ice shower, as in: We didn't get snow, but we got hail.

hale

healthy and strong, as in: Astronauts must be hale and hearty people to cope with the hardships of space travel.


hall

passageway or large room, as in: Her office is down the hall.

haul

drag or transport, as in: He earned extra money by using his truck to haul vegetables to the local farmers' fair.


heal

mend or restore to health, as in: Keep the wound clean and dry and it will heal in a few days.

heel

part of a foot or part of a shoe, as in: I have a blister on my heel from all the walking we did.


healthful

promoting good health, as in: A healthful diet builds strong bones.

healthy

possessing good health, as in: I am thankful I am healthy.


hear

perceive by ear, as in: Did you hear that noise?

here

in this place, as in: She came here to study.


heard

past tense of hear, as in: We heard the news and were shocked.

herd

flock or large group of animals, as in: The younger elephants stayed in the center of the herd for protection.


heir

person who inherits something, as in: The heir chose to put the castle up for sale.

air

our atmosphere, as in: The air quality where I live is not very good.


higher

taller, loftier, above normal, as in: Prices keep getting higher.

hire

employ, as in: The company wants to hire a part-time worker.


hole

hollow place or cavity, as in: The groundhog peeped out of his hole in the ground.

whole

complete or entire, as in: Bread made from whole grains is healthful.


holly

plant of the Ilex genus, as in: We have a hedge of holly bushes on our property.

holy

sacred or pure, as in: The people refused to build there because they considered it holy ground.

wholly

completely or entirely, as in: The company is wholly owned by one family.


hour

sixty minutes, as in: It seemed like I waited an hour, but it was only twenty minutes.

are

form of to be, as in: What are you doing tonight?

our

belonging to us, as in: Please visit our Web site and see our new book reviews.


human

of mankind, as in : Imagination is a human trait.

humane

kind and good, as in: They joined a group of students working for more humane treatment of animals.


hypercritical

excessively critical, as in: It's impossible to please a hypercritical person.

hypocritical

deceptive, just pretending to be good, as in: It is hypocritical to say tell your children to behave a certain way and then do the exact opposite yourself.



DON'T MISS

MORE English bloopers

If you'd like to share common bloopers you come across when people speak/ write in English, do mail your list, along with their correct alternatives to englishbloopers@rediffmail.com -- we'll highlight them right here as a helpful guide to those trying to improve their English. Also, make sure you include your FULL NAME, AGE, OCCUPATION and the CITY you are based in.


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