Confusing Words in English

Confusing Words: Bail (noun/verb) and Bale (noun/verb)
Meaning:
Bail (the temporary release of an accused person awaiting trial, sometimes on condition that a sum of money is lodged to guarantee their appearance in court.)
Bale (a large wrapped or bound bundle of paper, hay, or cotton.)
Clarification: Bail and bale are not interchangeable. They are homophones.

Bail vs Bale – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

Homophones are said to be the most confusing words in English vocabulary. Writers should be careful with word choice. Incorrect word choice can give a very bad impression on their writings. Today, I am coming up with two such words that can be confusing because these words are homophones.

When you speak out bail and bale together, you will feel that both of these words sound exactly same. This is the reason of the confusion between these words.

However, the meanings and the functions of both of these words are totally different from each other.

Continue reading the post to get out of your confusion!

Bail

The word ‘bail’ is used as a noun or a verb within sentences. As a noun, it means release of a prisoner or an accused person, not permanently but temporarily. For example,

1. He was accused of murder, but was released on bail.

2. His bail was refused by the honorable judge.

As a verb, bail means to remove water by using a container; to release an accused person by paying as his/her guarantee. For example,

1. Nobody got the news because he was immediately bailed out of the jail.

2. The captain called everyone to bail out the boat.

Bale

Like bail, bale is also used as a noun or a verb within sentences. As a noun, it is used to refer something (such as, paper or cotton etc.) tightly bundled or packed together. For example,

1. At the end, he was not able to grab another bale of cotton.

2. I have ordered hundreds of bales of straws and got them today.

As a verb, bale means to make or pack (something) into bales. For example,

1. The manager ordered his workers to bale out all the extra papers.

2. He further baled the bales of cotton.

Got the Difference?

I hope from the above discussion it is now clear that bale and bail are two different words that cannot be interchangeable. Both of these words are homophones. Their pronunciation is same but the meanings are totally different from each other.

Bale + Bail = Homophones

To bale is to pack something whereas, to bail is to release a prisoner or to remove water from a boat.

What Did You Learn?

Bail and bale are not interchangeable. They are homophones. Both of these words can be used as nouns or verbs within sentences.

Bale is used to refer something that is tightly bundled together or it can be the process of packaging. On the other hand, bail is the release of a prisoner; it can be the process of removing the water from a boat or to release an accused person.

Confusing Words: Verb
Meaning: perform or undergo the first part of (an action or activity).
Clarification: Began and begun are two forms of an irregular verb ‘begin’.

Began vs Begun – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

Sometimes, English language can be difficult to understand. The words can be problematic to writers and even speakers. It happens, sometimes, that the use of past tense can make confusion among writers. There are many irregular verbs in English vocabulary that don’t end up with regular –d, -ed, or –ied.

Though began and begun are the forms of an irregular verb ‘begin‘, but you cannot use these words interchangeably. There are rules to be followed in order to make your text an error-free piece of writing.

Let us discuss each term separately so that you can easily get the difference between began and begun. First of all, you need to get the definition of begin.

Definition of Begin: It is used as a verb within sentences. Begin means to start or to commence the earliest part of an action. For example,

• I will begin my story with a famous quote of Shakespeare on life.

Began

It is the simple past tense of the verb begin. You do not need any word like helping or auxiliary verbs to stable began. It can stand alone in the sentence to make sense. For example,

1. I began to work on our project to finish it before the due date.

2. It based farmland property assessments on 4-year-old crop prices, meaning taxes climbed even as farm revenues began to decline. (WBAA)

Begun

It is the past participle form of the verb begin. As being a past participle form, begun cannot stand alone but should be used with helping or auxiliary verbs. For example,

1. I have begun to work on my project.

2. She had begun to help me on my project.

3. Skanska USA and DPR Construction, first tapped to build the project, left after work had begun, which Reuters points out is rare for a project of this scale. (Quartz)

Check Out: The Difference Between Capital and Capitol.

Got the Difference?

It is very important to understand the difference between began and begun that are often get confused. I hope that after reading the above explanation you have found the differences between begin and began.

The use of simple past and past participle is quite easy to memorize. You do not need any helping or auxiliary verb to be used with began (simple past) whereas, begun (past participle) needs an auxiliary or helping verb to be used with it.

Began = Simple Past (does not need helping verbs)

Begun = Past Participle (needs helping verbs)

What Did You Learn?

Began and begun are two forms of an irregular verb ‘begin’. Began is the simple past form of begin and is not used with any auxiliary or helping verb. On the other hand, begun is the past participle form of begin and is always used with an auxiliary or a helping verb.

Confusing Words: Bath (noun/verb) and Bathe (verb)
Meaning:
Bath (a large container for water, used for immersing and washing the body.)
Bathe (wash by immersing one’s body in water.)
Bath vs Bathe Clarification: As a verb, bathe or bath means to clean or to wash oneself. However, American English prefers bathe and British English goes with bath.

Bath vs Bathe – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

Bath and bathe are just one-letter apart. There is a difference in function as well that you should memorize. Let us discuss these words one by one with example sentences.

Bath

Bath is used as a noun or a verb within sentences. As a noun, it is used to refer an open, usually large, container which is filled with water or it can be the process of cleansing oneself. For instance, take a bath.

As a verb, bath means to clean or to wash oneself, usually in the container full of water. Bath (as a verb) is preferably used in British English.

1. Will you take a bath first or shall we move on?

2. Feels so sleepy that is why, I am going to bath first.

Bathe

Bathe is only used as a verb within sentences. Bathe has the same meaning as bath. The only difference is that bathe is the preferred spelling for American English whereas, bath is preferred in British English.

Furthermore, in British English, bathe also mean to swim.

1. She bathed in the pool, leisurely, to feel fresh.

2. The children bathe twice a day.

Note: Bathe also mean to pour liquid. In this way, it can be used in both American and British English.

Got the Difference?

The first and foremost thing to remember is that whenever you want a noun, just remember bath, not bathe.

Bath can be used as a noun or a verb whereas, bathe is only used as a verb.

Bath = Noun + Verb

Bathe = Verb

However, if you need a verb, then you should first think about the audience because American English prefers bathe and British audiences prefer bath. In this case, both bath and bathe mean to clean or to wash oneself.

Furthermore, both American and British audiences prefer bathe to refer to pour liquid over something. For example,

• The doctor bathed his wounds in some yellow coloured liquid.

Check Out: The Difference Between Bought and Brought.

What Did You Learn?

Bath and bathe are just one-letter apart. Bath can be used as a noun or a verb whereas, bathe is only used as a verb.

As a verb, bathe or bath means to clean or to wash oneself. However, American English prefers bathe and British English goes with bath.

In British English, bathe can also mean to swim in the sea. On the other hand, both American and British audiences prefer bathe to refer to pour liquid over something.

Confusing Words: Cavalry (noun) and Calvary (noun)
Meaning:
Calvary (The hill near Jerusalem (see also Jerusalem ) on which Jesus was crucified.)
Cavalry ((in the past) soldiers who fought on horseback.)
Calvary vs Cavalry Clarification: Calvary and cavalry cannot be used interchangeably

Calvary vs Cavalry – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

As you can see that calvary and cavalry have same set of letters. This is the reason for the confusion between them. Their meanings as well as their functions are totally different from each other. So, you have to be careful with word choice, as, calvary and cavalry are not interchangeable.

I will define these words one by one and use them in example sentences. In this way, it will be easy for you to get the differences between them.

Calvary

Calvary is used as a proper noun within sentences. It means that calvary should be capitalized when used as a proper noun. It is used to refer to the hill on which Jesus was crucified.

• We never missed a rodoe. My father was a trainer of Walking Horses and belonged to the Mounted Calvary, and I was a member of the Junior Riding Club. We were horse people. (Joan Bledsoe)

Other than the above definition, there is also a figurative meaning of calvary. Figuratively, calvary is used to refer an experience of great mental suffering. In this way, you do not have to capitalize the term.

Cavalry

Cavalry is used as a noun within sentences. It is synonymous with mounted troops. At first, cavalry was used to refer to the soldiers who fought on horseback. Now, it has the same meaning as it was in the past but with a slight difference. So, as being in the modern era, cavalry is now used to refer to a modern yet highly mobile armored unit of military troops.

• I was amazed to see a thousand uniformed cavalry standing together in a row.

• Now, judging from their play during the first half of the season, it’s pretty safe to say that the cavalry has officially arrived in Minnesota. (The Hockey Writers)

Got the Difference?

So, calvary vs. cavalry is easily confused because they have same set of letters. The only difference is the placement of ‘l’. So, you have to be careful with word choice. Do not mix them up, as, calvary is a proper noun and cavalry is common.

Calvary = Proper noun (should be capitalized)

cavalry = cannot be capitalized

Calvary should be capitalized when it refers to the particular hill or used as a proper noun.

What Did You Learn?

Calvary and cavalry cannot be used interchangeably. Both are different in terms of meaning, function and even spelling. Calvary is used as a proper noun that is the hill on which Jesus was crucified. Cavalry, on the other hand, is a noun that refers to a modern unit of highly mobile military troops.

Confusing Words: Brake (noun/verb) and Break (noun/verb)
Meaning:
Brake (a device for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, typically by applying pressure to the wheels.)
Break (separate or cause to separate into pieces as a result of a blow, shock, or strain.)
Brake vs Break Clarification: Brake and break are two different words with different meanings and functions within sentences.

Brake vs Break – What is the Difference, Definition & Meaning?

Is it brake or break?

The pronunciation of brake and break is exactly the same whereas, their spellings are quite close. This is the reason of the confusion between these two words. You should be careful with word choice as, you cannot mix these words.

I will define brake and break separately and use these words in example sentences. In this way, you will get the differences that keep them apart.

Brake

Brake is used as a noun or a verb within sentences. As a noun, brake is used to refer a device that is used to stop or to slow a vehicle.

As a verb, brake means to make a vehicle stop or slow by using a brake.

For example,

1. He applied the brake, but, unfortunately, the car did not stop. – (noun)

2. The drivers have one foot on the brake, one on the clutch and one on the throttle. (Bob Varsha) – (noun)

3. You have to brake when there is a curve comes on your way. – (verb)

Break

Break is used as a noun or a verb within sentences. As a verb, break means to divide or to separate something into parts. For example,

1. I know that one day, you will definitely break my most favourite dish.

2. The glass fell down and broke into small pieces.

In the above examples, break is related to the objects. You can also use break (as a verb) to mean to ruin or to destroy something; to stop or to overcome something. For example,

1. My friend will never break her promise.

2. I wished someone would shout at that moment to break the silence in the hall.

As a noun, break is used to refer an act of interruption of uniformity. For example,

1. The students were expecting a halftime break during the class.

2. I can see a break in the wall.

Check Out: The Difference Between Continually and Continuously.

Quiz

Here is a small quiz for you. Fill in the blanks by using brake or break.

1. Have you applied a ________ or did you act like Fast and Furious?

2. She did _________ my windows.

3. He will, for sure, ________ your heart; he’s a cheater.

4. _________ or else we’ll jump out of the car.

(answers at the end)

What Did You Learn?

Brake and break are two different words with different meanings and functions within sentences. Break is a noun or a verb. As a noun, it is an act of interruption whereas, as a verb, break means to divide, to separate or to destroy something. On the other hand, brake is used as a noun or a verb too. As a noun, it is a device used to stop or to slow down a vehicle whereas, as a verb, brake means to make a vehicle slow or stop by using a brake.

Answers: 1. Brake , 2. Break , 3. Break , 4. Brake