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.

• More help with Homonyms
• Weak in English? Help with homonyms

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.