tacked

used a small nail with broad, flat head, as in: He tacked the message up on the corkboard.

tact

diplomacy, as in: This difficult situation must be handled with tact and sensitivity.

tail

last part, as in: The veterinarian examined the dog from head to tail.

tale

story, as in: I loved hearing my mother tell me the tale about how she came to the US

tare

(1) a plant used as forage or a cover crop, as in: We'll need another bag of tare seed.

(2) deduction from the gross weight to allow for the weight of the container, as in: The tare weight of the vehicle is 2,000 lbs.

tear

rip, as in: The letter made me so angry I wanted to tear it into little pieces.

tear

drop of fluid from the eye, as in: The police used tear gas to subdue the bank robbers.

tier

layer or row of a vertical arrangement, as in: We sat in the top tier of seats in the stadium.

taught

past tense of teach, as in: The experience taught him to always read the fine print.

taut

stretched tight, as in: The rope was pulled taut between the two poles.

team

a group working together in a united action, as in: Our team project is almost completed.

teem

be full, as in: The lakes in that region teem with all kinds of fish.

tenant

one who holds the right to occupy a place, as in: The previous tenant of this apartment was a doctor.

tenet

a rule or part of a body of doctrine, as in: The sanctity of marriage is an important tenet of her faith.

than

a conjunction in sentences involving comparison, as in: Our product is no more expensive than theirs.

then

at that time or in that case, as in: If you agree that my skills and experience are what you need to do this job, then let's draw up the contract.

their

belonging to them, as in: In my opinion, their Web site is attractive, but takes too long to load.

there

in that place, as in: Set the box there on the counter.

they're

contraction of they are, as in: She said they're coming for dinner next Monday night.

theirs

belong to them, used when no noun follows, as in: There can be no doubt the money is theirs.

there's

contraction of there is, as in: The evidence is clear, so there's no use denying it.

thorough

not leaving anything out, as in: The police conducted a thorough search of the apartment looking for clues.

threw

past tense of throw, as in: The news threw the whole office into a panic.

through

from the beginning of to the end of, as in: I walked through the store on my lunch hour, but I didn't find what I wanted.

throes

pangs or struggles, as in: Please forgive us; we're in the throes of remodeling our store.

throws

puts, hurls, or flings, as in: The news of the merger throws a new light on his recent departure.

to

toward, as in: I am going to the store.

too

in addition or very much, as in: You are too kind.

two

the number after one, as in: The two candidates for the job are evenly matched.

tortuous

twisting, as in: The cabin is reached by a tortuous mountain road.

torturous

full of torture, as in: I can't come in to work today; I have a torturous toothache.

tracked

followed traces of or the path of, as in: They tracked the mistake back to the accounting department.

tract

region, as in: Our tract of homes was originally called Sycamore Hills and contained 42 houses but no sycamore trees.

trail

path or remnants of passage, as in: Her journey through life left a trail of broken promises.

trial

time of testing or judging, as in: We offer a free one-month trial period so you can see what benefits our service will bring you.

penultimate

second to the last, as in: Y is the penultimate letter of the alphabet.

ultimate

the very last, as in: The ultimate cost of the project will be over one million dollars.

undo

cancel or reverse what has been done, as in: Thank you for pointing out my mistake so I can undo it.

undue

beyond what is appropriate, as in: The court voided the contract, ruling that the attorney exerted undue influence on his client.

disinterested

not influenced by personal motives, as in: To mediate this argument, we need a disinterested person.

uninterested

unconcerned, as in: I knew she was sick because she was uninterested in food.

urban

relating to a city or city life, as in: She is a specialist in urban planning.

urbane

refined and sophisticated, as in: Years in the foreign diplomatic service gave him urbane manners.

 vain

ineffective, as in: We worked all night in a vain attempt to meet the deadline.

vein

(1) blood vessel, as in: They had a hard time finding a vein to draw blood.

(2) mineral deposit, as in: A vein of silver was found in the mine.

(3) mood or tendency, as in: Her stories are written in a humorous vein.

vale

valley, as in: I wonder if the city of Sunnyvale, California, is really a sunny vale?

veil

covering or curtain, as in: She wore a heavy veil to conceal her puffy, red eyes.

veracity

truthfulness, as in: We're asking you what happened, because you have a reputation for veracity.

voracity

eagerness or great hunger, as in: She loves mystery books so much that she reads them with voracity.

vice

badness, defect or fault, as in: He was a lover of vice rather than a lover of virtue.

vise

tool having two jaws that are tightened by a screw mechanism, as in: My headache made me feel like my head was being squeezed in a vise.

 wail

to cry loudly, expressing sorrow, as in: The baby started to wail when Mother left the room.

whale

to hit or beat, as in: In times past, a teacher might threaten to whale an unruly student.

"I'm a dutch-speaking Belgian user of this site, but I always thought that a whale was a rather big fish with a particular appetite for Jonah's ...With kind regards, Stefan Van pellicom"

waist

that part of a human body between the ribs and the hips, as in: She wore a red belt around her waist.

waste

act of squandering, as in: For the sake of our budget, we must cut down on waste in this office.

wait

period of expectation, as in: Dinner took a long time, but it was well worth the wait.

weight

heaviness, as in: It feels good to sit down and take the weight off my feet.

waive

to give up something you are entitled to, as in: We will waive the application fee if you sign up now.

wave

to signal by bending your hand up and down, as in: We will wave our hands when the coast is clear.

(Thanks to word-lover Chris Maddox, who gets letters from her bank saying they will wave the fee)

waiver

voluntary relinquishment of a right, as in: The university gave him a waiver for the payment of tuition.

waver

go back and forth on a decision, as in: We must decide today--there's no more time to waver.

want

have a desire for, as in: Children want to be loved and cared for.

wont

customary practice or habit, as in: It was his wont to stay late at the office.

won't

contraction meaning will not, as in: The boss called, saying he won't be in until ten.

ware

article of merchandise, as in: I saw all the new software at Spring Internet World.

wear

clothes, as in: She was prepared for the weather in her stylish red rainwear.

way

course of action or manner, as in: There must be a better way to learn this lesson.

weigh

measure the heaviness of, as in: It's a good idea to use the same scale each time you weigh yourself.

weak

having little strength, as in: She felt weak because she hadn't eaten all day.

week

period of seven days, as in: Let's have lunch a week from today.

weather

climate, as in: San Diego, California, is famous for nice weather.

whether

conjunction before the first of two choices, as in: I can't decide whether I want to sell the property or keep it.

which

what one, as in: Which Web browser do you use?

witch

woman claiming to have magical powers, as in: The witch gave them herbs.

whine

a high-pitched sound, as in: Just about every parent cringes when they hear, "I'm bored" in that whine that sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard.

wine

wine is the naturally fermented juice of fresh fruit or berries, as in: Even for wine experts, a common problem is the impoverished language we have for describing tastes and smells.

A large part of the wine taster's skill comes from being able to develop some sort of classification system and then to associate words/categories with smells--olfaction researcher Professor Tim Jacob of Cardiff University

Thanks to word-lover Rabiatul Kamit for suggesting this word pair, May 2002

who ever

who as a pronoun and ever as an adverb, as in: Who ever comes to this deserted place?

whoever

anyone who, as in: Whoever wants this book can have it.

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.

who's

contraction of who is or who has, as in: Who's been eating my porridge?

whose

belonging to who, as in: I'm not sure whose shoes are these?

one

single person or thing, as in: The store is locatedon a one-way street.

won

past tense of win, as in: Who won the basketball game?

wood

lumber, as in: The book said wood floors look nice and last a long time.

would

auxiliary verb used to express a condition, futurity, preference, intention, longing, probability, a request, habitual action, or uncertainty, as in: I would go with you if I could.

rap

knock or tap sharply, as in: Rap on the door again; I'm sure someone's home.

wrap

to put a cover around something, as in: Be sure to wrap the baby warmly in this cold weather.

retch

to try to vomit, as in: The awful smell made me retch.

wretch

a pitiful or despised person, as in: I'd like to get my hands on the wretch who robbed the blind old man.

right

correct or accurate, as in: Careful writers strive to use the right word.

rite

customary and solemn ritual or ceremony, as in: The rite of baptism is taken very seriously in many faiths.

wright

someone who makes or repairs a thing, as in: My grandfather was a shipwright and my grandson is a playwright.

write

to put letters of the alphabet, numbers, and/or punctuation marks on a surface to be read, as in: When I write my goals on paper I am more likely to achieve them than if they remain only as thoughts in my head.

rote

unthinking routine, as in: Foreign languages used to be taught by the rote method.

wrote

past tense of to write, as in: I wrote to the company last week but I haven't received any answer yet.

 ewe

female sheep, as in: The ewe was bleating and looking for her lamb.

yew

evergreen tree of the taxus genus, as in: The finest bows are made of yew wood.

you

the one or ones being spoken to, as in: I guarantee that you will be satisfied or your money will be cheerfully refunded.

yoke

crosspiece holding two things together, as in: The pair of oxen pulling the plow had an ancient wooden yoke around their necks.

yolk

yellow part of an egg, as in: For good health, the egg yolk should be fully cooked before you eat it.

you're

contraction meaning you are, as in: Are you glad you're going to the party?

your

belonging to you, as in: I welcome your comments on this page.

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