Confusing Words Clarified: Group C; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, etc. +(lists of "C" sections that are organized into what for some people are confusing groups of words)Three words that every student of language should understand are homonyms, synonyms, and antonyms. Homonyms are words that sound alike, but have different meanings. Synonyms are words that are related in meaning but do not sound alike (begin and commence, for example). Antonyms are direct opposites in meaning, as hot and cold; white and black.
With homonyms, the following set of to, too, and two are all pronounced exactly alike, but by no means are they interchangeable in writing. To be sure that you choose the correct spelling for any on these, you must know the meanings of all three so you will not make wrong choices with a feeling of vagueness and uncertainty. Efforts have been made to help you grasp the meanings of these and other words that may be confusing so you can utilize them with greater accuracy in your communication. Your comments and suggestions are always welcome by writing to: E-mail Contact (just click it for an e-mail form) or by typing, words@wordinfo.info, as the address in your e-mail heading. If you have any problems understanding the pronunciation symbols, go to this Pronunciation Chart for clarifications.cement, concrete
cement (si MENT)
1. A combination of chemicals which is pulverized and used to create mortar, a substance to bind or stick, e.g. bricks, together in a building: "The workers mixed fresh cement when they were building the new house."
2. A binding together as in friendship: "The two friends drank a toast to cement their new friendship." concrete (KAWN kreet", kawn KREET)
1. A strong building material created out of sand, water and a pulverized chemical mixture: "The machine poured the concrete for the new sidewalk in an efficient manner."
2. Actual, real, having qualities of reality: "The student asked his teacher if she could give a concrete example of what she was talking about." cemetery, symmetry
cemetery (SEM i ter" ee)
A place where the dead are buried: "The famous author is buried in the local cemetery."
symmetry (SIM i tree)
The quality of something that has two sides or halves which are the same or very close in size, shape, and position: "During her travels, she admired the symmetry of the ancient buildings in Italy."
censer, censor, censure, sensor
censer (SEN suhr)
An article used in certain religious services; such as, a container for burning incense: "The priest walked slowly, swinging the censer while chanting prayers."
censor (SEN suhr)
1. Someone who examines things for non-conformity or possible evil: "The censor told the reporter that he was not allowed to speak on TV because he was going to attack the administration of the dictator."
2. To examine and to subject a book, writer, etc. for suppression or prevention from becoming known, when it is regarded as objectionable for any reason: "The censor banned the author's book because of the obscene language in it." censure (SEN shur)
An act of condemnation or to make a formal, often public statement of disapproval of somebody or something: "She was held up for public censure because of her radical views regarding birth control."
sensor (SEN suhr, SEN sor")
A device capable of detecting and responding to physical stimuli; such as, movement, light, or heat: "To enhance her sense of safety, the electrician installed a light sensor at the corner of the garage which would illuminate the back yard."
A homonym is a word which is similar to another in sound, but has a different meaning; such as, in the sentence: Censers smell sweet, censors are foul. A censor is a faultfinder who always sticks his no's into other people's business and a moralist who is always trying to tie the nation into hard not's. census, senses
census (SEN suhs)
The periodic enumeration of the population in a specific geographic area; such as, a city: "Her first summer job was to conduct a census in the capital city."
senses (SEN suhs)
Conscious awareness of rationality or meaning: "She came to her senses and realized her mistake at the last minute."
cent, scent, sent
cent (SENT)
A monetary unit or coin worth 1/100th of the basic value: "That car is not worth a cent."
scent (SENT)
1. A particular odor or smell, typically pleasant but not necessarily: "He could smell the rancid scent from the factory long before he got to the front door."
2. An indication or hint of something to come: "There was a scent of trouble in the air." sent (SENT)
The past tense of send or to cause something to happen, to communicate, or to convey: "He was sent away in disgrace because of the poor language he used in the meeting."
"She was sent to Australia on a mission by the government." My friend was sent by his wife to buy something called "penny perfume" or "cent scent". cents, cense, scents, sense
cents (SENS)
A monetary unit or coin worth 1/100th. of the basic value, sometimes used in an expression equating words with money: "He's always ready to offer his two cents worth on any topic, whether he knows anything about it or not."
cense (SENS)
To distribute an odor or perfume by using a censer: "When a priest uses a censer it is to cense the church, filling it with the odor of the incense being burned."
scents (SENS)
Particular odors or smells, typically pleasant but not necessarily: "On her dresser were several bottles of scents which she uses depending on her mood."
sense (SENS)
Awareness of rationality or meaning; agreement: "After the teacher explained the equation, it all made sense to her."
cere, sear, seer
cere (SEER)
The thick skin at the base of the upper beak of some birds: "With parrots, the cere contains the bird's nostrils."
sear (SEER, SEE ur)
To scorch, char, or burn the surface of or as if with something very hot: "The directions said to sear the roast on all sides before roasting it slowly in the oven."
seer (SEER)
A prophet or a clairvoyant: "The prophet at Delphi was considered a seer and people often petitioned her for advice."
cereal, serial
cereal (SEER ee uhl)
1. An edible, starchy grain yielded by certain plants of the grass family; such as, rice, wheat, rye, oats, etc.: "Farmers around the world are raising some kind of cereal which is used for bread, breakfast food, etc. all of which are necessary to feed many people on a global scale."
2. The grain and the food made from the grain: "A multitude of cereal types of food exist for people to eat for breakfast and all of their other meals every day." serial (SEER ee uhl)
A novel or other story regularly presented in successive installments; such as, in a magazine, on radio, television, or in motion pictures: "She published a serial about the suffering of women in various parts of the world."
cession, session
cession (SESH uhn)
The act of giving up something; such as, power, land, or rights to another person, group, or country: "The law required cession of the land to the heirs"."
session (SESH uhn)
1. A period of time that is used to do a particular activity: "His health insurance will cover just twelve one-hour sessions of therapy this year."
2. A formal meeting or series of meetings of a group of people; such as, a court of law or legislature: "The U.N. Special Session on Disarmament will take place next month." 3. A period of time during the year in which a school, college, or university has classes: "My children will be going to special classes during the summer session and then the school will be back in regular session at the beginning of September." cetaceous, setaceous
cetaceous (si TAY shuhs)
Any of a number of large marine mammals with long bodies, fins, and hairless bodies: "The whale is among the largest of the cetaceous mammals in the sea."
setaceous (si TAY shuhs)
An object consisting of or made with bristles: "The curry brush for the horse was setaceous with bristles from pigs."
champ, chomp
champ (CHAMP)
1. An informal reference to champion: "He was proud to be the champ of his basketball team."
2. To make biting or chewing noises; to show impatience: "You could hear the man champ on his pipe angrily." chomp (CHOMP)
1. To chew or to bite on something in a noisy way: "We could hear the horse chomp on the oats."
2. To chew or to bite on something repeatedly: "He was obviously nervous because he could only chomp on his cigar over and over again." champagne, champaign
champagne (sham PAYN)
A sparkling white wine specific to a region in France, Champagne Province: "He ordered champagne at the restaurant when they went to celebrate his new job."
champaign (sham PAYN)
A stretch of level and open country; a plain: "The champaign of the prairie stretched before them as they started out on their holidays."
Champaign is a city of east-central Illinois adjoining Urbana. Founded in 1855 with the coming of the railroad, it is a commercial and industrial center in a fertile farm area. chance, chants
chance (CHANS)
1. The likelihood of the occurrence of an event: "The chance of it raining today is very high."
2. An unexpected, random, or unpredictable event: "The chance of a thunderstorm this time of year is 100 per cent." 3. A risk or hazard; a gamble: "They sat around the table playing a game of chance, betting food coupons instead of real money." chants (CHANTS)
1. A short, simple melody in which a number of syllables or words are sung on the same note: "In the middle of the night, the monks rose to sing a chant in the church."
2. A monotonous rhythmic call or shout: "The chant of demonstrators at a meeting disrupted the speaker." chanty, shanty
chanty (CHAN tee)
A song sung by sailors to the rhythm of their movements while working: "The singer always included a sea chanty or two in her performance."
shanty (SHAN tee)
A roughly built, often ramshackle cabin; a shack: "The old shanty by the river was destroyed when the river flooded."
charted, chartered
charted (CHART id)
1. A map showing coastlines, water depths, or other information of use to navigators: "They charted the course of the ship."
2. A sheet presenting information in the form of graphs or tables in order to make a plan for something: "She charted her own career path and he charted a new course for the company." chartered (CHAR tuhr id)
Assigned or hired; such as, to hire a ship, bus, etc. for temporary use: "The bus was chartered by our school to take students to the football game."
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