Confusing Words Clarified: Group F; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, etc. +(lists of "F" sections that are organized into what for some people are confusing groups of words)
Contraction Reaction
I hope I do not live to see The death of the apostrophe. For readers all will suffer fits In disentangling its from it’s, And they may also rave and rant, Unable to tell cant from can’t; Not to mention how they feel When they mix up well and we’ll. If you have any problems understanding the pronunciation symbols, go to this Pronunciation Chart for clarifications.fable, foible
fable (FAY buhl)
1. A short story that usually is about animals and which is intended to teach a lesson: "One of Aesop's fables is about a fox and some grapes."
2. A story or statement that is not true: "She combines fact and fable to make her novel more interesting." foible (FOI buhl)
A minor fault in someone's character or behavior: "Each of us has some little foible which can be very amusing."
façade, veneer
façade, facade (fuh SAHD)
1. The front of a building: "The saloon had a large facade covering the whole front."
2. A way of behaving or appearing that gives other people a false idea of your true feelings or situation: "We were always trying to keep up the facade of our happy marriage." veneer (vuh NEAR)
A thin layer of wood or other material that is attached to the surface of something in order to make it look better: "All the shelves had veneer along the front."
facet, faucet
facet (FAS it)
1. A part or element of something: "Each facet of the issue requires a lot of thinking through."
2. A small, flat surface on a jewel: "The diamond had one large facet and many small ones." faucet (FAW sit)
A device that is used to control the flow of water from a pipe: "The faucet wasn't turned off and the bathtub was overflowing with water!"
facetious, fictitious
facetious (fuh SEE shuhs)
Used to describe speech that is meant to be funny but that is usually regarded as annoying, silly, or not proper: "Her facetious remark certainly did not fit the situation."
fictitious (fik TISH uhs)
Not true or real: "The characters in the novel are all fictitious."
facilitate, felicitate
facilitate (fuh SIL i tayt")
To make easy or easier: "Winning millions in the lottery may facilitate entering the world of high-rise society"
felicitate (fi LIS i tayt")
1. To wish joy or happiness to: "The parents of the bride wanted to falicitate the newly wedded couple before they left for their honeymoon."
2. To congratulate: "Mr. Jones did indeed felicitate the student, a neighbor, for his graduation from college with a check and a written note in a letter." facility, felicity
facility (fuh SIL i tee)
1.Something; such as, a building or large piece of equipment, that is built for a specific purpose: "The resort offers a large number of sport facilities."
2.A skill and ease in doing something: "She has a great facility with words." felicity (fi LIS i tee)
Great happiness: "Their marital felicity lasted many years."
fail, failed, failing; flail, flailed, flailing
fail, failed, failing (FAYL, FAYL'd, FAYL ing)
1. To prove deficient or lacking; to perform ineffectively or inadequately: "The business is expected to fail to fulfill its promises."
2. To decline, as in strength or effectiveness: "The light was failing because the electrical power failed to go through the damaged wiring." flail, flailed, flailing (FLAYL, FLAYL'd, FLAYL ing)
1. To beat or to strike with or as if with a flail; that is, a manual threshing device consisting of a long wooden handle and a shorter, free swinging stick attached to its end: "We could see some people on the farm flailing the grain to get the seeds out of the husks."
2. To move vigorously or erratically; to thrash about: "We could see him flailing his arms helplessly in the water." fain, feign
fain (FAYN)
Archaic use, happily ready, willing; pleased, happy: "They were fain to go on their summer vacation."
"She fain would go to the party tomorrow." "When my friend invited me to dinner, I would fain do it, for sure, for sure." feign (FAYN)
To give a false appearance; to represent falsely: "Every Friday she feigns being sick so she doesn't have to attend her sports' activities in school."
faint, feint
faint (FAYNT)
Dizzy, light headed; having little strength or vigor: "After hearing about the death of her son, she was quite faint."
feint (FAYNT)
Trick, ruse, stratagem; a misleading movement or attack directed toward one part to draw defensive action away from the actual target or objective: "The baseball pitcher usually made a feint just before he threw the ball to first base."
fair, fare
fair (FAIR)
1. Impartial, unbiased; honorable: "A fair settlement of the dispute was suggested by the labor arbitrator."
2. A reference to weather conditions: "The weather today is fair; that is, clear and sunny." fare (FAIR)
A price paid for transportation: "The fare for a subway ride has been multiplied many times since it was originally set at five cents."
fairy, ferry
fairy (FAIR ee)
An imaginary creature that looks like a very small human being, has magic powers, and sometimes has wings: "When I was a child I loved reading fairy-tale books which took me into the land of fairies."
ferry (FAIR ee)
1. To carry or move (someone or something) on a vehicle; such as, a boat or car, usually for a short distance between two places: "The boat ferries people to the island."
2. Ferryboat: "You can only go there by ferry because there is no bridge." My friend told me that the dentist put a bridge in his mouth; so, I asked him if the tooth fairy went under it in her ferry. faker, fakir
faker (FAYK uhr)
Having a false or misleading appearance; a fraud: "You are not badly injured, you faker!"
fakir (fah KIR)
A Muslim religious mendicant who is a member of an order of clerics who are forbidden to own property and who work or beg for their living: "The fakir, looking very thin and weak in this Muslim group, certainly is very poor."
false, faults
false (FAWLS)
1. Not real or genuine and not really what it seems to be: "He presented his false documents to the police."
2. Based on mistaken ideas: "Your conclusion is based on false assumptions." faults (FAWLTS)
1. Bad qualities or parts of someone's character: "She loved him despite his faults of over eating and not exercising."
2.Responsibility for problems, mistakes, bad situations, etc.: "Despite all of his faults, he was still my best friend." A man who is working in a "Seismology Lab" said, "I can predict earthquakes." Would that make him a faults prophet? farce, force
farce (FAHRS)
1. A funny play or movie about ridiculous situations and events: "The play "A Midsummer Night's Dream", by William Shakespeare, can be called a farce."
2. Something that is so bad that it is seen as ridiculous: "The election seemed to be a complete farce to the population."
force (FOHRS)
1.Physical strength, power, or effect: "The front of the car took the full force of the accident."
2. A natural power or effect that is able to change the speed or direction of something: "The force of the earthquake caused the dishes to fall off the shelves and break." "Many people simply can not accept the use of force to solve such minor problems." What could you possibly like about professional wrestling? Is it the brute force that they exhibit? Well, what I like most about professional wrestling is the brute farce which they perform. farm, pharm
farm (FAHRM)
A piece of land used for growing crops or raising animals: "My dad used to have a herb farm where he grew chives, parsley, and thyme, just to name a few."
pharm (FAHRM)
A place where genetically modified animals or plants are produced for the production of pharmaceuticals: "The term pharm is a shortened form of pharmacy and pharmaceutical which are branches of the health sciences dealing with the preparation, dispensing, and proper utilization of drugs."
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