Ad Homonym Attack

Image by Brett Jordan, for Unsplash

Yes, yes, I know that’s not how you spell “ad hominem” — but I can’t resist a good pun. In fact, my pet peeve is the misspellings of homophones, which are sometimes incorrectly called homonyms.

Either way, the headline makes me happy, so it stays. My blog, my rules.

First, here are some definitions from Merriam-Webster:

Ad hominem - (adj.) Marked by, or being an attack on, an opponent's character rather than by an answer to the contentions made. (We’ve seen a lot of ad hominem attacks and arguments in U.S. politics lately. I’m pretty tired of it, frankly, but that’s a subject for another day.)

Homonym - (noun) One of two or more words spelled and pronounced alike but different in meaning, such as the noun quail , a bird, and the verb quail, a synonym for falter or recoil.

Homophone - (noun) One of two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning, derivation, or spelling, such as the words to, too, and two.

The homophone errors bug me the most — mostly because misuse and misspelling of words can change the meaning of a sentence, and I have to stop and re-read a few times. That makes me impatient.

I confess that I am also a word snob, and when I encounter these bloopers I may mutter imprecations (look it up) about the author. I don’t necessarily assume that the person is careless or stupid, but let’s just say that those words do enter my mind. Sorry, not sorry.

Seriously, folks. Your spell checker is not going to catch most of these issues when each word is spelled correctly. The context is the problem. There are a few grammar checking programs that might flag a word used out of context, but your best defense is to choose your words carefully. When in doubt, look it up.

Here are some of the most common mistakes in homophones:

Your/you’re - Your is a possessive, you’re is a contraction of the words you + are. “If you’re going on a trip, don’t forget your toothbrush.”

To/too/two - To is a preposition, too is another word for also, and two is a number. “To bake that cake, I’d need too many eggs and I have only two.”

There/their/they’re - There refers to a place, their is possessive, and they’re is a contraction of they + are. “After they’re done over there, they will return to their homes.”

Its/it’s - This one is a bit tough for some people, but it actually conforms to the rules. Its is a possessive — it means “belonging to it” — and it’s is a contraction of the words it + is. Those are the same rules governing your vs you’re and their vs they’re — but because all letters are the same in its and it’s, more people get them confused. Don’t.

Then/than -These are both prepositions, I think. Maybe. Anyway, use then when you’re talking about time: “I’ll see you then.” Use than (with an “a”) for comparisons: “I’m smarter than you.” (Just kidding. Don’t be so sensitive.)

Affect/effect - These can also be tricky. For the most part, affect is used as a verb: “That factor affected the outcome.” But sometimes, you’ll hear a doctor or psychologist refer to a patient’s affect, which in this case is a noun meaning demeanor. In case you’re not confused enough, the word effect (with an “e”) is most often used as a noun, as in the phrase “special effects” or when a law “goes into effect.” However, you can also '“effect a change” — where effect is a verb meaning to cause. I’ll refer you to Merriam-Webster for additional examples. I’m out.

Next, we have the idioms. I have seen a ridiculous number of mistakes, even in published news articles and books, which ostensibly have editors. They should know better.

Whet your appetite - where the word whet means to hone or sharpen. Clearly this is the correct choice, and not the homophone wet, meaning to dampen — which is exactly the opposite of whetting, metaphorically speaking.

Pique your curiosity - C’mon, people. Pique (from the French) means to excite or arouse, including anger, as in “a fit of pique.” That’s different from peak (a summit or. height) and peek (to look at something secretly or surreptitiously.) “The yearbook piqued his interest, so he peeked inside, to discover that his best friend had peaked in high school.” Got it?

Pore over - When you examine something closely, you pore over it. When the barista runs out of brewed decaf, you might be offered a pour over, which is a fancy term for drip coffee.

There are many more of these, and fellow logophiles have made more complete lists of words and idioms that seem to cause problems for writers. Present company is excluded, because on the rare occasions when I don’t know a word or phrase, I look it up.

Those are words to live by.