Damn it all, only one day after a disquisition on why “the rules” aren’t necessarily binding, I find myself compelled to do this.
Watch your homophones, Gentle Readers. Words that sound the same don’t necessarily mean the same thing. Indeed, I can’t think of a case where they do.
I just encountered this phrase:
If this sort of thing peaks your interest...
No, no, NO!! The word you want is pique:
pique v: to excite (interest, curiosity, etc.):
Her curiosity was piqued by the gossip.
I’ve been encountering quite a lot of homophone errors lately, and they drive me straight up the BLEEP!ing wall. I know that spellcheckers are useless against them. Worse, most grammar checkers won’t detect them either. The most common ones are the “its / it’s,” “to / too / two,” and “there / their / they’re” groups, but others have been proliferating in a spirit of “My turn!”
Here’s another that’s completely avoidable: the use of lead where led — the past tense of the verb to lead — is correct.
This one had me laughing so hard I hurt myself:
She had a when on her right cheek.
HUH?! The word is wen: “a benign encysted tumor of the skin, especially on the scalp, containing sebaceous matter; a sebaceous cyst.” (Dictionary.com)
Yes, these homophone errors can be very funny, but the English language is taking a fair amount of damage from them. Words are tools! Each has its proper applications. You wouldn’t use a chainsaw to drive a nail, would you? Not a running one, at least?
What time is it, sweetie? Only 4:40 EST? Great God in heaven, I need a drink!
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