Confusing Words Clarified: Group S;

Homonyms, Homophones,
Homographs, Synonyms, Polysemes,
etc. +
(lists of "S" sections that are organized into what for some people are
confusing groups of words)

English can be very confusing; for example, a house burns up as it burns

down, a form is being filled in as it is being filled out, and an alarm goes off by
going on. How about when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the
lights are out, they are invisible?
As you examine the groups of words in this unit, you will find many
examples of confusions; sometimes, just one or two letters in a word can
change its meaning completely. There are also times when two different words
get confused because their meanings apply to things that are very similar.
Efforts have been made to help you grasp the meanings of various 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 thisPronunciation Chart for clarifications.
slay, sleigh
slay (SLAY)
1. To kill in a random and wanton manner: "Wild animals do not slay other
animals just for recreation, but for food."
2. To delight or to amuse someone, or others, very much: "You slay me when
you tell such outrageous jokes."
sleigh (SLAY)
1. A vehicle with runners used to drive across the snow or ice: "The horse
pulled the red sleigh over the snow on the way back to the barn."
2. To drive a large, open vehicle that is usually pulled by a horse over snow or
ice: "The man from the city wanted to learn to sleigh during his winter
vacation on the farm."
sleave, sleeve
sleave (SLEEV)
To separate something into fine filaments: "My cousin, who is an engineer,
developed a machine to sleave the threads of silk before weaving it into new
cloth."
sleeve (SLEEV)
1. Part of a piece of clothing designed to cover each arm of the wearer: "When I
tried on the new coat, I noticed that the right sleeve was too short for me so I
concluded it was a manufacturing error."
2. An open ended tubular packaging: "I slipped the newspaper into the plastic
sleeve so it would not get wet."
3. Informal expression to suggest an individual is keeping a secret: "She was
grinning so hard I was sure she had something up her sleeve."
sleight, slight
sleight (SLIGHT)
1. Deceitful efforts. "He tried to borrow a large sum of money by employing
sleight tactics."
2. The act of tricking or deceiving someone, or others, in a clever way:
"Investigative journalists exposed the company's financial sleight of hand to
its investors."
slight (SLIGHT)
1. Not stout, but slim or delicate: "Her slight figure was draped in black
because her favorite cat had died."
2. Trivial, superficial, and not having much importance: "We had a slight
acquaintance and I would not say we were friends."
slew, slough, slough, slough
slew (SLOO)
1. Large numbers or quantities of something: "We collected a whole slew of
eggs from the chicken nests in the barn."
2. To turn, to swing about, or to skid: "The car was going too fast and it slew
around the corner on the ice."
3. To have killed something, typically in great numbers: "The knight slew the
dragon and won the hand of the princess."
slough (SLOO, SLOU)
1. A depression or hollow, usually filled with deep mud or mire: "A slough is
known as a slue or a stagnant swamp, marsh, bog, or pond; especially, as part
of a bayou, inlet, or backwater."
2. A state of deep despair or moral degradation: "She was in such a slough of
discouragement that she decided to go to see her doctor for help."
slough (SLUHF), noun
1. The dead outer skin shed by a reptile or an amphibian: "You can see in this
cage that this is the slough or skin of the snake which is living here."
2. In medicine, a layer or mass of dead tissue separated from surrounding
living tissue, as with a wound, a sore, or an inflammation: "Using a scalpel, the
doctor removed the slough that was inhibiting the healing of the wound on her
foot."
slough (SLUHF), verb
To get rid of something that is unwanted: "It is important that we slough off
our fears and face the challenges that confront us in this project."
"I will slough off my winter coat and stand in front of the fire so I can get
warm."
sloe, slow
sloe (SLOW)
A plum tree typical of the North Eastern United States which has dark purple
fruit with yellow flesh: "The sloe of the blackthorn stained my fingers when I
was picking them."
slow (SLOW)
1. Lacking in readiness, dull: "We were slow to start this morning because of
the flat tire."
"You will have to excuse me, but I am a bit slow so early in the morning."
2. Moving without much speed: "The traffic was so slow this morning."
"The river is deep and slow here, but watch out for the rapids
downstream."
3. Boring, lacking in activity and gaiety: "The pace of life in the country is slow
when compared to living in the city."
sluggard, slugger
sluggard (SLUHG uhrd)
An individual who is habitually lazy and avoids work or physical exertion:
"Our obese neighbor tends to avoid exercise, over eats, and spends too much
time as a sluggard in front of the TV or playing electronic games hour after
hour on his computer."
slugger (SLUHG uhr)
1. Someone who hits a baseball very hard: "When the baseball player got up to
bat, the crowd cheered, 'Come on, Slugger. Get another home run'."
2. A boxer who hits an opponent hard over and over again: "The prize fighter
was a slugger who won against most of his opponents."
smart, smart, smart
smart (SMART)
1. Amusingly clever; witty: "He often came up with smart plays on words
known as puns."
2. Characterized by sharp quick thought; mentally bright: "She made a smart
investment, this time."
The smart money's on tropical islands

Looking for a sound investment to combat the biodiversity crisis? Spend

your cash on an island. It turns out they are about nine times as valuable as an
equally large piece of mainland.
—From an article by Emma Young in the
New Scientist; May 16, 2009; page 12.

smart (SMART)
Relating to, or being a highly automated device; especially, one that is fitted
with a built-in microprocessor: "There are many so-called smart cards, smart
signals, smart phones, smart missiles, and many other smart tools which are
available in our modern age."
"When we started out to build our network two summers ago, there was
not a single smartphone (smart phone) with a Wi-Fi chip in it, not a single
BlackBerry with a Wi-FI chip. Now, if you look at the industry data, about 90
percent of all hand-held devices going out in the next five years are going to
have Wi-Fi chips."
—Jack W. Blumenstein, chief executive of Aircell,
the company that is providing nearly all of the
Wi-Fi installations so far for U.S. carriers.

smart (SMART)
1. To cause a sharp, usually superficial, stinging pain: "The child cried because
of the pain of the smart on her skinned knee."
2. To suffer acutely, as from mental distress, wounded feelings, or remorse:
"He is still smarting from the series of lost tennis matches that he suffered last
month."
He was smart to use his smart phone so he could get medical attention
for the painful smart on his bleeding hand.
A smart phone is described as a wireless phone with text and internet
capabilities that can handle wireless phone calls, store addresses, take voice
mail, access information on the internet, send and receive e-mail, and fax
transmissions.
smear, smirch, smirk
smear (SMIR)
1. To spread on or to wipe a surface with something that is sticky: "I will use a
knife to smear apricot jam on my morning toast."
2. A substance that is put onto a surface, often as a thin layer: "The mechanic
will smear the gears with grease so they will function smoothly."
3. To make malicious or secretive comments about someone: "The
unscrupulous banker tried to smear his competitor by writing gossip in the
newspaper."
4. An accusation or charge about someone that is without foundation: "The
smear campaign by his political opponents consisted of telling lies about his
war record."
5. In medicine, A very small sample of something; such as, skin or blood which
someone examines with a microscope: "The laboratory checked the patient's
blood smear and discovered that malaria was a factor causing his illness."
smirch (SMURCH)
1. To make dirty, to sully: "Be sure to wear an apron so you don't smirch your
dress while you're washing the dishes."
2. To bring disgrace upon someone: "His negative comments seemed to
smirch the reputation of his former teacher."
smirk (SMURK)
To smile in a shallow, smug, unpleasant, or affected manner: "While the
principal was talking with him, the youth seemed not to pay attention and had
a smirk on his face."
smeller, speller
smeller (SMELL uhr)
1. An individual who uses the olfactory senses to identify substances: "The
most valued employee in the perfume factory is a smeller with a finely
developed olfactory sense."
2. An individual or thing what emanates an odor: "That old cheese is quite a
smeller."
speller (SPEL uhr)
An instructional text to teach how to use letters to create meaningful words: "I
brought my new speller home from school and I plan to use it for my
homework."
smudge, smug, snug
smudge (SMUHJ)
1. To rub, to blur, or to make indistinct: "She used the art gum eraser to
smudge the picture and to create the appearance of fog."
2. A spot or stain on something: "After eating a hamburger, he discovered a
smudge of catsup on his shirt."
smug (SMUHG)
1. Having or showing the annoying quality of people who feel very pleased or
satisfied with their abilities, achievements, and having a glow of self-
congratulation: "He had a smug expression on his face because he was sure he
had won the competition."
2. An archaic or out-of-date usage: very clean, tidy, and very correct: "His desk
in the office was always smug as were the documents which he wrote."
snug (SNUHG)
1. Close fitting and comfortable: "The new coat had a snug fit and was very
comfortable and warm."
2. Warm, comfortable, and safe: "The Christmas poem described the children
as being snug in their beds."
"The cottage was a snug place to be on a rainy afternoon."
3. To fasten down securely: "The sailors had to work hard to snug the barrels
on the deck so they would not roll around."
soar, sore, sower
soar (SOHR)
1. To sail up into the air to a great height or an upward flight: "I watched the
butterfly soar up into the sky and fly away."
"The new kite will soar above the trees."
2. To rise to a high or exalted level: "When I hear a stirring marching band, I
can feel my heart soar with pride."
"I expect the price of a new car will soar next year."
3. To fly a vehicle that is without an engine: "When I am in my glider, I can
soar over the fields and hilltops."
sore (SOHR)
1. Painfully tender or sensitive: "They felt sore all over after the bruising
football game."
2. Characterized by difficulties and hardships: "The pioneers had a sore time
crossing the mountains with their wagons and animals."
3. A localized spot on the body where the skin is broken and which is typically
infected: "The nurse looked at the sore on the patient's elbow and applied
some medications and a bandage."
sower (SOHR)
1. An individual who plants seeds by scattering them: "My gardener is a sower
of grass seeds which he scatters by hand."
2. Anyone who scatters non-truths and causes suspicion: "As a sower of
gossip, the thoughtless youth caused people to be angry and he was forced to
apologize."
soared, sword
soared (SOHRD)
1. To fly or to sail often at a great height by floating on air currents: "The eagle
soared high in the sky above us."
2. To rise quickly upward to a great height: "The ball soared out of the
stadium."
sword (SOHRD)
A weapon with a long metal blade that usually has a sharp point and edge: "He
was a skilled fighter with a sword."
"There is a saying that people need to beat their swords into plowshares;
or, to stop fighting wars and begin to live peacefully."
During the hand-to-hand fight, the man's rapier flew into the air; that is,
the opponent's sword soared out of control.
He who lives by the sword dies by the sword or, in other words, those
who view war as a solution to a national or international problem will
ultimately be destroyed by their own soaring violence.
sodder, solder
sodder (SAHD uhr)
Someone who, or a machine which, lays sod or grass for a lawn: "We had a
sodder come to get rid of the weeds and give us a new lawn for our residence."
solder (SAHD uhr)
1. The process by which two pieces of metal are fastened together, typically
using a different melted metal to accomplish the process: "The tinsmith was
able to solder the broken drainpipe back together." 2. To create a solid
friendship or union: "We went out to lunch together to solder our renewed
friendship."
sold, soled
sold (SOHLD)
1. To have exchanged money to acquire property: "He sold the antique desk to
the highest bidder at the auction."
2. To have given up something in a foolish or dishonest manner: "He sold his
good name when he became involved with the fraud scheme."
3. To have influenced or persuaded others to take a certain course of action:
"The teacher sold the children on the idea of creating posters advertising their
upcoming concert."
soled (SOHLD)
To have attached a new bottom to a shoe or boot: "The shoe repairman soled
my shoes for me while I was waiting."
sole, soul
sole (SOHL)
1. The underside of the foot from the toes to the heel: "I have a blister on the
sole of my right foot where my new shoe was rubbing."
2. The underside of a shoe, boot, or other piece of footwear, sometimes
excluding the heel: "We had to have our shoes repaired with a new inner sole
for each shoe."
3. Only, exclusive, lone, solitary, single: "The hermit is the sole inhabitant of
that cave on the hill."
4. Exclusive: "The father has sole responsibility for the child."
5. Single, alone, or having no other individual associated with a situation: "She
has been the sole occupant of the house ever since her parents died."
soul (SOHL)
1. The animating and vital principle in humans, credited with the faculties of
thought, action, and emotion and often conceived as an immaterial entity:
"Every human being is believed to have a soul." 
2. The spiritual nature of humans, regarded as immortal, separable from the
body at death, and susceptible to happiness or misery in a future state: "Many
religious leaders preach that the souls of their faithful followers will go to
paradise (heaven) and the souls of the unfaithful will suffer in hades (hell)."
3. Essence, embodiment, quintessence: "The banker was the soul of honesty
and understanding."
4. Inspiration, force, spirit, vitality: "Some musicians lack soul."
5. A soul mate or a person with whom someone has a strong affinity: "When
she met my friend, she told her sister that she believed that she had finally
found her soul mate."
Worship Services: Your soul is our sole mission.
As the prince was trying on the shoe to find Cinderella, someone
commented that the prince was using the shoe to find his true love, while
someone over hearing the statement said, the prince was actually looking for
his sole mate; which, of course, would also supposedly result in the prince
finding his soul mate.

 Confusing Words: Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs;

explained and demonstrated.
Confusing Words: Units, Groups A to Z.
 Confusing Words: Vocabulary Quizzes Listed.
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