Confusing Words Clarified: Group T; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, Polysemes, etc. +

(lists of "T" sections that are organized into what for some people are confusing groups of words)

If you have any problems understanding the pronunciation symbols, go to this Pronunciation Chart for clarifications.

thyme, time, time
thyme (THIGHM) (noun)
Any of a number of plants with aromatic leaves frequently used in cooking or medicines: "The recipe said to put in a pinch of thyme just before serving."
time (TIGHM) (verb)
To regulate, to set the speed or duration: "The coach will time the runners to determine who is the fastest one."
time (TIGHM) (noun)
1. A measureable period during which something occurs or happens: "This is the time of fantastic explorations in space."
2. The determined or customary moment when something begins or ends: "It is now time for dinner after which there will be time to watch our favorite TV program before it is time to go to bed."
3. One's experiences during a specific event: "We had a great time at the tea yesterday afternoon."
4. A period or length of apprenticeship, training, or military service: "He served his time in the naval reserve and he was glad that he had the experience."

"I still have time before I complete my internship at the hospital."

Spring is the time to plant thyme in the garden.

tic, tick
tic (TIK) (noun)
A sudden muscle spasm: "I get a slight tic in my left eye when I am nervous."
tick (TIK) (noun)
1. A slight click or tap: "I could hear the tick of her cane on the tile floor as she walked down the hall towards the door."
2. A bloodsucking insect: "After she had gone outside to play, my cat came home with a tick on her neck that was difficult to remove."

"It is dangerous for people to get a tick bite because the tick may carry a disease; such as, Rocky Mountain spotted fever or Lyme disease."

3. Primarily a British usage: a mark; such as, ✓ or ✔, which is used to show that something like an item on a list has been noted, done, etc.: "Put a tick (✓) next to each item on the list as you complete it."
4. Another British term indicating an agreement to pay for something after a period of time: "She bought her items on tick; that is, she promised to pay for the things later."
5. A British indication about the time it takes a clock to make one click, a second, or a very short time: "Her husband said he would be with her in a tick and she responded that she needed at least two ticks to be ready to go."

He felt a sudden tic in his left leg. When he looked down, he saw a tick on his leg. In a tick, he thought of applying a handful of salt on the tick and hoped that would make it drop off.

ticket, ticket, ticket
ticket (TIK it) (noun)
A card representing admission to an activity or a fare for some form of transportation: "We were told to present our ticket when we arrived at the entrance of the theater."

"I bought a one way ticket on the bus."

ticket (TIK it) (noun)
A list of candidates running for political office: "She was asked if her name was on the ticket for governor in the upcoming election?"
ticket (TIK it) (verb)
To give or to issue an official notification or summons or to issue a document for travelling: "The police officer was determined to ticket my car which was in the No Parking zone outside the travel agent who was planning to ticket my vacation that afternoon."

I bought a ticket to the meeting of the candidates so I could hear the complete ticket of each of those who were running for the office of mayor.

tide, tied
tide (TIGHD) (noun)
The rise and fall of bodies of water: "We sat on the shore and watched the tide come in."
tied (TIGHD) (noun)
Fastened together; such as, shoe lace, string around a package, etc.: "I tied the laces on my shoes securely so they would not come undone."

"Before I mailed the package, I made sure it was tied firmly with heavy string."

His boat was tied to the pier so the tide wouldn't take it out to sea.

tier, tier, tire, Tyre
tier (TEER), (noun)
Two or more rows of something arranged in an ascending order: "We sat on the second tier of chairs in the auditorium to watch the concert."
tier (TEER), (verb)
To arrange objects in rows of ascending order: "The shop keeper planned to tier the bottles of olive oil according to size of the bottle."
tire (TIGHR) (verb)
To become worn out or at a loss of energy: "I am sure that swimming will tire me out before I quit and go home."
tire (TIGHR) (noun)
The hoop of rubber and fabric that covers the air filled rubber inner tube which is part of the wheel structure for a vehicle: "We had a flat tire because I accidentally drove over a nail in the roadway."
Tyre (TIGHR) (noun)
A port in southern Lebanon on the Mediterranean Sea which figures heavily in ancient Phoenician history: "Fabulous wealth in silk and other fabrics passed through the Phoenician port of Tyre according to ancient history."

Searching the library for the history of Tyre really will tire me out because I have to climb the ladder to explore the tier of books.

tight, tight, tight
tight (TIGHT) (adjective)
1. Not easily moved or opened; fastened, attached, or held in a position that is difficult to move: "The lid on the box was a tight fit and it was hard to open until he used more pressure."
2. Fitting very close to the body: "His pants are too tight, so he needs to get a looser, more comfortable pair, before we can go."
3. A low supply; not easily available: "We can't afford to go on a vacation because money is just too tight since we're getting much less income."
tight (TIGHT) (adjective)
Stingy: "My friend has a reputation of being very tight with his money and so I didn't want to ask him for a loan."
tight (TIGHT) (adjective)
An informal reference about someone who has had too much alcohol to drink or is drunk: "The bartender decided not to serve the customer any more drinks because the guy was obviously tight."

My cousin was not tight when we first got together at the local pub and he treated us all to a drink. In fact, we sat tight until we all became tight and the bouncer, who was wearing tight trousers, told us that we had to leave.

till, till, till
till (TIL) (verb)
To prepare (land) for the raising of crops, as by plowing, hoeing, sowing, harrowing, etc.; to cultivate: "The farmer wants to till his land before the rain season starts."
till (TIL) (noun)
A drawer, compartment, or tray in which money or valuables are kept, as at a bank, store, etc.: "The till was opened so the sale's clerk could give the customer his change."
till (TIL) (verb)
Primarily an unstratified mass of mingled clay, sand, pebbles, and boulders, deposited by glaciers: "Scientists were assigned to examine the till from the melting glaciers."

The farmer was trying to till his rocky field when he came across a pile of till at the edge of river next to his field. He looked closely and found some gold nuggets which he took to the bank and asked that they be put in the till for safekeeping.

timber, timbre
timber (TIM buhr) (noun)
1. Trees or wooded land considered as a source of wood: "There is a fine stand of timber on that mountain."
2. Wood used as a building material; lumber: "We went to the lumber yard and ordered the timber needed to build the shed."
3. A dressed piece of wood, especially a beam in a structure: "I used a nail to fasten the timber to the frame as we were building the shed."
timbre (TAM buhr, TIM buhr) (noun)
The combination of qualities of a sound that distinguishes it from other sounds of the same pitch and volume: "The timbre of the singer's voice enchanted me because it was so resonant."

His wife laughed at him when he was hammering the timber on to the front porch. He was singing at the time; and she said, the timbre of his voice was enough to scare away the crows.

tinge, twinge
tinge (TINJ) (verb)
To change or modify to a slight degree typically in reference to color: "The artist decided to tinge the sunset in the painting with a slight pink color."
twinge (TWINJ) (noun)
A sharp localized pain which may be either physical or moral: "The man felt a twinge in his ankle when he was walking because he had twisted it earlier in the day."

"He seemed to experience a mental twinge of conscience when he realized what he had done."

The artist didn't seem to have a twinge of conscience when she decided to tinge the original painting of the sunset by adding a hint of orange.

tip, tip, tip, tip
tip (TIP) (noun)
A top or end: "The hotel is located at the tip of a high hill on the opposite tip of this island."
tip (TIP) (noun)
A useful hint or to give useful or secret information to someone: "Someone finally gave the police a significant tip about the robbers who stole the money from the store."
tip (TIP) (verb)
To give a small sum of money in addition to the cost of a service as a gratuity: "I'm glad that you remembered to tip the waiter for his good service."
tip (TIP) (verb)
To turn or to move something so that it is not straight or level or to cause something to lean or to slant: "If you're not careful as you lean back on that chair, you will tip over."

When we were traveling to the tip of the island, the local guide gave us a tip about the staff of waiters at the hotel; for example, he suggested that we should be generous with our tip or the water pitcher on the table might "accidentally" tip over and spill into one of our laps.

tissue, tissue
tissue (TISH oo) (noun)
A material which is a part of animals and plants: "The soft tissue on her arm bruises easily."
tissue (TISH oo) (noun)
Soft paper: "She wrapped the gift in colorful tissue and tied a ribbon around it."

She had a slight cut on the tissue of her upper arm; so, she used a paper tissue to stop the bleeding.

title, title
title (TIGHT uhl) (noun)
A name or rank: "His official title on board ship is, Chief Petty Officer."
title (TIGHT uhl) (noun)
A legal right to property, etc.: "According to this document, I have a legal title to the riverside property."

Her sports hero just won the title in the boxing competition. One would think that this title was a hereditary title because his father held the title before he did and together they even bought the title to some river front property.

to, too, too, two, two
to (TOO, TUH [when unstressed]) (preposition)
1. A functional word used to indicate direction: "The children were running to and fro across the lawn."

"After work, we drove to the country for a picnic."

2. A word used to indicate the end of an activity: "We came to the end of the story and had to return the book to the library."
3. Used to indicate that the following verb is in the infinitive form: "You asked why I like to swim. Well, that's a difficult question to answer."
to (TOO, TUH [when unstressed]) (verb form)
Used to indicate that the following verb is in the infinitive form: "You asked why I like to swim. Well, that's a difficult question to answer."
too (TOO) (adverb)
Excessively, besides; also, to a regrettable degree: "I was too tired to do anything except go to bed after I got home."

"I decided to sell the car and the trailer, too."

"His teasing had gone too far and my sister was upset and was crying."

two (TOO) (noun)
Being second; having more than one in number; an expression to suggest an approximate small amount: "She came in second, or as number two, in the cross country race."
two (TOO) (adjective)
An expression that indicates a quantity or an amount: "She said that she would like to have two chocolate desserts with her coffee."

"The boy found only one or two pink shells on the beach."

I was too excited to realize that there would be two extra guests for dinner this evening.

Her father told the clerk that he wanted a couple of the pens and that he would give two to his daughter, too.

toad, toed, towed
toad (TOHD) (noun)
An amphibious creature characterized by a rough, squat form which spends considerable time on land, returning to water to lay eggs: "He caught a toad in the garden and carried it to the edge of the pond."
toed (TOHD) (adjective)
A reference to a digit on the foot: "People are known as five-toed creatures."
towed (TOHD) (verb)
Pulled or dragged: "When we went camping, we towed a trailer with all of our camping gear behind the car."

A toad was towed to another pond by hanging on to one of its long-toed feet.

Is it possible that being pigeon-toed is a strange condition since it could mean that someone is half pigeon and half toad?

toast, toast, toast
toast (TOHST) (verb)
To heat and brown (bread, for example) by placing in a toaster or an oven or close to a fire: "I will toast the whole-wheat bread to eat with our eggs for breakfast."
toast (TOHST) (verb), verb
The act of raising a glass and drinking in honor of, or to, the health of a person (or people), or something: "We will toast the bride and groom at the reception."
toast (TOHST) (noun)
1. Informal, to be in a lot of trouble: "If anyone finds out about this, we're toast."

"His career is toast because of this one little mistake in judgment.

2. A person in desperate straits; someone who is doomed: "Just one little slip in this job and you're toast."

Here's a toast to bread without which we would not have toast with our breakfast and remember that a toast is one of the few things that can be eaten or drunk.

Pointing to explanation of homonyms, homophones, and homographs, etc. Confusing Words: Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs; explained and demonstrated.

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