Confusing Words Clarified: Group G; Homonyms, Homophones, Homographs, Synonyms, Polysemes, etc. +
A great example of confusing words
Once upon a time in the unknown past, at a dinner party in Texas, a man from South America was telling about his country and himself, concluding with "And I have a sympathetic wife but unfortunately, no children. My wife, she is unbearable."
Those who were listening greeted his statement with puzzled glances, so he tried to explain: "My wife, she is inconceivable." Noticing from the bewildered looks of the guests that this didn't clarify the matter, he finally explained with a triumphant smile: "I mean, my wife, she is impregnable."
—Compiled from Humorous English by Evan Esar;
Horizon Press; New York; 1961, page 164.
Never use big words where a diminutive one will suffice.
—Anonymous
If you have any problems understanding the pronunciation symbols, go to this Pronunciation Chart for clarifications.
glacier, glazier
glacier (GLAY shuhr) (
noun)
A large section or body of ice on a hillside or mountain that is characterized by a slow and inexorable movement downhill: The glacier moved slowly down the mountain and pieces broke off when it got to the ocean.
glazier (GLAY zhuhr) (
noun)
Someone who cuts and fits glass; such as, for doors and windows: After the window was broken, Madeline called the glazier to come and repair it as soon as possible.
When Jim and Carine saw the glacier, it looked like a glazier had done some work on parts of the outer surfaces.
glance, glance, glimpse, glimpse
A quick, often oblique, look at something: The actor cast a quick glance at the noisy group in the balcony in the theater.
To hit something and bounce off at an angle: As the children threw the rocks, they watched them glance off the side of the wall.
A brief, quick look at something: As the train rushed through the countryside, it was difficult to get more than a glimpse of the pastoral settings.
To look at or to see something or someone for a very short time: Curtis was able to glimpse the actress as she quickly entered the hotel.
Bill tried to glance over his left shoulder to catch a glimpse of the deer that was running away to hide.
glut, glut, gluten, glutton
Too much of something or a supply of something that is much more than is needed or wanted: There is a glut of oil on the market.
To fill with more of something than is needed or wanted: Seeing the amount of food piled up on his plate, there is no doubt that Rodger will glut himself during the meal.
A protein substance in wheat and flour which does not dissolve in water but becomes sticky, holding dough together: The amount of gluten in the flour is an important factor in how well the bread dough will rise.
1. Someone who eats too much: Karl is a glutton for ice cream and pie.
2. Someone who wants a large amount of something: Mildred is a glutton for gossip.
The gluten-free items in the health food store did not appeal to the glutton who liked to glut himself with starchy treats.
—Callie Cardamon
There was a glut on the market of gluten free products many of which were very appealing to the glutton who prided himself by having a natural products diet.
gneiss, nice
A banded or foliated metamorphic rock: While walking in the mountains, Polly and Phil saw some colorful gneiss, which was a piece of granite stone.
1. Pleasing and agreeable in nature: Willie said he had a nice and enjoyable time at the party that night.
2. Having a pleasant or attractive appearance: Ingrid wore a lovely nice dress which enhanced her nice and charming face.
Patricia's nice friend, who is a jeweler, made a nice ring for her niece from some gneiss which she found when she was hiking this summer.
gnus, news
gnus (NOOZ, NYOOZ) (
noun)
Either of two large African antelopes having drooping manes and beards, long tufted tails, and curved horns in both genders: Aaron saw a documentary film which showed gnus trying to cross a river while crocodiles were attacking them.
news (NOOZ, NYOOZ) (
noun)
Information about recent events or happenings; especially, as reported by the media, including periodicals, radio, or television: The latest
news about the war was not good.
Therese tries to keep up with the latest news by watching and listening to it on her TV.
The news that Janine received was that there were two new gnus coming to the zoo.
gobble, binge
1. To eat or to grab in a greedy manner: The people who came to the food kitchen were so hungry all they could do was gobble the food given to them as fast as they could.
2. To make a throaty sound that resembles the sound of a large male gallinaceous bird: The hunters tried to gobble like the wild turkey to trick them into to flying out of the trees.
Unrestrained behaviors; such as, drinking, eating, or shopping: When Barbara got her paycheck, she went on a shopping binge until she spent almost all of her money.
People who go on an eating binge sometimes gobble their food as if they are afraid that there will never be enough.
gobbler, gobbler
gobbler (GAHB luhr) (
noun)
A slang term for a male turkey: The gobbler will be butchered and roasted; and he will be on the dinner table next week.
gobbler (GAHB luhr) (
noun)
Someone who swallows or eats something at an excessive rate: Steve was about the worst gobbler Brandon had ever seen at the dinner table.
When Roy was at the Street Mission, the homeless man was often a gobbler; especially, when a "gobbler" was served with gravy and vegetables.
goer, gore, gore
Anyone who goes to places; especially, a person who goes to a specified place frequently or regularly; often used in combination: Helena was a regular beach-goer while her brother was a sports-goer.
1. Violent images or scenes that show a great deal of blood: Wayne and Dina left the movie early because it showed excessive violence, gore, and profanity."
2. A tapered or triangle shaped piece of cloth used in making skirts to create a flared effect: Each gore in her skirt was a different color creating a rainbow effect.
To cut or to wound something often with a sharp instrument: A bullfighter is always at risk that the bull will gore him.
Cleo, who was a party goer, used a new skirt pattern which made each gore a different color, so she sewed the colorful skirt the way she wanted it and wore it to the next party.
One evening, when Tamika and Susanne went home after a party, they were very disturbed because they had passed the scene of an accident and had seen all the gore on the street.
goggle, google, googol
To look at something or someone with the eyes wide open in a way that shows that a person is surprised, amazed, etc.: The huge statue caused him to goggle in wonder.
The name of the search engine and software company is a deliberate variant of the mathematical term googol: The company’s founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, came up with the name Google in 1998 by altering the spelling for trademark purposes.
The term is numerically valued as: (10
100) 1 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000 000: This
googol is frequently used in mathematics.
A googol was once said to have more than the number of raindrops falling on the city in a century, or the number of grains of sand on the Coney Island beach.
Joshua was all a goggle when he tried to comprehend the number googol. In fact, William had to use Google to get the correct definition.
golf, gulf
golf (GAHLF, GAWLF) (
noun)
A recreational sport employing specially designed sticks (called clubs) and a small ball, the objective of the game being to hit the ball across a distance and into a hole in the ground: Antonio enjoyed playing golf outside on the smooth grass after he retired, thinking it would give his arms good exercise!
1. A wide space or gap, often in relation to ideologies or lifestyles: The gulf between generations was noted in the clothing that was worn by the adolescents in comparison to the more conservative clothing worn by the adults.
2. An expanse of ocean that extends inland: The gulf extended far inland, creating a harbor for many ships.
When Nathan went to the gulf for his holidays last year, he enjoyed playing a lot of golf with a professional player, who was also providing instruction.
The course where they were playing golf looked out over the beautiful gulf, but Nathan noticed a huge gulf in the lifestyle between the resort where he was and in the villages that were nearby.
gored, gourd
To cut or to wound with a sharp instrument: Bullfighters are always in danger of being gored by a bull during their contests in the ring.
gourd (GOHRD, GOORD) (
noun)
1. Plants of the vine family (Cucurbitaceae) that produce vegetables; such as, cucumbers or squashes: Dorothea and Nellie decided to plant the gourds along the sunny fence in the garden.
2. Hard shelled fruit of vines (Lagenaria or Cucurbita) that, when hollowed out and dried, are used for ornaments or as containers for items: At the market, Cleo bought several colorful gourds to use for decorating her living room.
In order to make a decorative gourd from the gourd of the plant growing in the garden, Sheila gored it with a sharp knife to cut an opening so she could clean out the seeds.
gorge, gorge
1. To stuff with food; to glut: The children were so hungry that they didn't hesitate to gorge themselves on cookies and candy.
2. To devour greedily: These people who lived in the jungle were always seen to gorge their food as if they were afraid that someone or something would take it away from them.
1. A deep ravine, usually with a watercourse running through it: As Susanne and Jillian flew over the area, they could see the gorge and the river flowing in it.
2. A narrow pass; especially, one that goes between mountains: The train was traveling parallel to the gorge as the tourists enjoyed the scenery.
The restaurant was located on the cliff overlooking the gorge. The food was so good it was hard for the customers not to gorge themselves during the meals.
gorilla; guerrilla (or) guerilla
gorilla (guh RIL uh) (
noun)
1. An anthropoid which is similar to the monkey, but that is much larger and normally lives in Africa, typically in the forested areas: Almost any gorilla probably has an unhappy life in a zoo as compared to its natural existence in a jungle.
2. An ugly or brutal person: Robert's rude and aggressive manners earned him the reputation of being a gorilla.
guerrilla, guerilla (guh RIL uh) (
noun)
Someone who engages in irregular warfare, the goal of which is usually to overthrow a current government: To be successful, a guerrilla must operate in a countryside where there are civilian sympathizers.
An ape that uses sabotage as a method of fighting is known as a guerrilla gorilla.
gourmand, gourmet
gourmand (goor MAHND, GOOR muhnd) (
noun)
An individual who is exceedingly focused on food and drink: Fernando could be described as a gourmand based on his habits of always eating specialized meals and wines at various restaurants.
gourmet (goor MAY, GOOR may") (
noun)
A person whose special interests are fine foods and drink: After years of study, Cleo became a gourmet and frequently entertained her friends at home with delicious meals.
The gourmand, who was writing a new cookbook, discussed it with her aunt who was also a renowned gourmet.
graduate, graduate
graduate (GRAJ yoo ayt") (
verb)
1. To be granted an academic degree or diploma: About two thirds of the entering freshmen stayed until they were able to graduate.
2. To advance to a new level of skill, achievement, or activity: After weeks of practice, the athletes were able to graduate to higher levels of wins over losses.
graduate (GRAJ yoo it") (
noun)
Someone who has completed a course of study and received formal recognition for his or her academic accomplishments: Jerome's parents were very proud of him; especially, since he was the first high school graduate in the family.
As a graduate of the famous university, Helena felt that she was ready to graduate to an advanced level of research in her specialization of micro-biology.
Confusing Words: Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs; explained and demonstrated.
Confusing Words: Units, Groups A to Z.
