Would you ring a bell or a belle to let everyone know dinner was ready? Do the waves in the sea bellow or billow? Did the bank robbers use a biretta or a Beretta when they robbed the bank? Would they berry or bury their treasure?
Liberty Bell, wikimedia commons
bell, belle
A bell is a hollow musical instrument, with a clapper hung inside.
The Liberty Bell, a symbol of our independence, hangs in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
A belle is a beautiful woman.
Melanie was the belle of the ball.
bellows, billows
Bellows can be used as noun or as a verb. Bellows are used for blowing air into a fire. When an animal bellows, it lets out a loud, hollow cry. A person bellows when he roars or cries out in rage.
The young boy bellowed when he accidentally dropped the bellows in the fire.
The big waves of the sea are called billows. When an item swells up or puffs up because of the force of the wind, it billows.
The sea’s billows became steadily larger as the wind grew stronger.
Benedictine, wikimedia commons
Benedictine, Benedictine
I realize that the above two words are spelled exactly the same, but there are two different pronunciations. How the word is pronounced determines what it means.
A Benedictine is a member of an order of monks that was founded by St. Benedict. The “tine” at the end is pronounced like ‘tin’.
The Benedictine monks were founded at Monte Cassino.
Benedictine, where the ‘tine’ is pronounced like ‘teen’, is a brandy that was originally made by the Benedictine monks.
Benedictine was served to everyone after dinner.
Benzedrine, benzidine
Benzedrine is a brand of amphetamine.
The teacher gave a test on the effects that Benzedrine has on the central nervous system.
Benzidine is a crystalline powder that is used to determine the presence of blood.
Sara was given a benzidine reagent test to determine whether or not blood was present in her urine.
Beretta, biretta
A Beretta is an Italian pistol.
Although the Beretta is an Italian pistol, it is sold worldwide..
A biretta is the little cap worn by Roman Catholic clergymen.
His purple biretta showed that he was a bishop.
Alaska wild berries, wikipedia
berry, bury
A berry is a small fruit such as a strawberry or blueberry.
One single ripe berry was left on the bush by the flock of blue jays.
When you bury something, you place it in the ground and cover it with earth.
The robbers decided to bury the stolen jewelry behind their house.
berth, birth
A berth is a narrow, shelflike sleeping space on a boat, plane, or railroad car.
Aaron did not think that he could sleep comfortably in the berth provided.
All of us mothers know the meaning of birth. It is the act or instance of being born, or the act of bringing forth offspring.
Jocelyn is due to give birth one day next week.
bobcat crouched beside dried vegetation, wikimedia commons
beside, besides
Beside, a preposition, means next to.
Todd sat beside Lisa.
Besides, an adverb, means in addition to, moreover, or otherwise.
Besides having to go to the doctor, Shelia had to make a trip to the grocery store.
beta, better, bettor
Beta is the second letter in the Greek alphabet. It is also the second in any series.
Joe had problems learning the letter that came after beta.
Better means greater, of finer quality, healthier, etc.
For the better part of her life, she was a teacher.
A bettor is a person who bets.
The bettor threw a fit when the horse he bet on didn’t win the race.
biannual v.s biennial, www.slideshare.net
biannual, biennial
There is a lot of confusion over these words. According to many dictionaries, these words are interchangeable. If that were so, then why all the confusion? Biannual and biennial do not mean the same thing.
Biannual means occurring twice a year.
The gardening competition was a biannual event.
Biennial means occurring every two years.
She made biennial visits to the eye doctor.
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