Would you fain or feign sickness if you wanted to get out of going somewhere? If you hadn’t had a bite to eat all day, would you feel faint or feint? Is a male parent a father, farther, or further? Is a festival a fate or a fete?
a fax machine from the late 1990s, wikipedia
facts, fax
Facts are things that are known to be true.
Strange and weird facts are like a treasure trove of ideas for writers of fiction.
Fax is a short way of saying facsimile, which is an exact copy of a document, photograph, etc.
Mandi needed to make a stop at the library so she could fax the documents to her lawyer.
fain, feign
An archaic meaning of fain is obliged or compelled. The modern meaning of this word is gladly or willing.
She would fain to go to the school dance with him.
Feign means to pretend or represent fictitiously.
The mother was used to her children trying to feign sickness in order to get out of doing their chores.
fainting goat, wikipedia
faint, feint
When one feels faint, then one feels dizzy, weak, exhausted, or is about to lose consciousness.
Faint with hunger, the weary traveler stumbled into the inn.
Feint means to trick or to fake. It is also a deceptive movement.
The feint he used when playing cards was discovered by his opponents, and once they had relieved him of all his winnings, they chased him out of town.
fair, fare
A fair is a festival. It also describes something that is free from bias, dishonesty, or injustice.
Many tourists visited the small town because of the unusual fair they had each year.
Fare is food or diet. It is also a fee paid to be taken somewhere in a taxi, plane, bus, etc.
The English tourists wanted to experience the authentic German fare during their visit to the country.
The Goose Fair, www.geograph.org.uk
fairing, faring
A fairing is a streamlined structure on the exterior of a boat or plane meant to reduce drag. It is also a rigid and transparent plastic sheet placed on the front of a motorcycle or bicycle to deflect wind and rain.
To prepare for their cross-country trip on the motorcycle, the young couple purchased a fairing to protect them from the predicted rain.
When you tell someone how you are faring, you tell them how you are getting along.
It is always polite to ask those you meet how they are faring.
faker, fakir
A faker is a deceiver.
Because of the lies he consistently told, Ernie’s reputation as a faker was known throughout the community.
A fakir is an imposter or a swindler. It is also a holy man with miraculous power, such as the ability to walk on fire.
The young boy became known as a fakir after he walked across the burning wood to rescue his beloved pet.
fakir levitating, wikimedia commons
false, faults
If a thing is false, then it isn’t true.
The false testimony given during the trial resulted in the innocent man being declared guilty by the jury.
Faults are defects or imperfections.
Because of the faults in the bedroom suite, the Hendersons were able to buy it at a discounted price.
father, farther, further
A father is a male parent.
My father held a fish fry every year to celebrate his birthday.
Farther and further are not interchangeable. There are differences between these words, and they are simple to remember.
Farther has the word ‘far’ in it, so it obviously refers to physical distance.
The mall is farther from where I live than the grocery store.
Further refers to a figurative distance or the extent of something, such as complaining.
If you complain further, you are going to be thrown out of the restaurant.
Southbrook Inn annual village fete, www.geograph.org.uk
fate, fete
Fate is destiny.
The convicted man nervously waited for the judge to make his fate known.
A fete is a festival. Fete is also a verb that means to honor.
The village fete was the scene of the murder.
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