Is the frozen form of water ice or ayes? If a person is lazy, is he idle, idol, or idyll? Is a poem an idol, idle, or idyll? Would one walk down an I’ll, an isle, or an aisle? Does a magician perform an illusion or an allusion?
walking the dogs, flickr
I, aye, ay
I is the nominative singular pronoun, used by a speaker in referring to himself or herself. I is also the ninth letter of the alphabet.
I am going to take my dogs for their walk.
Aye is an affirmative vote. It means yes.
“Aye,” answered the head of the committee, “we all agree that the proposal should pass.”
Ay is an archaic adverb and means ever or always. As an interjection, it is used to express regret or sorrow.
“Ay,” Melody said to her husband, “it will be difficult to be away from you for such a long time.”
ice, ayes
Ice is the frozen, solid form of water.
The water in the trays turned to ice in a very short time.
Ayes is more than one affirmative vote or answer.
The vote on the proposal received more ayes than nays.
Lord Shiva statue (idol), wikimedia commons
idle, idol, idyll or idyl
When one is idle, one is not working or active.
The idle gardener did not have a job for very long.
An idol is an image or other material object representing a deity to which religious worship is addressed. It is also any person or thing regarded with blind admiration, adoration, or devotion.
Superman had been his childhood idol.
An idyll or idyl is a poem or prose composition, usually describing pastoral scenes or events or any charmingly simple episode, appealing incident, or the like.
The idyll she was composing touched her deep emotions so much that tears were streaming down her cheeks.
ileum, ilium
The ileum is the third and lowest division of the small intestine, extending from the jejunum to the cecum. In zoology, it is the anterior portion of the hindgut of an insect or other arthropod.
The grasshopper’s ileum was bitten off by the cat.
The ilium is the broad, upper portion of either hipbone.
The broken ilium put her in a wheelchair for some time.
country wedding aisle, wikimedia commons
I’ll, isle, aisle
I’ll is the contraction for “I will.”
I’ll be going to the store later today.
An isle is a small island.
After having been lost at sea for weeks, the crew saw the isle not far ahead of them and shouted for joy.
An aisle is a walkway between or along sections of seats in a theater, classroom, or the like.
Everyone stood right before the bride walked down the aisle.
illicit, elicit
When something is illicit, it is not legally permitted or authorized. It is unlicensed or unlawful.
Illicit gambling on how the students would do on their tests took place in the teachers’ lounge.
To elicit is to draw or bring out or forth, educe, or evoke.
The student tried as hard as she could to elicit a negative response from the teacher.
duck-rabbit illusion, wikimedia commons
illusion, allusion
An illusion is something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality.
The magician practiced for months before he mastered the illusion.
An allusion is a passing or casual reference or an incidental mention of something, either directly or by implication.
Many of the words and phrases she used each day made an allusion to the works of Edgar Allan Poe.
illusive, elusive
Illusive means deceptive or unreal.
His illusive plans for a new business were never tried.
If something is elusive, it is baffling, hard to understand or define.
The elusive clues left behind by the murderer were only understood by Sherlock Holmes.
imagination, flickr
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