Would you lead or led a horse? Do you leaf or leave to go shopping? Does your hot water heater have a leak or a leek? Is a lean or a lien the legal claim of one person upon the property of another person?
lead (LEED), lead (LED), led, LED
To lead (pronounced leed) means to go before or with to show the way, to conduct or escort. It means to conduct by holding and guiding.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.
Lead (pronounced led) is a heavy, comparatively soft, malleable, bluish-gray metal.
The core of a “lead” pencil no longer contains lead; it is made of non-toxic graphite.
Led is the simple past tense and past participle of lead, to conduct by holding and guiding.
He led his horse to the water trough but could not make him drink.
LED is the acronym for light-emitting diode.
LED is pronounced with three syllables.
leaf, leave
A leaf is one of the expanded, usually green organs borne by the stem of a plant.
When the weather turned cool, the green leaf turned a beautiful reddish-orange.
To leave is to depart. Another definition for leave is permission to do something.
He plans to leave work early today.
She pleaded for her father to give her leave to attend the dance.
leak, leek
A leak is an unintended hole, crack, or the like, through which liquid, gas, light, etc., enters or escapes.
A leak in one’s hot water tank can cause massive damage if not caught early enough.
The leek is a plant related to the onion, with flat overlapping leaves forming an elongated cylindrical bulb which together with the leaf bases is eaten as a vegetable.
The leek is a national emblem of Wales.
lean, lien
As a noun, lean means the act or state of leaning; inclination.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa has a pronounced lean to one side.
As a verb, lean means to bend.
Lean your head forward.
As an adjective, lean means thin.
His lean, muscular body enabled him to excel at running.
A lien is the legal claim of one person upon the property of another person to secure the payment of a debt or the satisfaction of an obligation.
The lien on their property was removed once their debs were paid.
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