Puzzle Over These Pesky Pairs No Longer

Does an English footballer playing his first game in the top division make his premier in the Premiere League, or his premiere in the Premier League? Getting this one right may be a pesky undertaking, as may be distinguishing the other nine word pairs in our latest list of Pesky Pairs. Have fun puzzling them out.

minimal vs minimum

Minimum is a noun (“the least or smallest amount of something possible, allowable or assignable”) and an adjective (“smallest or lowest”, as in “a minimum amount of enthusiasm”). Minimal is “of a minimum amount, quantity or degree; negligible”, as defined by Oxford Dictionaries. However, minimal does not necessarily mean the least amount possible; it can mean “barely adequate”. Anticipated accumulation from a snowstorm may be forecast as minimal, meaning a (very) small amount, but it may not mean the minimum. Or, working with a minimal budget means scraping the bottom for funds, but they’ll be available. 

rebuke vs rebuff

To rebuke is to “severely criticize or sharply scold someone for their actions”, and stems from the Old French, rebuchier (to “drive back”). The partygoer was rebuked by the bar owner for his extreme behavior, for example. To rebuff someone is close to rebuking them, but the verb is more abrupt in its action. It means to “reject (someone or something) in an ungracious manner”. As the world saw, Melania Trump rebuffed her husband by swatting his hand away while walking. One of its origins is traceable to the Italian ribuffo, of ri- (opposition) + buffo (a gust or puff). She also could have blown a puff of air in irritation – that should help distinguish rebuff from rebuke.

pedal vs peddle

These are two similar sounding words, but they are dissimilar – an extremely pesky case. Pedal refers to a foot-operated lever, as on a bicycle, and as a verb means primarily to “move by working the pedals of a bicycle” (“they pedaled along the road”). Peddle, however, is a verb meaning to “sell goods or promote an idea” (“he peddled jewelry around the world”). To keep these two apart, think of this: you pedal for a medal at the race, but peddle a kettle at the fair.

repudiate vs rebut vs refute

Pesky pairs can sometimes come in triplets (we don’t shy away from a challenge). Repudiate means to “reject as untrue or unjust”; a person repudiates a statement or an act because they believe it to be so. But we often need information that can be more forcefully argued. That’s why, in a court case, an attorney will rebut a claim in an attempt to prove it wrong. Refute means to “prove that a statement or a concept is incorrect”, succeeding in doing so and disproving an argument or idea. It traces back to the French word, refuter, meaning to “drive back, disprove or oppose”. In more modern usage, it also means to “deny”, which comes close to repudiate. But don’t refuse to get these right: think irate–repudiate, tut–rebut, astute–refute.  

cord vs chord

The former is a string or rope made from flexible strands, while the latter is a group of notes sounded together as a basis of harmony. To get this pesky pair right, think of words linked to music: “choir”, “chorus” or “choreography”. That should keep chord in your music box of words, and cord in your toolbox of (former) pesky pairs.

premier vs premiere

Being “first in importance, order or position” is associated with premier, in most cases used as an adjective (the Premier League or the premier tourist destination in town). From the Old French for “first”, and the Latin primarius, or “principal”, it differs from premiere. The latter is a noun (“the first performance of a musical or theatrical work”, as in “we went to the premiere”), or a verb (“give the first performance”, as in “the play premiered last Thursday”). With nearly the same origin, it comes from the feminine form of the word, première. To recap: top tier = premier, and the first showing of a French play = premiere. (We sometimes need to be creative with tips.)   

hearsay vs heresy

When people provide information that can’t be substantiated – for example, a rumor – it’s hearsay (and pronounced, as you’d expect – hear-say). Indeed, the word originated from a combination of the two words, to “hear [what they] say”. Heresy, with the “y” pronounced as a long “e” (he-re-see), is “opinion very much at odds with what is generally believed or accepted”. Witches were burned for heresy, and doctrines have been denounced as heresy. Distinguish the two by using these rhymes as a clue: hearing odd things that people say (hearsay) and proffering blasphemy or unorthodoxy (heresy).

purposely vs purposefully

This pair may be easier to differentiate than their similarity suggests. Purposely is defined as “intentionally or knowingly” (“they purposely left the hose on overnight to soak the plants”), whereas purposefully means “in a way that shows determination or resolve” (“with a long list in hand, they walked purposefully through the door”). While purposefully can be used as a substitute for purposely, with the meaning of “intentionally and deliberately”, it’s best to keep these two apart. Remember: on purpose = purposely; full of purpose = purposefully.

automatic vs automated

Their similarity and our modern usage make it easy to see why these two words are so pesky. If we needed to spell out “ATM”, the result would be split equally between “automatic teller machine” and “automated teller machine”. Both words are adjectives, and while automatic means “capable of operating without external human control or intervention”, automated is defined as “made automatic, or configured to use automatic equipment” or “operated by largely automatic equipment”. If all that is confusing, think more concretely to get them right. A process is automated, while the machines involved in it are automatic. A butcher’s life is made easier with an automatic slicer, whereas making hamburgers in quick-service restaurants is now becoming fully automated. A car assembly plant may be completely automated, and a part of the production, say the painting, is automatic. Or, take getting money at the bank: the process is automated (no teller required), and the machine itself functions automatically.

loath vs loathe

If you were to write, “I loath figuring out pesky pairs”, we’d sympathize, but we’d also point you to the right spelling and thus the correct meaning. Loath is the adjective for “reluctant or unwilling” (“He was loath to leave the party”), whereas to loathe, the verb, is to “feel intense dislike or disgust for”, according to Oxford Dictionaries. Even if you loathe pesky word pairs, we trust you’ve had fun with these and are loath to get them wrong!