Tuesday Tricksters, Main -- Manor

It's Tuesday, so it's time for more tricksters, words known as homophones that sound the same (or nearly so), but have different spellings and meanings. They're miserable to work with because if our brains and eyes are not connected to our fingers, our ears may win the battle of which word to use.

No one can memorize all the possibilities, but I hope each Tuesday's post reminds you to check what you've written and not blindly trust spellcheck to keep you safe. Spellcheck is one of the modern miracles, but it only does one thing: it checks spelling. It cannot and does not check usage.

And not every platform we write on even includes spellcheck; I can tell you for sure that LinkedIn does not. Test it for yourself. Write a nonsense word, one that does not exist. See if LI flags it for you. It won't.

Something new: links to pictures of words you might enjoy!

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Main (adj.): the most important; the primary person or thing

Mane (n.): the long hair on the top and sides of the neck of certain mammals, such as a horse or a male lion

Mein (n.): Chinese wheat flour noodles used in dishes like lo mein; (adj.) German: mine (and pronounced like that)

Maize (n.): corn

Maze (n.): a confusing system of paths that is difficult to navigate

Mall (n.): a shaded walk or public promenade; a large, often enclosed shopping complex 

Maul (v.): to tear into with teeth; (n.): a very heavy ax or mallet for driving stakes, wedges, etc.

Mandrel (n.): a spindle or an axle used to secure or support material being machined or milled

Mandrill (n.): a primate, Mandrillus sphinx, recognized by its colorful face and rump

Manna (n.) in the Bible, the food miraculously provided for the Israelites in the wilderness during their flight from Egypt

Manner (n.): the way of doing something or behaving

Manor (n.): a mansion

Were any of these new to you? I had never heard of a mandrel, and I thought a mandrill was some sort of duck. Oops.

For more on these or to check any English word you're not sure of, go to www.YourDictionary.com, a terrific resource that shows words, their definitions, and usage from several dictionaries.

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