Commonly confused sound-alike words: Vol. M
Some of these puzzlers are pure homonyms; others look similar, and one pair shares no resemblance at all. How many do you see and hear people get wrong?
My cumulative list continues with 10 sets of words that begin with the letter M. The confusion relates to spelling or meaning:
1. manner/manor
Manner is a way of doing or behaving. Example: “The waiter has a pleasant and helpful manner.” A manor is a house on an estate. Example: “Cardinal Thomas Wolsey acquired the 14th-century manor at Hampton Court in 1514.” Until King Henry VIII took it away from him, Wolsey was “lord of the manor.”
E-book authors and celebrity watchers seem to be especially prone to write the erroneous “lord of the manner.”
2. mantle/mantel
A mantle is a cloak. The prophet Elijah designated Elisha as his successor by throwing his mantle over him. A mantel is the ornamental shelf above a fireplace on which people display trophies and knickknacks.
3. marshal/Marshall
In modern English, a marshal is an officer of the U.S. Justice Department or a parade leader. In Old English, a marshal was a servant whose job was to tend the horses. The occupation of marshal is reflected in the surname Marshall, but the double-l spelling is only for the proper name.
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