These two nouns have very different meanings!  A cannon is a kind of large gun-like projectile weapon (officially “artillery”) that rests on the ground or a frame and uses a chemical explosion to throw projectiles— usually “cannon balls”—long distances, not very accurately. They were among the most powerful weapons available before the modern era and […]

These two words have almost the same meaning, but not quite. A callus (noun) is the hardened and rough skin that forms due to abrasion, such as on the tips of the fingers of a guitar player. Callus is also a verb: My fingertips began to callus as I practiced playing sitar. Now, they are […]

These two nouns have nothing in common.  A calamity is a disaster—a terrible event of any kind: The United States has suffered numerous calamities recently, ranging from wildfires and hurricanes to a pandemic and the following economic crisis. Calumny, in contrast, is a high-style word for slander—intentionally spreading negative ideas about a person’s character, trying to […]

These two nouns may refer to the same event, though not necessarily.   Robbery is more general than burglary; it refers to the whole event during which something is stolen (when something valuable is taken by thieves): They performed a bank robbery and became rich but went to jail.During the robbery, the thieves took several guns […]

Breadth, breath, and breathe are completely different in meaning, so let’s get started.Breadth is a noun meaning “width or length”—the size of something in one horizontal direction—side-to-side. It can also be used metaphorically to describe the extent of knowledge and ideas: He laid out the plans for his business, covering the full breadth of the […]