These words are historically related, but their meanings are different. And while load is a common word with many different uses, lode is a very specific word, not used every day. Lode is a noun meaning “a deposit of metal ore”—a natural collection of metal, such as gold or iron, underground, inside the rock: The […]

Toward and Towards are just different spellings of the same word—both spellings are correct and a matter of preference. Toward is more common in American English, and towards in British English—and some American grammar mavens will claim that towards is wrong in America, but it is a matter of personal preference. Note: see the last […]

Meteorology and metrology are both sciences, as implied by the suffix -ology which means “the study of . . .” . Meteorology is the science of weather, atmospheres, and climates. Metrology is the science of measurement, especially of weights and units of measurement. Meteorology is a well-known word in English. The weather-people on television news are meteorologists and meteor is the […]

These two words have related but different meanings. Leech and leach, as verbs, both describe taking a substance out of something—such as taking blood out of a body. Leech is originally the name of a snail-like creature that sucks blood out of animals. Ancient doctors tried to cure sickness using leeches. Now the word leech is […]