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 […]

These are basically the same word in different forms, both meaning “dislike” or “hate.” Loath is the adjective and loathe is the verb:         Adjective:  I am loath to leave my mother when she is sick.         Verb:  I loathe leaving my mother when she is sick. Loath and loathe are polite words that you can use in place of hate. Because […]

First and firstly are essentially the same word—at least when used for listing things (‘enumeration’): First, you must apply to the school; then, afterwards, you can apply for financial aid. Firstly, you must apply to the school; then, afterwards . . .   These are equally correct, according to linguists—although a lot of people just don’t like the […]

While factious and factitious sound like they should have related meanings they do not—not at all. Factious means “relating to, or stemming from disagreement between groups of people with different ideas about some topic.” Factitious means “fake” or “man-made.” Fictitious means “not real”—but not in the same sense as factitious (“fake”). Let’s take a closer look at all three of these […]

These two verbs both have the prefix ex- (meaning “out”) but have very different meanings, though both refer to getting something out of someone—in two different senses. Exhort means to strongly urge someone to do something—to get an action out of them. Extort means to get anything—usually money—out of someone, by threatening them in some way. Some dictionaries […]