Defuse & Diffuse

With an E – (v.) literally, to remove a fuse. Metaphorically, to make a situation less dangerous.

With an I and two Fs – (v.) to scatter or spread thinly.
(By the way, the adjective form of Diffuse has essentially the same meaning as the verb, but is pronounced with a hard S sound at the end, rather than the Z sound used here. Homographs!) :)

Palate, Palette, Pallet

So many combinations of Ls and Ts! And As and Es! Who can keep them all straight??

Pride & Pried

-ide – (n.) feeling of accomplishment.
-ied – (v.) past tense of Pry.

Right, Rite, Wright, Write

Right – 1: opposite of left. 2: correct.
Rite – ceremony, ritual.
Wright – worker, craftsperson.
Write – oh, jeez, just try to define writing, wouldja? Let's see... to communicate using visual/tactile symbols that represent words/concepts. Or something like that. Sheesh. If you're reading this, you know what writing is!

Tortuous & Torturous

These two are NOT homophones. But they're also NOT THE SAME WORD! That second R makes quite a difference, people. I'll admit that solving a maze might feel like torture, but the route through a maze is not Torturous, it's Tortuous – winding, circuitous, complicated.

Rappel & Repel

With an A and two Ps – a method of descending a vertical surface.
With an E – push apart.

Magnate & Magnet

Yes, if you cornered the market on magnets, you could become a magnet magnate. I guess.
This one goes out to my buddy Abe at Green Light Music & Video in Kalamazoo, who requested this one a couple times already. I finally got to it, Abe!

Sew, So, Sow

The one on the right is in honor of us finally getting our garden planted this weekend! Yay!
The one on the left is in honor of my wife Vanessa's sewing blog: Pass/Fail Sewing. Which you should totally check out... if you're sew-inclined.
And the one in the middle might be a guy gesturing "so?" but is more likely a picture of me admitting I have no idea what to draw here.

Dew, Do, Due

I love when I can reuse and tweak bits from old posts. Not only does it make my job easier, it keeps the Homophones, Weakly universe more consistent. And I dew/do/due believe any good grammar geek strives for consistency.

Mode & Mowed

Mode – (n.) method.
Mowed – (v.) past tense of Mow.
The left side makes sense, yes? Different modes of mowing the lawn? Right. Sure. Perfect. Honestly, I'm just trying to forget about all the snow I shoveled this winter.

Groan & Grown

As in, "You can moan and groan all you want, but the grass needs to be mown because it has grown too long."
See what I did there?

Moan & Mown

As in, "You can complain all you want, but you still have to cut the grass. Now get out there."
–my dad, circa 1993.
–my wife, circa 2003.
–me, circa 2013.

Albumen & Albumin

-en – Yes, egg whites actually have a name.
-in – a protein found in, among other things, egg whites.
I'm sure this will come in very handy in your day-to-day writing...

Mandrel & Mandrill

-el – a tool component used to clamp moving parts of the tool itself or the item being worked upon.
-ill – a species of brightly colored primates, the largest of the monkeys.

Board & Bored

As in, "I just can't concentrate on this meeting."


As in, "I put a hole through this plank."

Feat & Feet

ea – (n.) An achievement that requires great skill or strength.
ee – (plural n.) Those standy-walky things on the ends of your legs. Or units of measure equivalent to twelve inches.

All & Awl

As in "There are many different types of awls, but they all do the same thing as a sharp stick."

Vice & Vise

With a C – a habit deemed inappropriate or immoral, often used to describe gambling, drinking, or sexual depravity (or as I like to call it: Tuesday).
With an S – a clamping tool used to hold an object still while it is worked upon.

Oar, Or, Ore

Plus one for the hockey fans:

Miner & Minor

With an E – A person who digs a mine.
With an O – Small in size, significance, etc. A person under the legal age of responsibility. A musical term relating to scales with certain intervals lowered by half steps. Also, a secondary, subordinate educational degree – but that implies the "lesser significance" definition, doesn't it? So I didn't draw anything for that.
(Of course, I suppose the musical "minor" implies that definition as well, with the lowered notes. But I did decide to include that in the picture. Well, what can I say? I'm an illustrator, not a linguist. And definitely not a perfectionist.) :)