More commonly confused words
Dual/ duel
Dual is an adjective meaning having two separate parts or two of something. Duel is a noun referring to a fight, contest, or competition.
Thai labour market faces dual challenges.
Dual-pricing is scaring tourists away.
Thailand and China agree to develop dual-track railways.
Ministry to regulate export of dual-use items.
Bayern in good cheer for top Bundesliga duel with Leverkusen.
Football: United win penalty duel to close in on title.
A pair of Star Wars fans have a light sabre duel in London’s Leicester Square, 16 May, 2005 ahead of the UK premiere of “Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith.”
To remember the correct spelling for the word you want to use, it is always good to know about lots of similar words. We know that words ending with the letters ual are often adjectives meaning of a certain kind or applying to a noun. Other familiar words ending with the letters ual include:
actual
annual
audiovisual
bilingual
conceptual
continual
contractual
equal
factual
gradual
habitual
individual
ineffectual
instinctual
intellectual
perpetual
punctual
residual
ritual
usual
virtual
visual
If you can link enough of these words with dual, it is likely you will remember that it is spelled with the letters ual. Another approach is to tell yourself a little story that you are likely to remember. For the word duel, among other common words ending in the letters uel is the word cruel. If you tell yourself:
It is cruel to fight a duel,
As long as you are sure how to spell the word cruel, then it is likely you will also spell duel correctly.
Reign/Rein
The noun reign refers to the time when royalty or other persons lead a country or a group. It can also mean to lead or be the most important factor. The noun rein means the strap placed on an animal’s head in order to keep it under control. More generally, rein means to guide or control something. The words are pronounced the same way, just like the word rain, but because rain is spelled differently from the other two, it is not often confused with them.
Why Beijing should let international law reign in South China Sea.
Green tea reigns in Thailand’s beverage market.
Danish triathlete Rasmus Petraeus beat a strong field, including two-time Laguna Phuket Triathlon champion Ruedi Wild, to reign supreme in the Challenge Laguna Phuket yesterday.
Aussies skewer rivals to reign at Khanom Open.
The government is looking at reining in skyrocketing healthcare costs incurred by patients at private hospitals by controlling the price of medicines and hospital services.
“The bill fails to rein in GMO impacts on the country’s food security,” he said.
New IBM country manager takes the reins today.
Following the inspection, Thailand has continued with its efforts to rein in abusive fishing industry practices.
The words have different origins, with rein always meaning to hold back, while reign referred to something royal. For that reason, reign is close to other words also ending in the letters eign, such as foreign and sovereign. It may help to put together a sentence to remind you how to spell such words:
The foreign sovereign reigns successfully.
That sentence might be in honor of HM Queen Elizabeth of England, who will be celebrating her 90th birthday this year. Since we cannot spell foreign or sovereign without reign, thinking of these words together may help to avoid making any errors.
Council/counsel
The noun council refers to people who make laws or decisions, or provide advice, about things. The noun counsel means advice given to people. In the legal world, counsel also refers to a lawyer or legal advisor.
A leading health economist is pushing for the establishment of the National Health Security Council (NHSC) to facilitate co-operation between, not to merge, the country’s three major healthcare systems.
THAILAND has encouraged Vietnam to collaborate on a joint business council to help drive two-way trade to US$20 billion (Bt722 billion) by 2020, nearly double its current value.
The Council of University Presidents of Thailand Sunday voted to reaffirm its decision to use the Asean calendar for Thai universities’ semesters.
Alina Miron, co-counsel on the Thai legal team that is presenting the country’s case in the Preah Vihear land dispute before the world court, smiled in surprise when told she had become a celebrity in Thailand.
The medical teams also gave psychological counselling to people affected by the deluge.
Regarding the “confessions,” Thai Criminal Code Article S134/4 states that a defendant is entitled to legal counsel during interrogations and must be informed of that right before questioning starts.
The words counsel and council have different origins. From its beginnings hundreds of years ago, counsel always had a meaning of consultation or advice, as in the word related consult.
By contrast, earlier forms of the word council once meant a church assembly, or group of authorities getting together to tell people what to do. Again, to remember the spellings of whichever word you need to use, it may help to make up a nonsense story or sentence, for example:
Everyone on the council needs a pencil and a stencil.
There is no real reason why every member of a council would require a pencil and stencil, but by grouping these words together, it is possible you will remember that all of them end with the letters ncil. Similarly, you might tell yourself:
Hansel and Gretel decorated their counsel with tinsel.
Clearly, the children were confused if they mistook their lawyer for a Christmas tree, but if you can remember that the words Hansel, counsel, and tinsel all end with the letters nsel, that may help you to spell them correctly.
(Images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).