More words that are easy to confuse.

Exercise/ exorcise     

The word exercise is a noun meaning a physical activity that can increase strength. It can also mean any activity meant to improve skills, as an exercise in a textbook helps students learn. Exorcise is a verb meaning to remove an evil spirit, as in the famous horror novel and film The Exorcist. Although similar in spelling, the fact that one begins with the letters exer and the other exor is helpful in remembering their different meanings. The word exercise originates from a Latin term meaning to keep busy or work at something. This brings it close to such words as exert and exertion, meaning to put in considerable effort and activity to do something. A stationary bike for exercising is sometimes called an exercycle. If we remember the correct spelling of the word exert, then it is likely that the related word exercise will also be easy to spell. By contrast, the word exorcise derives from an Ancient Greek term meaning to get rid of an evil spirit, or removing something that is not holy. The letters exor also begin the adjective exorbitant, which is another way of saying that the price of something is too high. If something is exorbitant, its price is removed from the main track, it is outside the usual course of prices. If we can associate an evil spirit being removed from someone in an exorcism with an exorbitant price removed from the usual, then we may remember that both words start with the letters exor.  Here are some usage examples:

• I use how I’m feeling to convey ideas and to also exorcise any demons that may be lurking within.
• Five years after the nuclear disaster emptied much of Japan’s northeastern coast, tourism is giving locals of the abandoned town a chance to exorcise the horrors of the past.
• The Belgian comic strip artist Hergé, creator of Tintin, would have recurrent nightmares that ended up depicted in the comic strips, exorcised as it were, with fans unaware of the origins of strange scenes and events.
• Manchester United are exorcising the ghosts of last season.
• To get rid of the spirit, the villagers try to exorcise Nak.
• Thailand and the United States will co-host the annual multilateral Exercise Cobra Gold in various areas of Thailand from February 9 to 19.
• Tropical treats and energetic exercise.
• Her Royal Highness Princess Srirasmi graciously presided over the grand opening of the second phase of her yoga studio known as Sukhoyoga last Thursday and watched a demonstration of “Gyrotonic,” a new holistic form of exercise that promotes strength and flexibility.
• The Chinese and Thai air forces will this month hold their first joint exercises, China’s Defence Ministry said yesterday, in another sign of Thailand’s increased engagement with Beijing.
• When you’re exercising, music can coax the muscles into cooperating, and Sport Pace wireless in-ear headphones from Jabra are a great way to keep the music and the muscles pumping as you work out.
• The key to maximising the benefits of exercise and playing sports is to be consistent and regular at it.

If we tell ourselves a little story, the difference in spelling between the two words may be easier to remember. For example, if we say that it is necessary to exorcise a ghost, we may note that there is a letter o in the middle of the words exorcise and ghost. This can help to remind us of the proper spelling of the word exorcise.

Flaunt/ flout                               

The verb flaunt means to show off or display very visibly, without modesty. There is a familiar expression in English, when you’ve got it, flaunt it. This means that if people have lots of money, they sometimes dress in expensive clothes and drive fancy cars and otherwise show everyone how wealthy they are. Also a verb, flout ‎means to openly disregard usual rules or laws by saying or doing something. Neither word has very clear origins, although it is suspected that flout may originally have been associated with the musical instrument, the flute. Perhaps instead of obeying a law or rule centuries ago, someone took it very lightly and played the flute. One way to remember the different spellings would be if we told ourselves that our aunt likes to flaunt her gold jewelry. Since we cannot write the word flaunt without the letters aunt, if we have remembered the aunt, it is likely we will spell the whole word correctly. In a similar way, we might tell ourselves that someone who flouts a rule throws it out. The letters out are an important part of the word flout, and are necessary to spell it right.

Some usage examples:

• ‘Nissan 360’ to flaunt latest breakthroughs, sustainability.
• Another act is Canadian duo Autoerotique. Keith Robertson and David “Dave” Henderson pack electro, techno, house, Dutch house, Dutch-colonial house, rave, rock, rave-rock, indie-rock and even ska into their music and flaunt it on dancefloors all over the world.
• Since Water implies wisdom and danger, you are advised to avoid flaunting what you assume is wisdom, since any display of intelligence could be counterproductive.
• On the main road in Yangon, billboards flaunt the names of big Thai companies already making their presence felt in the country – PTT, Charoen Pokphand Group, Siam Cement Group, Siam City Cement (Insee), Bangchak Petroleum, Boon Rawd Brewery, Bangkok Dusit Medical.
• Flowers all over the country welcome the cool season by flaunting their magnificent petals.
• Franchises serve up foul food and flout regulations.
• Samart looks to flout economic doom and gloom.
• The popularity at home of South Korean singer Rain, known as the “King of K-Pop”, was hit last year when he was accused of flouting military regulations — a highly sensitive topic in a country still technically at war with North Korea.
• Their special blue number plates, granting their vehicles diplomatic immunity, allow them to flout the road rules in a way that not even the most reckless Thai driver would imagine.
• Watchdogs are set up precisely to ensure that existing conglomerates do not flout the laws, and act accordingly in the best interests of their customers, be they new or previously existing companies.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).