lacks
lax |
is deficient in
slack, easy-going |
ladder
latter |
the thing with rungs that you climb
the second of two
Example: If given a choice between vanilla and chocolate ice cream, I'll take the latter. |
lain
lane |
past participle of lie as in lie down
narrow road or passage |
| lay vs. lie |
lay vs. lie chart
|
Present |
Past |
Participle (A Form of Have) |
To recline |
lie, lying |
lay |
has/have/had lain |
To put or place
(verb followed by an object) |
lay, laying |
laid |
has/have/had laid |
To tell a falsehood |
lie, lying |
lied |
has/have/had lied |
|
Examples in the Present Tense:
I like to lie down for a nap at 2:00 p.m.
I am lying down for a nap today.
The hens lay eggs.
The hen is laying eggs.
I am tempted to lie about my age.
I am not lying about my age.
Examples in the Past Tense:
I lay down for a nap yesterday at 2:00 p.m.
The hen laid two eggs yesterday.
He lied on the witness stand.
Examples with a Participle (has, have):
I have lain down for a nap every day this week.
The hen has laid two eggs every day this week.
He has lied each day on the witness stand. |
lead
led |
a metal element (pronounced like red); present tense of led (pronounced like seed)
guided, past tense of to lead |
leak
leek |
unintended discharge of liquid or gas
type of onion |
lean (adjective, verb)
lien |
not fatty; to incline
a claim on property to secure debt payment |
leased
least |
rented
smallest in size or amount |
| less |
(see fewer) |
lessen
lesson |
to make less
a unit to be learned or studied |
lie
lye |
a falsehood; present tense of lie down (see lay vs. lie chart above)
a caustic substance |
lightening
lightning |
to make lighter
a brilliant electric spark in the sky |
loan
lone |
something lent for temporary use
only, solitary |
loose
lose |
opposite of tight
opposite of win; misplace |
Mach
mock (adjective, verb) |
ratio with the speed of sound: Mach 1 = the speed of sound Mach 2 = twice the speed of sound
artificial; ridicule |
made
maid |
created
cleaning lady |
mail
male |
correspondence
masculine; opposite of female |
main
mane |
primary, chief, leading
long hair on the back of a horse or lion |
maize
maze |
corn
labyrinth |
mall
maul |
plaza, focal point
abuse, claw |
manner
manor |
behavior
palatial residence |
marquee
marquis |
canopy, shelter; projection over a theater entrance
aristocrat, nobleman |
marry
merry |
to wed
cheerful |
marshal (verb, noun)
martial |
assemble; a judge
militant, aggressive |
| may |
(see can) |
meat
meet (verb, noun)
mete |
animal flesh used for food
to connect, touch; an event
administer, allot |
medal
meddle |
decoration, badge
to interfere unwantedly |
metal
mettle |
earth element
boldness |
mind (noun, verb)
mined |
intelligence; obey
excavated to extract ores |
miner
minor (noun, adjective) |
one who excavates to extract ores
someone under legal age; small |
missed
mist |
failed to hit
fog, fine spray |
moan
mown |
lament; sound of suffering
cut grass |
mode
mowed |
method, manner
to have cut grass |
mood
mooed |
an emotional state
the sound a cow made |
moose
mousse |
an animal
type of dessert |
morning
mourning |
start of the day, between night and afternoon
sorrow over someone’s death |
muscle
mussel |
fibrous tissue
edible marine bivalve |
mustard
mustered |
yellow condiment
assembled, gathered |
naval
navel |
pertaining to ships
belly button, umbilicus |
| need |
(see knead) |
| new |
(see knew) |
| night |
(see knight) |
| no |
(see know) |
none
nun |
not one, not any
female member of a religious order |
| nose |
(see knows) |
| not |
(see knot) |
| number |
(see amount) |
oar
or
ore |
a blade for rowing
conjunction
metal-bearing mineral or rock |
| odd |
(see awed) |
| of |
(see have) |
| on to vs. onto |
Use onto if you can add up before on.
Examples: He climbed (up) onto the roof.
She held on to her child in the crowd. |
one
won |
single unit
past tense of win |
| oral |
(see aural) |
ordinance
ordnance |
a law
military weapons and ammunition |
| our |
(see hour) |
overdo
overdue |
to do to excess
past due |
packed
pact |
past tense of pack
an agreement or treaty |
pail
pale |
bucket
lacking color |
pain
pane |
physical or emotional suffering
a plate of glass or panel |
pair
pare
pear |
two of something
to remove or peel
type of fruit |
palate
pallet
palette |
roof of the mouth; taste
a low, portable platform
a range of colors; a board to hold and mix colors |
passed
past |
past tense of pass
the time before the present |
patience
patients |
willingness to wait
people under medical care |
pause
paws |
a temporary stop
animal feet |
peace
piece |
calm
a portion of something |
peak
peek
pique |
top of a mountain
glance furtively
to wound someone’s pride or to excite interest |
pealed
peeled |
rang bells
removed a layer |
pedal
peddle |
foot-operated lever
to sell, hawk, or dispense |
peer
pier |
person who is an equal
a structure extending out over water |
perpetrate
perpetuate |
to commit, as in a crime
to prolong or sustain
Example: The myth that the sun revolved around the earth was perpetuated for centuries. |
| phase |
(see faze) |
pi
pie |
3.1416, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter
baked food filled with fruit or meat |
pistil
pistol |
female organ of a flower
type of gun |
plain (adjective, noun)
plane |
not fancy; evident; simple; treeless area of land
a flat or level surface; short for airplane |
pleas
please |
cries for help; appeals
a polite word; to satisfy |
plum
plumb |
a type of fruit
perpendicular |
pole
poll |
a long, cylindrical piece of wood or metal
a collection of opinions; survey |
pore
pour |
small hole
to send liquid flowing |
praise
prays
preys |
express approval
makes requests to God
hunts for food; victimizes |
precedence
precedents
presidents |
priority
examples, criteria
chief executives |
presence
presents (noun, verb) |
appearance, being present
gifts; offers |
| presumption |
(see assumption) |
pries
prize |
looks closely; wedges open
award or reward |
principal (noun, adjective)
principle |
head of school; chief; of first importance
fundamental belief |
profit
prophet |
gain
predictor, seer |
pros
prose |
professionals, experts
literature |
quarts
quartz |
units of liquid measure (four quarts to a gallon)
a mineral |
| quay |
(see cay) |
| queue |
(see cue) |
rain
reign
rein |
water that falls in drops from the sky
rule, administration
bit, harness |
raise
raze |
lift up
flatten, tear down completely |
rap (noun, verb)
wrap |
a type of music; to strike sharply
to enclose in a covering |
rapped
rapt
wrapped |
struck sharply
fascinated
enclosed in a covering |
read
red |
present and past tenses of to comprehend writing
a color |
real
reel |
actual, authentic
stumble, falter |
recede
reseed |
to move back, withdraw
to seed again |
reek
wreak |
to smell bad
to cause trouble wreak havoc |
| regardless |
(see irregardless) |
rest
wrest |
relax
take from |
retch
wretch |
vomit
lowly being, scoundrel |
review
revue |
survey
a satirical show |
right
rite
write |
correct; opposite of left
ritual, ceremony
to compose letters or words |
ring
wring |
sound of a bell; jewelry worn around a finger
to twist |
road
rode
rowed |
street, path, highway
past tense of ride
past tense of row |
roe
row |
fish eggs
aisle (pronounced like oh); propel with an oar (pronounced like oh); fight (pronounced like wow) |
role
roll (noun, verb) |
part in a play or film
a bun; to rotate |
roomer
rumor |
one who rents a room
innuendo, gossip |
root
rout
route |
base of a plant
defeat (pronounced rowt)
path (pronounced like root or rowt) |
rot
wrought |
decay, decompose
accomplished |
rote
wrote |
by memory, formula
past tense of write |
rude
rued |
impolite, unmannerly
regretted, repented |
rye
wry |
seed from a grain
mocking, ironic, droll |
