Your character is a monk. Is he a friar, a frier, or a fryer? If your character wants to grow an evergreen tree in his yard, would he plant a fir or a fur? Would a pharmacist use a galipot or a gallipot?
A Fungus Among Us by Bobbi Jones
friar, frier, fryer
When referring to the Catholic Church, a friar is a member of a religious order or a monk. When talking about printing, a friar is a blank or white area on a printed page that has been caused by the uneven inking of the plate or type.
The young man soon became dissatisfied with his mundane life as a friar.
A frier or fryer would be a person who fries, or the thing something is fried in. It is also the food, such as a young chicken, to be fried.
Grease from the fryer splashed onto the young woman’s arms and severely burned her.
fungous, fungus
Fungous is an adjective used to describe something caused by a fungus.
Her infection was caused by a fungous growth that she had unknowingly come in close physical contact with while on her camping trip.
A fungus is a parasitic lower plant, such as mushrooms, molds, or yeasts. It is also a spongy abnormal growth that forms in a wound.
Even though Jill knew that mushrooms were a fungus, they were her favorite snack.
fir, fur
A fir is an evergreen tree.
The fir in her back yard was home to a family of downy woodpeckers.
Fur is the hairy covering on a mammal’s skin.
The fur on my cats becomes much thicker during the cold winter months.
gaff, gaffe
Gaff has many meanings. One of them is harsh criticism.
All of the gaff Melanie received concerning the book she wrote caused her to never want to write again, and it was years before she sold her first book.
A gaffe is a mistake or a social error.
The awful, embarrassing gaffe he made when he called his girlfriend by the wrong name ended their relationship.
gage, gauge
A gage is a token of defiance. Think of medieval times when a knight would cast a glove down on the ground to signify a challenge of combat to his opponent. The glove was his gage.
The coward turned and walked away from the gage thrown at his feet by the rival gang member.
A gauge is an instrument used for measuring.
The weather service installed a temperature gauge in my house so I could send them the daily outdoor temperature readings.
gait, gate
Gait is the way one walks.
His confident gait drew the attention of everyone as he strolled across the crowded room.
A gate is a movable barrier. It is also an opening that permits passage through an enclosure.
There was a locked gate at either end of the pasture.
gaited, gated
Gaited is an adjective that means having a particular gait or way of walking.
The usually slow-gaited horse scared her rider when she took off flying through the woods at an incredible rate of speed.
Gated means having a gate.
The gated community’s claim to be a safe place to live was shattered after the violent murder of a family took place in one of their homes.
galipot, gallipot
Galipot is an impure form of turpentine that is obtained from certain pine trees.
During science class, the uses of galipot were studied.
A gallipot is a small ceramic vessel used by apothecaries to hold medicines.
The gallipot was a major piece of evidence against the druggist in the murder case.
