Last week we discussed some of the words that change in meaning and pronunciation by the addition of the letter e, and that reminded us of other word pairs that differ only by one letter. Many of these words are frequently confused by English students, whether English is their first language or not. We recommend that you review this list, and keep an eye out for other words whose spellings are close, but whose meanings can be far apart.

table (TAY-buhl) / tablet (TAH-bleht)
Both of these words come from the Latin root tabula (“board, plank”) but followed slightly different etymological paths. Table can either mean a piece of furniture or an set of data arranged in rows and columns (though it’s not clear why we use the same word for both). Tablet usually refers to a small block used for writing, whether that’s a pad of paper or a piece of stone or wood that has been carved with letters.

vocation (voh-KAY-shun) / avocation (AH-voh-KAY-shun)
This pair of words provides an excellent example of how useful it is to look up a word’s etymology. At first glance, these appear to be the same word (and indeed, many people use them interchangeably, and incorrectly). Vocation comes from the Latin word vocare, (“to call”), and a vocation is a person’s “calling,” their job or occupation. But when you add the Latin prefix ab- (“away from”) it’s obvious that an avocation is not a job, it’s what you do when you’re away from your job, i.e. a hobby or pastime.

jam / jamb
These two words are both pronounced JAM but come from different root words. The origin of the word jam may come from the Old English champ, with the meaning “to step on, to crush.” From this we get the modern usage in a jam, which can be either actual (in a crowd of people or cars, perhaps) or metaphorical (stuck in a difficult situation). The word jamb comes from the Old French word jambe, meaning “leg,” and is usually paired with the word door. A door jamb is one of the two vertical pieces on either side of the opening.

cache (KASH) / cachet (ka-SHAY)
The French verb cacher, meaning “to hide,” gives us the English word cache, a place in which one hides or stores things. An archaic meaning of cacher was “to press” and this led to the two meanings of cachet in French, either “a small compressed tablet of medicine” or “a stamp or seal.” Because official communication from the king was authenticated by the royal seal, the word eventually came to refer to something that was approved or endorsed by royalty, and therefore valuable. It’s from this sense that we get the English definition of cachet as “value, prestige.”