Many English-language speakers has fallen prey to one of its many flaws—homophones. Homophones are pairs of words that sound completely alike yet are spelled differently and have different meanings. The words discrete and discreet are only one pair out of hundreds in the language. So what’s...

It’s rare for an author to make huge waves only after writing just one novel, but it can happen. The proof is Harper Lee, who, with To Kill a Mockingbird, secured a place for herself and her novel on the world’s bookshelf. Born in Alabama, Nelle Harper Lee grew up in the small town of Monro...

There are hundreds of homophone pairs in the English language, but one pair that seems to confuse everyone is loose and lose. If you’re one of the people who still swap the two, you’re in luck. We’re going to change that right here and right now. Before we get into the nitty-gritty, here ...