Sound-alike Words: Do You Hear What I Hear?

Let's begin with two definitions:

A homonym denotes two or more words spelled and pronounced alike that have different meanings, for example, ''a quail,'' a game bird, and the verb ''to quail,'' to wither.

A homophone denotes two or more words pronounced alike but different in meaning, derivation or spelling, for example, ''two'' and ''too.''

These technical distinctions do not interest me. What interests me is helping people who struggle to become better writers by confronting the intricacies of ''sound-alike words.'' That is how I will refer to these word pairs and triads:

Factious, given to forming parties or factions in opposition to governments
Fractious, tending to cause or make trouble
Facetious, jocular or witty in an inappropriate or silly manner

Complacent means pleased or satisfied with the way things are, with how they affect one's self. It also means self-satisfied or smug.
Complaisant means attempting or eager to please or satisfy, obliging or affable.

Thus, complacent refers to a satisfied state of mind. Complaisant refers to a disposition
to behave or conduct oneself in a way that pleases or satisfies others, not yourself. They almost have opposite meanings, yet they sound virtually the same.

Discrete means separate or distinct. The scientists isolated five discrete viruses that they believe are responsible for causing the medical condition.
Discreet means showing good judgment, especially in terms of holding one's tongue. The best butlers are discreet. It can also mean modesty and unpretentiousness. For example, the discreet elegance of an interior décor, or a discreet neighborhood where no one puts on airs (affects an upper crust accent) and goes about his (or her) business. The word discretion is first cousin to discreet. It means displaying the quality of being discreet. Everyone confided in him because he was the height of discretion.

Allude means to hint at or refer to in passing. He alluded to the effects of a strong Euro and a relatively weak dollar. She alluded to the wide-spread aspirations created by a burgeoning middle class.
Elude means to escape, get away with. He went through security with more than an ounce of water and somehow managed to elude detection. The trio managed to elude police despite a high-speed chase.

Gorilla is an ape.
Guerrilla (1 U, 2Rs and 2Ls) is a kind of soldier or warfare.

An eminent person is someone who is well known. A cardinal in the Catholic Church is sometimes called his eminence, meaning someone who is revered or well known.
Immanent means staying within, inherent. It also means taking place only in the mind, not outside it. This word also has a theological meaning, dwelling in the universe or dwelling in time. Making matters more complicated, imminent means something that is about to happen.

Abstract means difficult to understand, theoretical or detached. It also means a short synopsis or summary of an article's main points. Oddly enough, abstract also means ''to steal,'' as in, ''He abstracted the attention of the professor.''
Abstruse means difficult to understand or dense.

Would you like more sound-alike words next month? Send me a note and allude to your favorites.