Nah, only about 1/3 of the words contain an accent…
bonsai: miniature trees planted in a bowl
banzai: “10,000 years” in Japanese
coop: an enclosure for birds
coup: a quick, successful act
I often hear the meaning en route rendered as “in route” in the U.S., I’m pretty sure it’s a substitution of the English preposition rather than a variant pronunciation. I suppose it’s something that you might say originated as an eggcorn, but I think it’s now well established as a valid variant.
coupe a car with a fixed roof, two doors, and a sloping rear (US pron: coop, other coo-pay).
Strait – also an adjective meaning narrow (as in the Biblical “strait and narrow is the way”.)
But that’s usage is obsolete.
It’s also worth noting that the phrase in the Bible is:
strait is the gate, and narrow is the way
It’s stylistically appropriate to use two close synonyms in that construction, when modifying two different nouns. But it would be stylistically odd to describe a single thing as “strait and narrow”, it’s like calling something “big and large”.
So although it presumably has that Biblical origin, it’s no surprise that the obsolete “strait” morphed into “straight” in the contracted modern expression “straight and narrow”.
Thank you. I think there’s a Bible somewhere in the house, but it’s probably packed away in the attic or the basement.
There is also “straitened” which refers to becoming limited or hemmed in. e.g. “Since losing his job, his finances have been straitened.”
Probably also related to the “strait” of “strait jacket”, a highly limiting garment.
serjeant: a lawyer
sergeant: a soldier
(if we nitpick, however, these are really just spelling variations)
serge ant: a nattily dressed insect.
jive: lively dancing; misleading talk
gyve: shackles
gybe (= jibe, gibe): to cause a sail to swing from one side of the vessel to the other; to address with scoffs and sneers (gibe someone); to agree, harmonize (gybe with something)
Those are actually separate words.
gibe or jibe - to utter mocking or scoffing words; jeer.
First recorded before 1560–70; perhaps from Middle French giber “to handle roughly, shake,” derivative of gibe “staff, billhook”
jibe - to be in harmony or accord; agree
An Americanism dating back to 1805–15; origin uncertain
jibe[3] - to shift from one side to the other when running before the wind, as a fore-and-aft sail or its boom.
to alter course so that a fore-and-aft sail shifts in this manner.
First recorded in 1685–95; variant of gybe, from Dutch gijben, more commonly gijpen
See, I was easily confused!
mantel: shelf above a fireplace
mantle: cloak, robe
Beautification - the act of improving the appearance of a particular location, by adding attractive features such as shrubs, flower beds, or fountains.
Beatification - a declaration by the Catholic church that a particular deceased person has entered Heaven
Don’t forget:
self-beatification - a form of personal amusement that does not amuse the Catholic church. Nor a few other uptight sects.
indicted and indicated.
Guilty and not guilty.
gamble: to wager or to take a risk
gambol: to frolic or dance about
climatic: relating to the earth’s climate
climactic: relating to the climax of a literary work or a series of events
climacteric: critical or relating to a critical stage, age, or period
The mantle is the shell-secreting organ of certain mollusks.
Also an archaic medical term for “menopause”.
It also refers to fruit (e.g. bananas) that ripen after picking.