In this week’s Vaughan’s Vocabulary I’m asking you to identify word pairs that differ by only one letter. There are instances where adding one letter to a word results in a totally different word, for example, feat and feast.
The concept would make a great category on “Jeopardy” with Alex Trebek. It could be called “Words That Are One Letter Away From Becoming Another.” See how well you do.
1. These mean little when action is called for; these are long, slightly curved bladed weapons.
2. This noun is found twice in Second Corinthians 6:2; a verb that means to have an understanding of.
3. This noun means an actual occurrence; a definable aspect that’s part of a subject or concept.
4. This verb means to widen the opening of; this noun fits in the following phrase: “within the __ of possibility.”
5. This word first appears in the Bible in the context of the Lord and Cain; this is the title of a song written for “Sesame Street” and made popular by the Carpenters in 1973.
6. This verb is found in Mother Goose’s “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary”; I love how Merriam-Webster defines this noun: “a deep guttural inarticulate sound.”
7. One of the definitions of this adjective is copiously supplied; this verb means to ransack for the purpose of stealing.
8. A precise knowledge or understanding, for example, get a __ on this week’s reading assignment; John 6:35 records Jesus Christ referring to himself as this.
Questions:
What are words and swords? What are now and know? What are fact and facet? What are ream and realm? What are sin and sing? What are grow and growl? What are rife and rifle? What are bead and bread?
Editor’s Note: Dr. Don Rodney Vaughan is the pastor of Mt. Vernon Baptist Church near Eupora and is on the faculty of East Mississippi Community College, Golden Triangle Campus. Contact him at dvaughan@eastms.edu.
