The center or the squad? Using core and corps

For today's phonics fun, I'd like to tackle a pair of homophones, pronounced /koar/ I've seen misused even in published books, though not because the spellings are at all similar. Rather, one form of the word is quite simple and familiar, and the other more obscure and less likely to be known.

Let's take a look at definitions, visuals, examples, and mnemonics to get the words clear in our heads. Because spell-check will not help you.

Core

Image: marykbaird for morguefile.com

(n.) the center; the essential part; the inner parts, as of a fruit; muscles in the center of the body.

(adj.) central, innermost, essential, reflecting the essence

(v., trans.) to remove the center or inner parts of a fruit or vegetable.

Examples
Josiah's intelligence gathering was core to their mission.

He felt her rejection in the core of his being.

Mom's core concern was for my brother's safety.

He got six-pack abs doing core strengthening exercises

I had to core and slice the apple so Lila could eat it without harming her braces.

Mnemonics
In her core she did adore the shore.
The core has more seeds that he could store.

Corps

Image: mzacha for morguefile.com

(n.) a group of people engaged in a particular activity. A tactical military group.

This term derives from the Latin corpus, meaning body and comes to English via French, which tends to not pronounce ending consonants. It is most often encountered military and few other contexts and in a handful of borrowed French phrases like esprit de corps, meaning group spirit, loyalty and pride.

Examples
Louis plans to join the Marine Corps.

Greg plays trombone in the Highpoint Drum and Bugle Corps.

The entire press corps stood when the ambassador entered the room.

Gabrielle liked the group pride her class had, the lovely esprit de corps.

Mnemonic
At the end of his letter, a core P.S.: "without the corps I'd be a corpse."

Which sound-alike words tend to trip you up?

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Funky favorites and how to spell them

You don't have to be on the Internet long to find that spelling is in decline. In particular, I see a handful of common expressions consistently misspelled, or a homophone incorrectly used.

Here's a quick round-up to help you keep your blog--and your writing--error-free.

Whoa - /interj./ slow down, hold on; an expression of awe and wonder. Comes from the verbal command to a horse to halt.

Neo's first reaction to his power in The Matrix was an awed "Whoa." 

Common misspelling: Woe, woah. I saw this latter one in a published book this morning and wanted to cry. How exactly would you pronounce this bugaboo?

Voilá  -  /interj./  French for "there it is," and pronounced in the French way: VWA-la. Usually used to express an unveiling or "ta-da" moment.

Mix together the two ingredients, and voilá, dinner is ready.

Common mispellings: Phonetic wa-lah and vwa-la, and viola (which is a musical instrument and a flower similar to the pansy).

Psych -  /interj./  just kidding; fooled you. A shorthand way of saying "I've pulled a psychological trick on you."

Tina told the chess club captain, "I'd love to go to the prom with you. Psych!"

Psyched - /adj./ excited

Jed was so psyched about his trip, he packed his suitcase a week early.

Psych out - /v./ to intimidate or unnerve.

Keisha tried to psych out her opponent by humming "Taps."

Common misspellings: Phonetic sike; psyche (a term used by therapists to refer to a person's inner being and emotions, pronounced SIKE-ee.)

Trawl - /v./ to search and gather. Derived from the term for fishing with a net.

I need to trawl for websites that can help me solve this problem.

Common misspelling: Troll (monster that guards bridges; also, a creep, someone who harasses others online).

Ado - /n./ fuss, commotion. From Middle English, pronounced uh-DOO. Made famous from Shakespeare's Much Ado about Nothing.

Without further ado, I present today's winner!

Common misspelling: Adieu (French for "goodbye" or "farewell").

Copacetic - /adj./ all right, quite adequate, just fine. This term might come from French Creole for "in good form," though linguists can't agree. Break it up and it's easy to remember: cop / ace / tic.

The venue seemed too small to me, but our saxophonist claimed it was copacetic.

Common misspellings: Copasetic, copecetic, copesetic, copesthetic.

Which of these trip you up? Do the explanations help? What other misspellings to you see often?

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