While writing last week's blog, I used the word pedals in one of my sentences when, based on what I was discussing, I should have used peddles. Luckily, none of you saw it because I caught the gaffe in a self-edit before hitting the publish button.
Still, that incident got me thinking about how easy it is to make a mistake like that.
I certainly know the difference between pedal and peddle — and even petal. These are examples of homophones, words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. I just wasn't being careful.
To help you avoid confusion, below are the differences between pedal, peddle, and petal:
A pedal is a lever you control with your foot, like a pedal on a bicycle.
* I broke the pedal on my bike when I hopped the curb.
* My brother pedaled as fast as he could, but he couldn't catch me.
To peddle means to promote or sell something.
* It feels like everyone peddles the same products and services these days.
* John tried to peddle his handmade shoes across the country.
Petal refers to the leaf of a flower.
* Steve bought his wife a red rose with perfectly-curled petals.
* There was a single pink petal on the kitchen table.
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*STEVE GAMEL is the President & Owner of Edit This, LLC, a writing and editing services company located in Denton, TX. Steve handles anything involving the written word. Give him a call today to help give your business a clear voice.