aid and aide are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. aid means “a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do”. aide means “an officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer”. aid is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈeɪd/
1.n.a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do
“visual aids in teaching”
2.n.the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
“he gave me an assist with the housework”
3.n.gift of money or other material help to support a person or cause
“economic assistance to depressed areas”
| aid | aide | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈeɪd/ | /ˈeɪd/ |
| Said | ayd | ayd |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 3 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Senses | 6 | 2 |
| How common | Common | Familiar |
| Synonyms | assistance, help | adjutant, aide-de-camp |
/ˈeɪd/
1.n.an officer who acts as military assistant to a more senior officer
2.n.someone who acts as assistant