aid and attention share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. aid means “a person or thing that is a resource that helps make something easier or possible to do”. attention means “the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others”. attention 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 | attention | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈeɪd/ | /əˈtɛnʃən/ |
| Said | ayd | uh-TEN-shuhn |
| Syllables | 1 | 3 |
| Letters | 3 | 9 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Senses | 6 | 6 |
| How common | Common | Core |
| Synonyms | assistance, help | attending |
Full entry for aid · Full entry for attention · More comparisons
/əˈtɛnʃən/
1.n.the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
2.n.the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
“no medical care was required”
3.n.a general interest that leads people to want to know more
“She was the center of attention”