air and eyre are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. air means “a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of”. eyre means “a shallow salt lake in south central Australia about 35 feet below sea level; the largest lake in the country and the lowest point on the continent”. air is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈɛɹ/
1.n.a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
“air pollution”
2.n.the region above the ground
“her hand stopped in mid air”
3.n.a distinctive but intangible quality surrounding a person or thing
“an air of mystery”
/ˈɛɹ/
| air | eyre | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛɹ/ | /ˈɛɹ/ |
| Said | er | er |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 3 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun, verb | noun |
| Senses | 15 | 1 |
| How common | Core | Familiar |
| Synonyms | none recorded | Lake Eyre |
1.n.a shallow salt lake in south central Australia about 35 feet below sea level; the largest lake in the country and the lowest point on the continent