err
/ˈɛɹ/
verb
Familiar
1.v.to make a mistake or be incorrect
2.v.wander from a direct course or at random
“The child strayed from the path and her parents lost sight of her”
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err and heir are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. err means “to make a mistake or be incorrect”. heir means “a person who is entitled by law or by the terms of a will to inherit the estate of another”. heir is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈɛɹ/
1.v.to make a mistake or be incorrect
2.v.wander from a direct course or at random
“The child strayed from the path and her parents lost sight of her”
/ˈɛɹ/
| err | heir | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈɛɹ/ | /ˈɛɹ/ |
| Said | er | er |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 3 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | verb | noun |
| Senses | 2 | 2 |
| How common | Familiar | Common |
| Synonyms | mistake, slip | inheritor, heritor |
1.n.a person who is entitled by law or by the terms of a will to inherit the estate of another
2.n.a person who inherits some title or office