pail
/ˈpeɪl/
noun
Familiar
1.n.a roughly cylindrical vessel that is open at the top
2.n.the quantity contained in a pail
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pail and pale are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. pail means “a roughly cylindrical vessel that is open at the top”. pale means “very light colored; highly diluted with white”. pale is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈpeɪl/
1.n.a roughly cylindrical vessel that is open at the top
2.n.the quantity contained in a pail
/ˈpeɪl/
| pail | pale | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈpeɪl/ | /ˈpeɪl/ |
| Said | payl | payl |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | noun | adjective, noun, verb |
| Senses | 2 | 7 |
| How common | Familiar | Common |
| Synonyms | bucket | none recorded |
Full entry for pail · Full entry for pale · More comparisons
1.adj.very light colored; highly diluted with white
“pale seagreen”
2.adj.(of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble
“the pale light of a half moon”
3.adj.lacking in vitality or interest or effectiveness
“a pale rendition of the aria”