sail and sale are homophones: they are pronounced identically and spelled differently, which is why they are so often swapped. sail means “traverse or travel on (a body of water)”. sale means “a particular instance of selling”.
/ˈseɪl/
1.v.traverse or travel on (a body of water)
“We sailed the Atlantic”
2.v.move with sweeping, effortless, gliding motions
“The diva swept into the room”
3.v.travel on water propelled by wind
“I love sailing, especially on the open sea”
/ˈseɪl/
| sail | sale | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈseɪl/ | /ˈseɪl/ |
| Said | sayl | sayl |
| Syllables | 1 | 1 |
| Letters | 4 | 4 |
| Parts of speech | verb, noun | noun |
| Senses | 7 | 5 |
| How common | Common | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | none recorded |
Full entry for sail · Full entry for sale · More comparisons
1.n.a particular instance of selling
“he has just made his first sale”
2.n.the general activity of selling
“they tried to boost sales”
3.n.an occasion (usually brief) for buying at specially reduced prices
“they held a sale to reduce their inventory”