Paws - pause

Paws and pause are two homophones (both pronounced IPA: /pɔːz/) that can be confused, by tired students - and by the spellchecker!

• Paws is the plural form of the noun paw. This means the foot of an animal, usually a mammal. More particularly, it is the softer part of the foot.

• Pause can be a verb, meaning 'to make a brief stop', or the related noun meaning 'a brief stop'.

Do not confuse them. Most students are more likely to want pause than the other - although students in biological areas, like veterinary science, may use paws more often.

You may need to look at Pore - pour - paw for another common error.