Sew - sow

The verbs to sew and to sow are homophones, with each other and with the common adverb/conjunction so. They should not be confused, either by a careless typing error or por knowledge of spelling. Furthermore, neither should be confused with the near homophone sue; and, in an extra complication, there are homographs of both verbs.

• 'To sew' (pronounced like 'sao') is 'to join things, usually cloth, leather or similar soft materials, together by passing thread or some other cords through holes in the material.' Sewing is the most basic form of needlework.
  • All the homographs (OED lists 5 verbs, 2 nouns and an adjective)of this word are recorded as obsolete, or merely dialect. Unless you are studying history, or older literature, you will not need them; and if you are studying such things, you should be used to using a good dictionary. Two of the verbs give rise to different forms of sewer - sower, of which one homograph is obsolete.
• 'To sow' (again sounding exactly the same as 'so') is 'to scatter seed (or sometimes place it very carefully) so that it may begin to grow into a useful crop'.
  • Of its several homographs, the only one current in academic English is the noun 'a sow'. This word rhymes with 'now' and 'how', and means 'a female pig'.