Face and phase are easily confused words.
The spell-check application of most word processing software programs would not catch a slip-up of these two words. Spell-check is looking for words that aren’t in its dictionary, and words that resemble words in its dictionary, but are possibly spelled wrong. Spell-check isn’t perfect. It doesn’t know and can’t guess what word you wanted, or what word you meant, it can only judge the words on the page. If you used words that are all spelled correctly, it gives you a pass anyway.
Autocorrect suggests words that start with the same letters. It’s suggesting what word you may want to save time, but quite often, its suggestions are pretty off base. They don’t help you out, but they do make you laugh.
Face (pronounced “fayss;” rhymes with place, race) has multiple meanings.
- As a noun, it means the front of the skull, from the hairline to the tip of the chin.
- As a verb, it means to confront circumstances or problems head on.
Phase (pronounced “fayz;” rhymes with maze, taze, daze) has multiple meanings.
As a noun:
- It means a period in a growth or maturity cycle.
- It can mean a brief infatuation with a color, a piece of fashion, a music band, or other item.
The following story uses both words correctly:
Fae really hoped her boys were just in a phase, and by high school they would outgrow their love for colored mohawk hairdos. She doubted they would succeed in adulthood, trying to work in an office with that style hair. She wasn’t sure she could face that future.
Kathleen W Curry 