Grammar Moses: Never cleanse your palate with a palette knife

I've written several times about the fun you can get into with homophones.

But then you'll remind me of another.

"A common error I've noticed in print is the willy-nilly use of 'palate,' 'palette' and 'pallet,' writes Helen Sierra of Barrington. "Even a shoe ad is guilty. The ad touted the shoes' colorful appearance, so 'palette,' a painterly reference, would have been appropriate. But the ad used "palate," which refers to food and taste. Would shoe leather be yummy?"

If that shoe leather came in the form of a well done New York strip, Helen, I'd offer a qualified yes.

"'Pallet' usually refers to a portable platform used to haul stuff around," she wrote. "There's another version of 'palette' I've seen only in my dictionary: a plate in a suit of armor. So far, haven't read any news about the latest armor fashions."

Homophones, just in case you're reaching for your dictionary (Bully for you!), are two or more words that sound the same but have different meanings. Homographs are groups of words that are spelled the same but have different meanings. And homonyms are a combination of the two: They sound the same and are spelled the same but have different meanings.

Clip out the previous paragraph as a reminder. I know I will.

Each of the three homophones Helen mentioned has multiple definitions, which make them all the more difficult to distinguish.

A palette can be either a range of colors or the board upon which a painter mixes colors.

But it's not the only P-word related to art. A "palette" knife is used to apply paint to a canvas, but a "pallet" is a flat wooden blade used by potters.

My advice: Always have a dictionary at hand.

Another pair of homophones that people just can't seem to figure out is "discreet" and "discrete."

Simply, "discrete" means separate and distinct, while "discreet" means careful and circumspect.

"Discrete" also is a math term, but that won't find its way into everyday conversation outside of the classroom or Wilson Hall at Fermilab.

"Bob arranged his record albums in discrete sections, keeping the disco far from the Motorhead."

"Honey, you smell like a brewery on fire. You could stand to be more discreet about your vices during Sunday Mass."

So, which word is the root of "discretion?"

Not the one it looks like.

To show discretion (one e) is to be discreet (double e.)

This language is so confounding. Can I get an amen?

What's the difference?

There are many pairs of words that are similar but don't qualify as synonyms. Yet it's pretty clear many of us don't know the distinction.

"Uninterested" and "disinterested" provide a good example.

To be uninterested is to not be interested in something. To be disinterested is to not have a stake in something.

Examples:

"We met with a marriage counselor as a disinterested third party to help us sort out our problems."

"I was uninterested in hearing any nonsense my wife had to say about me being defensive and close-minded."

Mea culpa

"Among" and "between" is another pair of words often used interchangeably.

I included both of them last week in my example about the dilemma of choosing "among" several NBA guards for my pickup game, but in subsequent reference flubbed it by using "between" instead.

While in some circles it is acceptable to use "between" in describing a choice of many things, the general rule of thumb is "between" is a choice of two and "among" is a choice of three or more.

Gold stars to those of you who called me on it.

Write carefully!

• Jim Baumann is vice president/managing editor of the Daily Herald. Write him at jbaumann@dailyherald.com. Put Grammar Moses in the subject line. You also can friend or follow Jim at facebook.com/baumannjim.