Revised as of
6 July 2023
I guess it was the influence of all those pirate movies I watched, and the books I read as a kid, ’cause when authors confuse this one, well, it always cracks me up! I mean, it just doesn’t work when . . .
The thundering hoards came racing up!
OR
I hid my horde under the floorboard.
It’s gotta be a Xanthian influence for the first — homophones unite! As for the second, dang, that is one humongous house!
Word Confusions . . .
. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.
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| Hoard | Horde |
|---|---|
Brown Wooden Jewelry Box is in the public domain, via Peakpx. — Someone’s hoard tucked into a jewelry box. |
A Horde of People Standing Vigil by Suhandri Lariwu is under the CC0 license, via Pexels. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adjective 1; Noun 2; Verb, transitive 3 Plural for the noun: hoards Third person present verb: hoards |
Noun; Verb, intransitive
Plural for the noun: hordes Third person present verb: hordes |
| Think of stashing your hoard behind the loose board
Adjective: Reserve in the mind for future use 1 Noun: Ancient store of coins or other valuable artifacts Amassed store of useful information or facts, retained for future use Verb, transitive: Accumulate a supply of something in a time of scarcity Reserve in the mind for future use |
Noun: [Derogatory] A large group of people [Anthropology] A loosely knit, small social group typically consisting of about five families. Verb, intransitive: |
| Examples: | |
| Adjective: He held a year’s worth of hoarded resentments and grudges. Noun: He unearthed a hoard of Romano-British bronzes. He had a hoard of secret information about his work. Verb, transitive: Many of the boat people had hoarded rations. He had hoarded a year’s worth of resentments and grudges. |
Noun: He was surrounded by a horde of tormenting relatives. A horde of screaming barbarians crested the hill. It’s your turn to host Thanksgiving dinner for the horde this year. Verb, intransitive: I’m afraid the squirrels are hording. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: unhoarded Noun: hoarder, hoarding |
|
| History of the Word: | |
|
Mid-16th century originally denoting a tribe or troop of Tartar or other nomads from the Polish horda which is from the Turkish ordu meaning (royal) camp. |
C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!
Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.
Resources for Hoard versus Horde
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: horde
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Wager’s Action off Cartagena, 28 May 1708, is an oil on canvas by Samuel Scott from the Collection of the National Maritime Museum and is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
