Word Confusion: Ail versus Ale

Posted June 12, 2017 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
20 Oct 2022

Well, it’s pretty obvious that ail and ale are heterographs. But don’t let that ail you. Have an ale. Kick back. Heck, have another ale, but not so many that you end up ailing in the morning.

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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Ail	Ale
Mary Baker Eddy Treating the Sick by James F. Gilman was first published in Christ and Christmas and is in the public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. When ailing, it’s nice to have someone care.	Newcastle Brown Ale Bottle is Powerresethdd’s own work under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
Part of Grammar:
Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive Plural for noun: ails Gerund: ailing Third person present verb: ails Past tense or past participle: ailed Present participle: ailing	Noun Plural: ales
Noun: Ailment Verb, intransitive: To be or feel unwell Feel pain Be ill Verb, transitive: To cause pain, uneasiness, afflict, or trouble to	[North American] A type of beer that’s darker with a bitter flavor and higher alcoholic content [Chiefly British] Beer
Examples:
Noun: He’s got the winter ails. Half of the staff is out sick with the usual wintertime ails Verb, intransitive: He’s been ailing for some time. She ails still. He is said to be ailing at his home in the country. Verb, transitive: Exercise is good for whatever ails you. The government seems to have no understanding of what ails the country. “O, what can ail thee, knight at arms, So haggard and so woe-begone?” (Masters).	The pub has a nice variety of amber-colored beers, ales, and stouts. Ale is a type of beer brewed using a warm fermentation method, resulting in a sweet, full-bodied and fruity taste. Theakston’s Old Peculier ale is a favorite of the characters in Martha Grimes’ Richard Jury series. Ginger ale is a whole ‘nother thing. I could really go for a steak and mushroom pie with ale.
Derivatives:
Adjective: ailing Noun: ailment	Noun: alehouse
History of the Word:
Old English eglian, eglan, is from egle meaning troublesome, and is of Germanic origin. It is related to the Gothic agls meaning disgraceful.	Old English alu or ealu is of Germanic origin and related to the Old Norse ǫl. Formerly the word referred especially to unhopped or paler-colored varieties of beer.

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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.

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