Word Confusion: Suit vs Suite vs Sweet

Posted August 22, 2019 by kddidit in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
3 Jan 2023

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I was scrolling through an online garage sale site and ran across some bedroom furniture, a bedroom set, listed as a bedroom suit. Now, this isn’t the first time I’ve encountered a bedroom suit, although I usually think of them as pajamas . . .

“Your bedroom suite consists of the bed, the nightstand, and whatever other furniture goes with it. Your pajamas would be your bedroom suit.” – Prof Paul Brians.

Of course, there are all kinds of suits and suites . . . and ways to enjoy sweets . . . but I will never wear a nightstand. I don’t care how sweet it looks.

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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Suit	Suite	Sweet
Suit is Orbitburco12‘s own work and is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.	A Suite at the Eviston House Hotel in Killarney, Ireland, by kmuciek, which is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay. — I’ve never seen a hotel suite with three big beds before.	Sweets by Venturist is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.
Part of Grammar:
Noun ¹, ²; Verb ², intransitive & transitive ¹ Plural for the noun: suits Gerund: suiting Third person present verb: suits Past tense or past participle: suited Present participle: suiting	Noun Plural: suites	Adjective; Adverb; Noun Plural for noun: sweets
Noun: A set of outer clothes made of the same fabric and designed to be worn together, typically consisting of a jacket and trousers or a jacket and skirt, and sometimes a vest ¹ A set of clothes to be worn on a particular occasion or for a particular activity A complete set of pieces of armor for covering the whole body [Informal; usually suits] An executive in a business or organization, typically one regarded as exercising influence in an impersonal way A complete set of sails required for a ship or for a set of spars Any of the sets distinguished by their pictorial symbols into which a deck of playing cards is divided, in conventional decks comprising spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs Short for lawsuit ² The process of trying to win a woman’s affection with a view to marriage [Literary] A petition or entreaty made to a person in authority Verb, intransitive: Be convenient for, acceptable to, satisfactory, or agreeable ² [North American] Put on clothes, especially for a particular activity To be appropriate or suitable Accord Verb, transitive: To provide with a suit, as of clothing or armor ¹ Clothe Array Be convenient for or acceptable to ² [suit oneself; often in imperative] Act entirely according to one’s own wishes (often used to express the speaker’s annoyance) Go well with or enhance the features, figure, or character of (someone) To be or make appropriate, adapt, or accommodate, as one thing to another To be or prove satisfactory, agreeable, or acceptable to Satisfy or please	A set of rooms designated for one person’s or family’s use or for a particular purpose. A set of coordinating furniture [Music] A set of instrumental compositions, originally in dance style, to be played in succession A set of selected pieces from an opera or musical, arranged to be played as one instrumental work A group of people in attendance on a monarch or other person of high rank A retinue A train [Computing] A set of programs with a uniform design and the ability to share data [Geology] A group of minerals, rocks, or fossils occurring together and characteristic of a location or period	Adjective: Having the pleasant taste characteristic of sugar or honey Not salty, sour, or bitter [Of air, water, or food] Fresh, pure, and untainted Not rancid or stale [Often in combination] Smelling pleasant like flowers or perfume Fragrant Pleasing in general Delightful Highly satisfying or gratifying [Informal; often as exclamation] Used to express approval or admiration Excellent Working, moving, or done smoothly or easily [Of sound] Melodious or harmonious [Chiefly US] Denoting music, especially jazz, played at a steady tempo without improvisation [Of a person or action] Pleasant and kind or thoughtful [Especially of a person or animal] Charming and endearing: [Informal; dated; Predic.; sweet on] Infatuated or in love with Dear Beloved [Archaic] Used as a respectful form of address Used for emphasis in various phrases and exclamations [one’s own sweet ——] Used to emphasize the unpredictable individuality of someone’s actions Noun: [British] A small shaped piece of confectionery made with sugar [sweets] Sweet foods, collectively [British] A sweet dish forming a course of a meal Dessert Used as an affectionate form of address to a person one is very fond of [Archaic or literary; the sweet] The sweet part or element of something [sweets] The pleasures or delights found in something
Examples:
Noun: It was his first suit, and it was for his mother’s funeral. It was a red jogging suit with reflective stripes on the sleeves and pants. “I went to him to buy a suit of armor and ended up persuading him to take part as well,” said John. They went ashore and changed to another suit of sails. Maybe now the suits in Washington will listen. Suits are here, boss. The classic order of suits is hearts above diamonds, and spades above clubs. He’s brought twenty suits against his employer in the past two years. He could not compete with John’s charms in Marian’s eyes, and his suit came to nothing. The ambassador for Poland is returning from Rome having made suit to the Pope for 20,000 crowns. The girl jumped over the fence, and her playmates followed suit. Verb, intransitive: The apartment has two bedrooms — if it suits, you can have one of them. He lied whenever it suited him. I suited up and entered the water. Verb, transitive: The job would have suited you down to the ground. I’m not going to help you. Suit yourself. They took care to suit their answers to the questions put to them. The dress didn’t suit her. We’ll suit the punishment to the crime. The arrangements suit me. Neely, of course, was born in Comox and suited up for the Vancouver Canucks for three seasons starting in 1983.	We shared a state room, which was actually a suite with a common room, a bathroom, and two smaller bedrooms for us at either side. Helen found the most gorgeous bedroom suite on Craigslist. Usually, recordings of the score cut it down to a suite of five dances. The CD contains a short string quartet movement, a suite of four pieces for brass quintet, and solo pieces for piano, trombone, and cello. The Royal Saloon was built for the use of the Queen and her suite. Over the years, IBM Lotus has developed a broad suite of collaborative applications designed to run as part of its core groupware platform. Potassic rock suites are a characteristic feature of the area.	Adjective: I craved a cup of hot sweet tea. This milk is still sweet. Ahhh, the sweet taste of success. He inhaled lungfuls of the clean, sweet air. I missed the sweet-scented flowers of summer. It was the sweet life he had always craved. He planned for some sweet, short-lived revenge. Yeah, I’d like to come to the party. Sweet! The mansion has a sweet hot tub. He appreciated the sweet handling of this motorcycle. The sweet notes of the flute echoed in her mind. The doors of the place were open along Bourbon Street, the overhead fans stirring the cool air around them, the sweet, lighthearted jazz pouring out of the Mahogany Hall bar across the street. He was thrilled when a very sweet nurse came along. Awww, what a sweet little cat. She seemed quite sweet on him. Oh, my sweet love, I’ve missed you so. Go to thy rest, sweet sir. “What had happened?” “Sweet nothing.” I’d rather carry on in my own sweet way. Noun: He always carried a bag of sweets. Americans eat too many sweets. She served up a lovely sweet made with whipped chestnuts and almond paste. That’s some sweet tooth you’ve got. Hello, my sweet. You have had the bitter, now comes the sweet. Now he could enjoy the sweets of office.
Derivatives:
Adjective: suited, suitlike Noun: countersuit, resuit, suitcase, suiting, suitor, undersuit Verb, transitive: resuit		Adjective: sweet-and-sour, sweet-scented, sweet-smelling, sweet-sounding, sweet-tempered, sweet-toothed, sweetener, sweeter, sweetest, sweetish Adverb: sweetly Noun: sweetgrass, sweetheart, sweetie, sweeting, sweetness Verb: sweet-talk, sweeten
History of the Word:
Middle English from the Anglo-Norman French siwte, from a feminine past participle of a Romance verb based on the Latin sequi meaning follow. Early senses included attendance at a court and legal process. Suit derives from an earlier meaning, set of things to be used together. In the verb sense of make appropriate dates from the late 16th century.	Late 17th century, from the French, which is from the Anglo-Norman French siwte (see suit).	Old English swēte, is of Germanic origin and related to the Dutch zoet, the German süss, from an Indo-European root shared by the Latin suavis and the Greek hēdus.

Suit

Suite

Sweet

Suit is Orbitburco12‘s own work and is under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.

A Suite at the Eviston House Hotel in Killarney, Ireland, by kmuciek, which is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay.

—

I’ve never seen a hotel suite with three big beds before.

Sweets by Venturist is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.

Part of Grammar:

Noun ¹, ²;
Verb ², intransitive & transitive ¹

Plural for the noun: suits
Gerund: suiting

Third person present verb: suits
Past tense or past participle: suited
Present participle: suiting

Noun

Plural: suites

Adjective; Adverb; Noun

Plural for noun: sweets

Noun:
A set of outer clothes made of the same fabric and designed to be worn together, typically consisting of a jacket and trousers or a jacket and skirt, and sometimes a vest ¹

A set of clothes to be worn on a particular occasion or for a particular activity
A complete set of pieces of armor for covering the whole body
[Informal; usually suits] An executive in a business or organization, typically one regarded as exercising influence in an impersonal way

A complete set of sails required for a ship or for a set of spars

Any of the sets distinguished by their pictorial symbols into which a deck of playing cards is divided, in conventional decks comprising spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs

Short for lawsuit ²

The process of trying to win a woman’s affection with a view to marriage

[Literary] A petition or entreaty made to a person in authority

Verb, intransitive:
Be convenient for, acceptable to, satisfactory, or agreeable ²

[North American] Put on clothes, especially for a particular activity

To be appropriate or suitable

Accord

Verb, transitive:
To provide with a suit, as of clothing or armor ¹

Clothe
Array

Be convenient for or acceptable to ²

[suit oneself; often in imperative] Act entirely according to one’s own wishes (often used to express the speaker’s annoyance)

Go well with or enhance the features, figure, or character of (someone)

To be or make appropriate, adapt, or accommodate, as one thing to another

To be or prove satisfactory, agreeable, or acceptable to

Satisfy or please

A set of rooms designated for one person’s or family’s use or for a particular purpose.

A set of coordinating furniture

[Music] A set of instrumental compositions, originally in dance style, to be played in succession

A set of selected pieces from an opera or musical, arranged to be played as one instrumental work

A group of people in attendance on a monarch or other person of high rank

A retinue
A train

[Computing] A set of programs with a uniform design and the ability to share data

[Geology] A group of minerals, rocks, or fossils occurring together and characteristic of a location or period

Adjective:
Having the pleasant taste characteristic of sugar or honey

Not salty, sour, or bitter
[Of air, water, or food] Fresh, pure, and untainted
Not rancid or stale
[Often in combination] Smelling pleasant like flowers or perfume
Fragrant

Pleasing in general

Delightful
Highly satisfying or gratifying
[Informal; often as exclamation] Used to express approval or admiration
Excellent
Working, moving, or done smoothly or easily
[Of sound] Melodious or harmonious
[Chiefly US] Denoting music, especially jazz, played at a steady tempo without improvisation

[Of a person or action] Pleasant and kind or thoughtful

[Especially of a person or animal] Charming and endearing:
[Informal; dated; Predic.; sweet on] Infatuated or in love with
Dear
Beloved
[Archaic] Used as a respectful form of address

Used for emphasis in various phrases and exclamations

[one’s own sweet ——] Used to emphasize the unpredictable individuality of someone’s actions

Noun:
[British] A small shaped piece of confectionery made with sugar

[sweets] Sweet foods, collectively

[British] A sweet dish forming a course of a meal
Dessert

Used as an affectionate form of address to a person one is very fond of

[Archaic or literary; the sweet] The sweet part or element of something

[sweets] The pleasures or delights found in something

Examples:

Noun:
It was his first suit, and it was for his mother’s funeral.

It was a red jogging suit with reflective stripes on the sleeves and pants.

“I went to him to buy a suit of armor and ended up persuading him to take part as well,” said John.

They went ashore and changed to another suit of sails.

Maybe now the suits in Washington will listen.

Suits are here, boss.

The classic order of suits is hearts above diamonds, and spades above clubs.

He’s brought twenty suits against his employer in the past two years.

He could not compete with John’s charms in Marian’s eyes, and his suit came to nothing.

The ambassador for Poland is returning from Rome having made suit to the Pope for 20,000 crowns.

The girl jumped over the fence, and her playmates followed suit.

Verb, intransitive:
The apartment has two bedrooms — if it suits, you can have one of them.

He lied whenever it suited him.

I suited up and entered the water.

Verb, transitive:
The job would have suited you down to the ground.

I’m not going to help you.

Suit yourself.

They took care to suit their answers to the questions put to them.

The dress didn’t suit her.

We’ll suit the punishment to the crime.

The arrangements suit me.

Neely, of course, was born in Comox and suited up for the Vancouver Canucks for three seasons starting in 1983.

We shared a state room, which was actually a suite with a common room, a bathroom, and two smaller bedrooms for us at either side.

Helen found the most gorgeous bedroom suite on Craigslist.

Usually, recordings of the score cut it down to a suite of five dances.

The CD contains a short string quartet movement, a suite of four pieces for brass quintet, and solo pieces for piano, trombone, and cello.

The Royal Saloon was built for the use of the Queen and her suite.

Over the years, IBM Lotus has developed a broad suite of collaborative applications designed to run as part of its core groupware platform.

Potassic rock suites are a characteristic feature of the area.

Adjective:
I craved a cup of hot sweet tea.

This milk is still sweet.

Ahhh, the sweet taste of success.

He inhaled lungfuls of the clean, sweet air.

I missed the sweet-scented flowers of summer.

It was the sweet life he had always craved.

He planned for some sweet, short-lived revenge.

Yeah, I’d like to come to the party. Sweet!

The mansion has a sweet hot tub.

He appreciated the sweet handling of this motorcycle.

The sweet notes of the flute echoed in her mind.

The doors of the place were open along Bourbon Street, the overhead fans stirring the cool air around them, the sweet, lighthearted jazz pouring out of the Mahogany Hall bar across the street.

He was thrilled when a very sweet nurse came along.

Awww, what a sweet little cat.

She seemed quite sweet on him.

Oh, my sweet love, I’ve missed you so.

Go to thy rest, sweet sir.

“What had happened?” “Sweet nothing.”

I’d rather carry on in my own sweet way.

Noun:
He always carried a bag of sweets.

Americans eat too many sweets.

She served up a lovely sweet made with whipped chestnuts and almond paste.

That’s some sweet tooth you’ve got.

Hello, my sweet.

You have had the bitter, now comes the sweet.

Now he could enjoy the sweets of office.

Derivatives:

Adjective: suited, suitlike
Noun: countersuit, resuit, suitcase, suiting, suitor, undersuit
Verb, transitive: resuit

Adjective: sweet-and-sour, sweet-scented, sweet-smelling, sweet-sounding, sweet-tempered, sweet-toothed, sweetener, sweeter, sweetest, sweetish
Adverb: sweetly
Noun: sweetgrass, sweetheart, sweetie, sweeting, sweetness
Verb: sweet-talk, sweeten

History of the Word:

Middle English from the Anglo-Norman French siwte, from a feminine past participle of a Romance verb based on the Latin sequi meaning follow.

Early senses included attendance at a court and legal process.

Suit derives from an earlier meaning, set of things to be used together.
In the verb sense of make appropriate dates from the late 16th century.

Late 17th century, from the French, which is from the Anglo-Norman French siwte (see suit).

Old English swēte, is of Germanic origin and related to the Dutch zoet, the German süss, from an Indo-European root shared by the Latin suavis and the Greek hēdus.

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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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Resources for Suit vs Suite vs Sweet

Apple Dictionary.com

Brians, Professor Paul. “suit / suite.” Common Errors in English Usage. Washington State University. n.d. Web. Accessed 22 July 2019. <https://brians.wsu.edu/2016/05/31/suit-suite/>.

Dictionary.com: suite

Glosbe: sweet

Lexico.com: suit, suite

Pinterest Photo Credits:

The resized and cropped Southwest Chamber: Alice Longfellow’s Bedroom by Anna Christie is in the public domain courtesy of the National Park Service. The cropped Tai Chi by olhinanatali is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay.

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