You too can be a better bettor, especially if you know the difference between better and bettor, lol.
Well, okay, you can use better as a replacement for bettor — one of those alternative spellings. So a better also places bets. But you can never use bettor as an adjective…just sayin’.
You may also want to explore the posts “Good, Better, Best” and/or “Good versus Well“.
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 noir for you from either end.
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| Better | Bettor |
|---|---|
| Credit to: Apple Dictionary.com; Dictionary.com: better, bettor; Lexico.com: better, bettor; Merriam-Webster: bettor | |
Live Better in Flip Flops is under the CC0 license, via Max Pixel. |
Person Playing Poker by Drew Rae is under the CC0 license, via Pexels, <https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-playing-poker-1871508/>. — I hope these bettors do well. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Adjective; Adverb; Noun; Verb, transitive
Plural for the noun and third person present verb: betters |
Noun
Alternative spelling: better Plural: bettors, betters |
| Adjective: Of superior quality or excellence Morally superior
Of superior suitability, advisability, desirability, acceptableness, etc. Preferable Larger
Improved in health
Completely recovered in health Adverb: To a greater degree
More
Noun: [Usually, betters] Those superior to one in wisdom, wealth, etc. Verb, transitive: Make better
To improve upon
[Cards] To raise a previous bid |
[Chiefly US] A person who bets, typically regularly or habitually |
| Examples: | |
| Adjective: We’re hoping for better weather tomorrow. The new facilities were far better. I’m better at doing sums than Alice. There couldn’t be a better time to take up this job. His leg was getting better. Adverb: I liked it better when we lived in the country. The money could be better spent on more urgent cases. Noun: You’ve a right to expect better than that. It will be a change for the better. We should be educating the young to respect their elders and betters. Verb, transitive: He had great ideas for bettering the lot of the millhands. The residents are mostly Londoners who have bettered themselves. She had almost bettered him at archery. |
She described herself as a typical bettor.
Thousands of bettors were at the race track last weekend. Bettors on the horse race have to place their bets at least 20 minutes before the start of the race. Returning bettors also have the option of placing a parlay bet of up to $25. As most seasoned sports bettors are aware, every bookmaker adjusts his line in relation to which way the wagering is headed. Why are so many bettors continuing to do business with local bookmakers and eschewing offshore? |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: bettermost, unbettered Noun: betterment, betters |
|
| History of the Word: | |
| First known use: before 900
Middle English bettre, Old English betera. It is related to Old High German bezziro (German besser), Dutch beter, Old Norse betr, Gothic batiza. |
First recorded in 1600–10, combining bet + -or. |
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 by exploring the index. You may also want to explore Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, and/or the Properly Punctuated.
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Resized with a stamped fill at the top, Phat Wad, Break Me Off Some is by デニス モジョ and is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.
