Revised as of
27 Dec 2022
This word confusion riff versus rift caught my eye, as I’d just finished reviewing Keri Arthur’s City of Light, so rift was on my mind.
These paranormal rifts are most common in my [reading] life. Of course, I do have the familial rifts from time to time when my sisters and/or mom argue with me.
These relationship rifts are tough, and then I ran across a guitar rift. Ouch. Somebody’s guitar cracked! You can’t come back from that at all. Once your guitar breaks . . . oh, sorry, they actually meant a guitar riff. Whew. Guitars ain’t cheap, and I was feeling bad for the musician.
It pays to remember that a riff can be a brief musical phrase that’s usually repeated or it can be a concise OR humorous spiel.
A rift is more serious as a physical or relational break.
You may also want to have a look in at “Rife versus Riff“, “Rift versus Rive, and just for the fun of it, “Riffle versus Rifle“.
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.
If you found this post on “Riff versus Rift” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.
| Riff | Rift |
|---|---|
“Trump Whisperer” Explains How She Gets Inside Trump’s Head For Videos courtesy of MSNBC, via YouTube. — Click the above image to view the YouTube video of Comedian Sarah Cooper explaining her process to Lawrence O’Donnell behind her riffing of President Trump. |
Tectonic Plates Canyon Rift by Free-Photos is under the Pixabay License, via Needpix.com. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun; Noun, proper; Verb, intransitive
Plural for the noun: riffs Third person present verb: riffs |
Noun 1, 2; Verb 1, 2, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: rifts Third person present verb: rifts |
| Noun: [Music] A short repeated phrase in popular music and jazz, typically used as an introduction or refrain in a song
A monologue or spoken improvisation, especially a humorous one, on a particular subject
A distinct variation or take Proper noun: Verb, intransitive:
|
Noun: A crack, split, or break in something 1
An open space, as in a forest or cloud mass, or a clear interval A serious break in friendly relations A difference in opinion, belief, or interest that causes such a break in friendly relations [Geology] A major fault separating blocks of the earth’s surface The plane or direction along which a log or mass of granite can most easily be split Wood or a piece of wood that has been split radially from a log [US] A shallow or rocky part in a stream 2
[US] The backwash from a wave that has just broken on a beach Verb: Verb, intransitive: To cleave, rive, or split Verb, transitive: |
| Examples: | |
| Noun: Catchy, jangly guitar riffs are slung about violently. He manufactures catchy guitar riffs with ease and blends them with off-beat lyrics. They played the opening riff for a while, until Rocky tried a solo. Proper noun: Riffs are divided into numerous tribes and tribal groups. Since 1958, the Riff have been demonstrating for recognition of the culture and language. Verb, intransitive: Steve Wilson’s vibes are deep in the rhythm section’s pocket, riffing or firing off spare, hanging chords. Often times, Simmons’ band sounds remarkably like the traditional Coltrane quartet, with pianist John Hicks riffing off propulsive drummer, James Zitro. Whatever myth or motif Svankmajer is riffing on — he’s created a true gem here. Today he’s riffing about the immorality of being a porn star. Vic starts riffing about how he has an eight-year-old daughter, just like the missing girl. |
Noun: The wind had torn open a rift in the clouds. He saw the sun through a rift in the clouds. Their demise caused a rift between the city’s town and gown. It was that last Thanksgiving argument that caused the rift between us. The Great Rift Valley runs through Kenya from north to south, starting in Tanzania to the south and continues northward into Ethiopia. That rift looks to be a good place to aim your ax. Verb, intransitive: An active origin is suggested because volcanism and uplift appear to have preceded rifting, an active plume passing over a large area. By the beginning of the Cretaceous, the supercontinent Pangea was already rifting apart, and by the mid-Cretaceous, it had split into several smaller continents. Verb, transitive: Dismembered counterparts of the Beysehir-Hoyran Nappes further east are restored as a Triassic rifted margin. Finally volcanic rocks spread over its surface as the Slave protocontinent was rifted apart about 2.8 billion to 2.7 billion years ago. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: riftless, unrifted | |
| History of the Word: | |
| 1930s, perhaps as an abbreviation of refrain meaning a repeated line or number of lines in a poem or song, typically at the end of each verse. |
|
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 Riff versus Rift
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: rift
Merriam-Webster: rift
“Riffians.” Wikipedia. 8 Aug 2020. Web. 13 Aug 2020. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riffians>.
Your Dictionary.com: rift
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Midori’s Floating World Cafe on East Lake Street, 20 May 2020, by Fibonacci Blue from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
There is an hypocrisy in the #BlackLivesMatter situation. And ALL Black lives should matter. You can’t pick and choose. In fact, ALL lives matter. The riots that broke out after George Floyd was murdered opened up a lot of eyes to what Blacks have been dealing with for far too long. Those same riots targeted Black and other minority-owned businesses. Don’t they count too?
Revised as of
27 Dec 2022
This word confusion riff versus rift caught my eye, as I’d just finished reviewing Keri Arthur’s City of Light, so rift was on my mind.
These paranormal rifts are most common in my [reading] life. Of course, I do have the familial rifts from time to time when my sisters and/or mom argue with me.
These relationship rifts are tough, and then I ran across a guitar rift. Ouch. Somebody’s guitar cracked! You can’t come back from that at all. Once your guitar breaks . . . oh, sorry, they actually meant a guitar riff. Whew. Guitars ain’t cheap, and I was feeling bad for the musician.
It pays to remember that a riff can be a brief musical phrase that’s usually repeated or it can be a concise OR humorous spiel.
A rift is more serious as a physical or relational break.
You may also want to have a look in at “Rife versus Riff“, “Rift versus Rive, and just for the fun of it, “Riffle versus Rifle“.
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.
If you found this post on “Riff versus Rift” interesting, consider subscribing to KD Did It, if you’d like to track this post for future updates.
| Riff | Rift |
|---|---|
|
“Trump Whisperer” Explains How She Gets Inside Trump’s Head For Videos courtesy of MSNBC, via YouTube. — Click the above image to view the YouTube video of Comedian Sarah Cooper explaining her process to Lawrence O’Donnell behind her riffing of President Trump. |
Tectonic Plates Canyon Rift by Free-Photos is under the Pixabay License, via Needpix.com. |
| Part of Grammar: | |
| Noun; Noun, proper; Verb, intransitive
Plural for the noun: riffs Third person present verb: riffs |
Noun 1, 2; Verb 1, 2, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: rifts Third person present verb: rifts |
| Noun: [Music] A short repeated phrase in popular music and jazz, typically used as an introduction or refrain in a song
A monologue or spoken improvisation, especially a humorous one, on a particular subject
A distinct variation or take Proper noun: Verb, intransitive:
|
Noun: A crack, split, or break in something 1
An open space, as in a forest or cloud mass, or a clear interval A serious break in friendly relations A difference in opinion, belief, or interest that causes such a break in friendly relations [Geology] A major fault separating blocks of the earth’s surface The plane or direction along which a log or mass of granite can most easily be split Wood or a piece of wood that has been split radially from a log [US] A shallow or rocky part in a stream 2
[US] The backwash from a wave that has just broken on a beach Verb: Verb, intransitive: To cleave, rive, or split Verb, transitive: |
| Examples: | |
| Noun: Catchy, jangly guitar riffs are slung about violently. He manufactures catchy guitar riffs with ease and blends them with off-beat lyrics. They played the opening riff for a while, until Rocky tried a solo. Proper noun: Riffs are divided into numerous tribes and tribal groups. Since 1958, the Riff have been demonstrating for recognition of the culture and language. Verb, intransitive: Steve Wilson’s vibes are deep in the rhythm section’s pocket, riffing or firing off spare, hanging chords. Often times, Simmons’ band sounds remarkably like the traditional Coltrane quartet, with pianist John Hicks riffing off propulsive drummer, James Zitro. Whatever myth or motif Svankmajer is riffing on — he’s created a true gem here. Today he’s riffing about the immorality of being a porn star. Vic starts riffing about how he has an eight-year-old daughter, just like the missing girl. |
Noun: The wind had torn open a rift in the clouds. He saw the sun through a rift in the clouds. Their demise caused a rift between the city’s town and gown. It was that last Thanksgiving argument that caused the rift between us. The Great Rift Valley runs through Kenya from north to south, starting in Tanzania to the south and continues northward into Ethiopia. That rift looks to be a good place to aim your ax. Verb, intransitive: An active origin is suggested because volcanism and uplift appear to have preceded rifting, an active plume passing over a large area. By the beginning of the Cretaceous, the supercontinent Pangea was already rifting apart, and by the mid-Cretaceous, it had split into several smaller continents. Verb, transitive: Dismembered counterparts of the Beysehir-Hoyran Nappes further east are restored as a Triassic rifted margin. Finally volcanic rocks spread over its surface as the Slave protocontinent was rifted apart about 2.8 billion to 2.7 billion years ago. |
| Derivatives: | |
| Adjective: riftless, unrifted | |
| History of the Word: | |
| 1930s, perhaps as an abbreviation of refrain meaning a repeated line or number of lines in a poem or song, typically at the end of each verse. |
|
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 Riff versus Rift
Apple Dictionary.com
Dictionary.com: rift
Merriam-Webster: rift
“Riffians.” Wikipedia. 8 Aug 2020. Web. 13 Aug 2020. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riffians>.
Your Dictionary.com: rift
Pinterest Photo Credits:
Midori’s Floating World Cafe on East Lake Street, 20 May 2020, by Fibonacci Blue from Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Wikimedia Commons.
There is an hypocrisy in the #BlackLivesMatter situation. And ALL Black lives should matter. You can’t pick and choose. In fact, ALL lives matter. The riots that broke out after George Floyd was murdered opened up a lot of eyes to what Blacks have been dealing with for far too long. Those same riots targeted Black and other minority-owned businesses. Don’t they count too?