Word Confusion: Review versus Revue

Posted April 7, 2022 by Kathy Davie in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

This word confusion review vs revue is an heterograph (a subset of homophone) and can relate to each other, if only because there is always a review of a revue.

Of course, a review also views, inspects, looks at, or looks over again . . . in a number of areas from books, movies, law, studies, games, military, etc.

A revue is strictly entertainment . . . which can be reviewed.

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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Review	Revue
Book Review by Thad Zajdowicz is in the public domain, via Flickr.	Revue Fin de Siècle, Alcazar d’été by MCAD Library is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Flickr.
Part of Grammar:
Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun and third person present verb: reviews Past tense or past participle: reviewed Gerund or present participle: reviewing	Noun Plural: revues
Noun: A formal assessment or examination of something with the possibility or intention of instituting change if necessary [Law] A reconsideration of a judgment, sentence, etc., by a higher court or authority A report on or evaluation of a subject or past events A critical appraisal of a book, play, movie, exhibition, etc., published in a newspaper or magazine [Often in names] A periodical publication with critical articles on current events, the arts, etc. A ceremonial display and formal inspection of military or naval forces, typically by a sovereign, a commander-in-chief, or a high-ranking visitor Verb, intransitive: Write reviews Provide a critical appraisal of books, movies, etc., as for a newspaper or periodical To study material again Verb, transitive: Examine or assess (something) formally with the possibility or intention of instituting change if necessary [Law] Submit (a sentence, case, etc.) for reconsideration by a higher court or authority Survey or evaluate (a subject or past events) Write a critical appraisal of (a book, play, movie, etc.) for publication in a newspaper or magazine Present a survey of in speech or writing [Of a sovereign, commander-in-chief, or high-ranking visitor] Make a ceremonial and formal inspection of (military or naval forces) View, inspect, look at, or look over again [Bridge] To repeat and summarize (all bids made by the players)	A light theatrical entertainment consisting of a series of short sketches, songs, and dances, typically dealing satirically with topical issues Any entertainment featuring skits, dances, and songs
Examples:
Noun: It was a comprehensive review of defense policy. All areas of the company will come under review. There will be a review of her sentence. His case comes up for review in January. It will be the CEO’s end-of-year review. This is a review of recent developments in multicultural education. She released her debut solo album to rave reviews. The New Left Review is a British bimonthly journal of ideas covering world politics, economy, and culture, which was established in 1960. He conducted a final review of his troops and spoke of his pride in having served in the US Army. Verb, intransitive: He reviews for some small-town newspaper. Jonas helped me review for the test. She’s reviewing for a final exam. Verb, transitive: The company’s safety procedures are being reviewed. The Attorney General asked the court to review the sentence. In the next chapter, we will review a number of recent empirical studies. I reviewed his first novel. The Queen reviewed her brightly arrayed troops. All slides were then reviewed by one pathologist. Henry insisted on reviewing that last hand.	The Shuberts, theater owners and producers, offered a series of revues called Artists and Models. What Jim Henson created was more than just a musical revue performed by puppets, it was Saturday Night Live for the milk and cookies set. The first evening’s entertainment was a topless revue. The musical revue may have a place in the theatre, but it has a far cozier one in the kind of late-night club that has all but disappeared.
Derivatives:
Adjective: reviewable, reviewless Noun: nonreviewability, reviewability, reviewal, reviewer	Noun: revuist
History of the Word:
Late Middle English as a noun denoting a formal inspection of military or naval forces is from the obsolete French reveue, which is from revoir meaning see again.	First recorded in 1870–75 from the French literally meaning seen again evolving from the late Middle English, as a noun denoting a formal inspection of military or naval forces, is from the obsolete French reveue, which is from revoir meaning see again.

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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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