“Cell” or “Sell”

cell / sell are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term.

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Definitions

What each term means

Same sound, different spellings and meanings, shown with a pronunciation guide for each term.

cell s·EH·l

nounany small compartment.
noun(biology) the basic structural and functional unit of all organisms; they may exist as independent units of life (as in monads) or may form colonies or tissues as in higher plants and animals.
nouna device that delivers an electric current as the result of a chemical reaction.
nouna small unit serving as part of or as the nucleus of a larger political movement.
nounsmall room in which a monk or nun lives.
nouna room where a prisoner is kept.

sell s·EH·l

nounthe activity of persuading someone to buy.
verbexchange or deliver for money or its equivalent.
verbbe sold at a certain price or in a certain way.
verbpersuade somebody to accept something.
verbgive up for a price or reward.
verbbe approved of or gain acceptance.
verbbe responsible for the sale of.

Usage

Examples in context

Real sentences for each spelling. Hover an example to copy it.

“cell”

Two cell sites were destroyed, restricting cellular…
He coined the term "cell".
With him the cell theory was made general.
…being taken to a jail cell, Hard Drive is broken out…
…is put in the holding cell with her.
…of a patient's own blood cells with a radionuclide (leukocyte scintigraphy…
…an early version of the cell theory.
He sang frequently in his cell and was overheard by Texas…
Hans Driesch separated the individual cells of a 2-cell sea urchin…
…is put in a holding cell along with the old man.

“sell”

…settlement period and not to sell the newly purchased stock before…
…Law was so reluctant to sell them to her.
…used to make alcohol and sell it to the public.
…to get to work to sell vitamins.
…agrees with a [customer] to sell a product at a certain…
…the Commotions release not to sell at least 100,000 copies in…
…a stock before you can sell it.
…that he was attempting to sell a presidential candidate to the…
…Electric did not manufacture or sell the device.
…Album' which went on to sell over 15 million copies and…

Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions are drawn from WordNet.

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