“Eerie” or “Erie”—Which to use?

“Eerie” or “Erie”

Overview

eerie / erie 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. 👇

Definitions

eerie: (adjective) suggestive of the supernatural; mysterious. (adjective) inspiring a feeling of fear; strange and frightening.

erie: (noun) a member of an Iroquoian people formerly living on the south shore of Lake Erie in northern Ohio and northwest Pennsylvania and western New York. (noun) a port city on Lake Erie in northwestern Pennsylvania.

Pronunciation

eerie: IH·r·iy

erie: IH·r·iy

Trends

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Examples in Context

Examples of “eerie”

…chromatic notes) to give an eerie, unsettled feel to the planet,…
…"delicate balance between calm and eerie".
…pros and cons, including some eerie moments, slow storytelling and excess…
…amplitude (volume) to produce an eerie but difficult to manipulate sound.
Unsettled by his fellow traveler's eerie size and silence, the teacher…
…oasis in the desert, ignoring eerie scarecrow-like figures around the edge.
During the examination, a very eerie sound wailed through the air.
…with shattered glass, in an eerie evocation of recent school shootings.
…killer and Paul Miller, an eerie private investigator with his own…
…the atmosphere is rarefied and eerie."

Examples of “erie”

…operated on the Hudson River, Erie Canal, and Great Lakes, and…
…his DCFC debut against the Erie Admirals on May 26, 2012,…
…state land next to the Erie Canal.
…Railroad, whose line ran from Erie, Pennsylvania, to the Ohio border.
…soon after 1852, the new Erie Street terminal was built in…
…Railroad was leased to the Erie Railroad on January 6, 1866,…
The Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Authority as purchased…
…New York Central Railroad, the Erie Railroad, Standard Oil, and a…
…of the Battle of Lake Erie in Newport, Rhode Island.
When Gotkin arrived in Erie the college's ice hockey program…

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

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