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“Hail” or “Hale”

hail / hale 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.

hail hh·EY·l

  • nounprecipitation of ice pellets when there are strong rising air currents.
  • nounmany objects thrown forcefully through the air.
  • nounenthusiastic greeting.
  • verbbe a native of.
  • verbcall for.
  • verbgreet enthusiastically or joyfully.
  • verbprecipitate as small ice particles.

hale hh·EY·l

  • nouna soldier of the American Revolution who was hanged as a spy by the British; his last words were supposed to have been `I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country' (1755-1776).
  • nounUnited States astronomer who discovered that sunspots are associated with strong magnetic fields (1868-1938).
  • nounprolific United States writer (1822-1909).
  • adjectiveexhibiting or restored to vigorous good health.
Usage

Examples in context

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

“hail”

  • Doritos officially sponsored the "Hail to the Cheese Stephen Colbert's…
  • …name of the people who hail from a place called "Sengiri"…
  • …a chest wound in a hail of machine gun fire.
  • All Hail King Julien
  • …phenomenon prominent in the Netherlands: hail.
  • …and conductor known for composing "Hail, America", reportedly a favorite march…
  • The newspapers hail Bickle as a hero for…
  • All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name…
  • …incident, the captain did report hail hitting the airplane, pulling the…
  • Hail in association with the parent…

“hale”

  • Republican Conference Chair: Eugene Hale
  • Category:People educated at Hale School
  • …and Romiley, Cheadle and Gatley, Hale, Hazel Grove and Bramhall, Marple…
  • Lieutenant (voiced by Jennifer Hale) - An unnamed lieutenant who…
  • £10m Lady Hale Building for the Salford Law…
  • …in the United States, Nathan Hale reported on the "decline of…
  • …The New York Times, Mike Hale felt that Moss "feels out…
  • Hale, Nathan G., Jr.
  • 1918 - David Hale Fanning Trade School for Girls…
  • Marjorie Reynolds as Mary Hale Browne

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

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