“Sloe” or “Slow”—Which to use?

“Sloe” or “Slow”

Overview

sloe / slow 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

sloe: (noun) small sour dark purple fruit of especially the Allegheny plum bush.

slow: (verb) become slow or slower. (verb) cause to proceed more slowly. (adjective) not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time. (adjective) at a slow tempo. (adjective) (used of timepieces) indicating a time earlier than the correct time.

Pronunciation

sloe: s·l·OW

slow: s·l·OW

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Examples in Context

Examples of “sloe”

…irregular) but black as a sloe".

Examples of “slow”

…Combines Instant Attraction and a Slow Burn.
Slow Birds and Other Stories.
…sixth line off the "down" slow line that links to a…
…pair of "up and down" slow lines used by stopping services…
…regular ice cream of the slow, churned type which was invented…
…a high tractive effort at slow speeds, for the purposes of…
…through difficult courses of study slow paces or pursue multiple majors…
Kikoe (Slow Learner, 2009) – Documentary Film
…is rather timid and is slow when it comes to eating.
…with a long and introspective slow movement, followed by two short…

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

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