It’s amazing how many vowel combinations can be used to make the same sound. Take the long “a” sound, for example. This sound can be written using ay, ai, ey, ei, or a/consonant/silent e. Then there are the exceptions. I salute anyone who takes on English as a second language, because it’s a mess.
There are a lot of these tricky words, but I’ve been asked to talk about the word braid. How do you remember how to spell braid? With the help of Shrek, naturally.
Who would you rather be – Princess Fiona or Donkey?
(I really hope you said Fiona.)
Whether Fiona looks like a human or an ogre, she’s got wonderful hair. Her hair is often styled in a rope braid. A rope braid consists of two strands of hair wrapped around each other. If a braid has at least three strands, it can be called a plait. Fiona likes to plait her hair into a braid. Both of these words make the long “a” sound using ai. (Just like the word hair.) So think about Fiona plaiting her hair, and you will remember how to spell braid.
Note: If you’d rather be Donkey instead, you will be remembered as a creature with bad hair who constantly brayed at everyone. Instead of showing off your beautful plait, you will be tempted by waffles on a plate and will force your friends to have to rescue you from your idiocy.
So please be Fiona, and enjoy your braid.
***
Update: Given all the discussion on this post, I’ve updated the definitions of plait and braid, to avoid any confusion. 🙂
Image of Fiona from Shrek
This post is dedicated to Nicole De Courval. Thanks for reading!
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post, where I will chase after the cruel letter C…
© Sue Archer and Doorway Between Worlds, 2015
I didn’t even know braids meant two and plaits meant three. Every girl on the planet is using that word wrong, I think, haha! I’d definitely rather be Fiona. 🙂
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Yes, I can’t imagine being Donkey…except maybe when he got to be a gleaming white horse. 🙂
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Hi Alex, I updated my wording on this one – braids mean at least two, while plaits are at least three…so they are not mutually exclusive. 🙂
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Ohhhh~ okay. Hahaha. That makes more sense. 😛
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I honestly didn’t know there was a difference between braid and plait! THANK you for the enlightenment sue, now, i’ve got one-up on my sisters in English 😂. Time to question their braid-plait knowledge :D.
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Go for it, Ameena! I’m sure you will stump them. 🙂
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Hi Ameena, I’ve updated my braid/plait definition, since it was a bit misleading…would hate to have you lose a bet to your sisters! (Normally a braid has at least two strands, while plait refers to something that has at least three.) Just thought I should let you know. 🙂
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Thank you very much! 3 of my friends have failed it already 😁. On to the fourth now :D. Thanks for the enlightenment.
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This brought enlighten to my 2nd language and to my daily hair routine. Fiona for sure is my choice! Your explanation and examples really made it easier for me, for the pronunciation as well as the writing of braid. Learning so much from your daily post, and having a great time doing so! You made the “boring letter B” amusing. thanks
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I’m happy you liked it, Nicole. I think we’ll be getting a lot of votes for Fiona!
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Well, apparently my friends will just have to rescue me from my idiocy, because Donkey is the best! Plus, who isn’t tempted by waffles? 😉
Oh my, I had no idea there was a difference between braid and plait. I’ve been using it wrong for, like, ever. Thanks for the lesson! 😀
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Yay, a vote for Donkey! 🙂 I must admit waffles are yummy. I didn’t know the difference between braid and plait, either, until I started investigating…so much to discover about words!
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Hi Sara, I made an update to the post – you haven’t been wrong, but there is a difference in how these terms are usually used. So don’t worry!
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I really, really, love the play with words you have going on here! It is truly amazing that anyone understands English. Probably why we have so many lawyers and politicians 😉 One of the things I had a professor write on a board one time was the made up word “ghoti” How would you pronounce this? ‘gh’ as in enough, ‘o’ as in women, the ‘ti’ like function. Put it together and you have fish! 🙂 Yes amazing that we can communicate at all. Keep up the amazing posts!
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Love that story, Shawn! Glad you’re enjoying my posts. 🙂
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Well, yes, let me tell you, English is a mess in terms of writing. I costantly write words wrong because I know how to pronounce them, but I’m unsure how to write them. And the Word auto-correction doesn’t help, most of the time…
I’m kind of relieved I’m not the only one who didn’t know there is a difference between braid and plait.
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Ah yes, auto-correction…sometimes I think that function hurts more than it helps.
I’ve updated my definition on braid vs. plait, because it was a little confusing. It’s a small difference in usage, but not really that important. 🙂
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Haha! I love this! As much as I want to be Fiona, I always end up looking like an ass. 😉
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Ha! Is this why your avatar has an astronaut suit? 😉 Glad you liked it!
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You figured out my secret!
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I would indeed rather be Fiona, however, being in love with a dragon has to count for something for Donkey ;). For once this is a word I do not have trouble with, which makes a nice change.
Tasha
Tasha’s Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
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That’s true, sometimes Donkey has some class. 🙂 Thanks for reading, Tasha!
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Yup, I’d want to be Fiona. I loved her on Shrek! I didn’t know that about braids.
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Fiona was awesome. In practice, braid and plait are used interchangeably, but I thought it was interesting that there is a distinction, even if it is a small one. 🙂
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I read that as Princess Fiona or Princess Donkey. Which would be a cool option to have, right? 🙂
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Princess Donkey! That is super cool. Thanks for the mental image! 🙂
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I am now imagining a grumpy donkey voiced by Eddie Murphy forced to be a princess.
Oh, with dragon-donkey kids… also dressed as princesses. Tea party. Yep, mental image.
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I have no doubt that Eddie Murphy could pull that off!
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I like Fiona for all the great fighting moves she has, both as a princess and an ogre. It’s funny you’re writing about her, because we’ve just been rewatching the Shrek movies for A to Z reasons. And I always thought braids had three strands, too.
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We have all of the movies. In some ways I like the last one the best, since it has so much heart (even if it is a bit grim at times). I’ve updated my post because the braid vs. plait thing was causing confusion. A braid has at least two strands, while plait is applied to braids that have at least three strands. So you’re not wrong! (This is what happens when you write too many posts back to back.)
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I like the first and fourth movies the most.
So that’s how it works. I learned something new, which is always a good thing. 🙂
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Never knew the difference between braids and plaits. And I’d like to be donkey! I can be quite annoying like him.
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Hi Nick, I’m surprised you want to admit that. 😉 Looks like the donkey camp is growing…
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With my accent, I would pronounce braid, plait and hair all differently! (There’s always one who has to be difficult, isn’t there?)
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Hi, Anabel! You’re not being difficult at all – I realize my post is very specific to certain accents, how hopelessly Canadian of me! Now I am curious. If you don’t mind me asking, how do those words differ for you? I can see why hair would be different, but how do you pronounce braid and plait?
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I would pronounce braid the same as you but a plait is a platt. Illogical, I know….
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Good to know, thank you! I’m not sure logic and language go together very well. 😉
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Especially not the English language.
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But waffles are so tempting! 😉
~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Member of C. Lee’s Muffin Commando Squad
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
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Too true, Patricia. I could use some right now!
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I just loved this! I home schooled both of my children when they were growing up. I used to enjoy coming up with clever and entertaining ways to explain things. I wish your blog had been around back then.
Blessings,
Theresa
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That is a lovely compliment, thank you so much! You have made my day today. 🙂
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I just do have to join the minority side here. Donkey has a lot going for him, even before you include the love of a dragon.
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I’m not sure you’re in the minority any more, Joseph! I have a feeling Donkey is pulling through for the win…
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Thank you for promoting the understanding of these terms. My heroines often have long hair, so the terms “plait” and “braid” come up a lot. I get really miffed when I come across errors in my reading about braiding and related terms. (And I want Fiona’s dress!)
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Fiona’s dress is fabulous! There’s something about velvety fabrics. And that’s great to hear that “plait” and “braid” matter for your writing – I think it’s a distinction that’s largely lost, so it’s wonderful to have it still in practice. 🙂
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I think my English just broke down XD
@TarkabarkaHolgy from
Multicolored Diary – Epics from A to Z
MopDog – 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary
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Uh oh! I hope you get it back soon! Clearly I’ve delved too far this time. 🙂
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Very clever B + B!
Over from the A 2 Z.
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Sue Archer you rock! Thanks for visiting me and supporting a fellow Canadian. I love your blog by the way 🙂
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You’re very welcome! I’m glad you like my blog. 🙂
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Communication and words are things that interest me a whole lot. I’ve been very lazy with grammar (kind of a rebel I guess), but I must visit you more often to brush up 🙂
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You’re welcome here any time! I didn’t learn a lot of grammar growing up, and thought it was dreadfully boring. I was fortunate to have a grammar teacher in university who made it fun, so now I try to do the same for others. 🙂
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I wish I could a braid on my own. It’s hard!!
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Yes, it is, isn’t it? It’s a skill I have never mastered.
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Same here! I can just do a plait and that too not very neat 😉
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Ah, B! My fave letter!
B is for bubbles, blueberry muffins and Brad of course!
Hi Sue, I’m Fiona!
Cheers!
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Blueberry muffins…yum. Now I’m hungry. 🙂 Happy to hear that you are Fiona, you have excellent taste!
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Oh I didn’t know there was a difference between a braid and a plait — I assumed they meant the same thing. Every girl out there has probably been using this wrong! I’ll bear it in mind next time I have a character with a braid or a plait — I have a feeling I’ll need to come back here to remember which is which!
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I didn’t know this either until I started doing some research. It’s amazing how the meanings of words can stretch and evolve over time as people use them. 🙂
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