ESEN
Which one to use?Beginnernounverb / noun
CellvsSell
'Cell' is a biological cell, a prison cell, or a phone cell; 'sell' means to exchange goods for money.
Side-by-side comparison
Cell
noun"Cell" is a biological cell, a prison cell, or a battery cell. Also a unit in a clandestine organization.
Each cell in the human body contains the complete genetic blueprint of the organism.
He spent three years in a prison cell before the charges were dropped.
She forgot her cell at home and felt completely disconnected from work all day.
Sell
verb / noun"Sell" is the verb to offer something in exchange for money. "They sell everything online". Its past tense is "sold".
The company plans to sell its flagship product in twenty new markets this year.
His job is to sell enterprise software to large corporations.
She managed to sell the idea to the board in less than ten minutes.
Common mistake
"I left my sell at home" when referring to the phone is wrong: the mobile phone is "cell". And "put him in a sell" for the prison room is also wrong: the room is "cell". "Sell" is only the commercial verb.
Trick to remember it
- •"Cell" starts with C like "cage", "compartment", "contain", things enclosed.
- •"Sell" starts with S like "store", "sale", "shop", commercial contexts.
Quick rule
- •"Cell" = biological unit, prison room, or mobile phone.
- •"Sell" = the commercial verb.
Did you know?
The word "cell" comes from Latin "cella" (small room). Medieval monks called their small monastery rooms "cells". When Robert Hooke looked at cork under his microscope in 1665, the tiny chambers reminded him of monks' cells. Paradoxically, Hooke was looking at dead cells, just their walls. Living cells were not observed until later. "Sell" comes from Old English "sellan" meaning to give or hand over, not originally about money at all.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She checked her _____ phone and saw she had three missed calls.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
He decided to _____ his old bike and buy a newer model.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
AcceptvsExcept
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
AdvicevsAdvise
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
AffectvsEffect
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
AislevsIsle
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy