ESEN
Which one to use?Intermediateverbnoun / verb
FazevsPhase
'Faze' means to disturb or disconcert someone; 'phase' is a stage or period of development, or to introduce gradually.
Side-by-side comparison
Faze
verb"Faze" is the verb to disturb or unsettle someone emotionally. "Nothing fazes her" = nothing unsettles her. It is not very common and is mostly used in negations.
Nothing seemed to faze her, she handled every crisis with complete calm.
The aggressive questioning from the panel did not faze the candidate at all.
Losing power mid-presentation would faze most speakers, but she continued without missing a beat.
Phase
noun / verb"Phase" is a stage in a process. Also the verb to introduce something gradually: "phase in" = implement in stages; "phase out" = withdraw gradually.
The project will be delivered in three phases over the next eighteen months.
The company plans to phase out the legacy software by the end of the year.
The moon was in its waxing gibbous phase, nearly full.
Common mistake
- •"Nothing phased her" when meaning disconcerted is wrong: the verb for unsettling someone is "faze".
- •"We will faze out the old system" is also wrong: the gradual elimination is "phase out".
Trick to remember it
- •"Faze" has Z like "daze" and "amaze": mental states of confusion.
- •"Phase" has PH like "physics" and "phenomenon": scientific, systematic stages.
Quick rule
- •Is it the verb to disconcert or disturb? "Faze".
- •Is it the stage of development or the gradual-change verb? "Phase".
Did you know?
"Faze" first appeared in English around 1830 in American regional dialects, from Old English "feese" (to drive away, to frighten). It almost always appears in the negative: "nothing fazes her", "he was completely unfazed." "Phase" comes from Greek "phasis" (appearance, especially of the moon), lunar phases were the original scientific application. Today "phase out" and "phase in" are standard project-management vocabulary worldwide.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
She had to _____ out the old software gradually, replacing it bit by bit.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The loud crowd didn't _____ her at all. She performed perfectly despite the noise.
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