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'Feat' is an impressive achievement or act; 'feet' is the plural of 'foot' (body part or unit of measurement).
Side-by-side comparison
"Feat" is a notable achievement or deed, something difficult that deserves recognition. "A remarkable feat" = an extraordinary achievement.
Climbing Everest solo is an extraordinary feat of endurance.
Finishing the app in one weekend was no small feat.
The engineer performed a remarkable feat by solving the problem overnight.
"Feet" is the plural of "foot": the body part at the end of the leg. Also the unit of measurement equivalent to 30.48 cm. "Six feet tall" = six feet in height.
My feet hurt after standing for eight hours at the trade show.
The ceilings in that office are over twelve feet high.
She hit the ground running, literally got back on her feet in days.
Common mistake
- •"That was an amazing feet" when describing an achievement is wrong: the impressive act is "feat".
- •"She has big feat" is also wrong: the body parts are "feet".
Trick to remember it
- •"Feat" contains A like "brAve" and "grEAt": words about doing something impressive.
- •"Feet" has double E: one E for each foot.
Quick rule
- •Is it an achievement or impressive act? "Feat".
- •Are they body parts or units of measurement? "Feet".
Did you know?
"No mean feat" means something impressive and difficult to achieve. "Mean" here means "ordinary" or "insignificant" (an archaic use, not "unkind"). So "no mean feat" = "not an ordinary achievement" = something extraordinary. This same archaic "mean" appears in "no mean city" (a significant city). Shakespeare used "mean" in this sense frequently, it is one of the oldest meanings of the word, predating "unkind".
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Running a marathon in under three hours is an incredible _____.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
After the long hike, her _____ were killing her. She couldn't wait to sit down.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One means to receive or agree to something, the other means to exclude or not include.
'Advice' is the guidance you receive (noun); 'advise' is the act of giving that guidance (verb).
'Affect' is the verb meaning to influence something; 'effect' is the noun meaning result or consequence.
'Aisle' is the walkway between rows of seats or shelves; 'isle' is a small island.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy