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'Soul' is the spiritual part of a person; 'sole' means only or exclusive, or the bottom of a shoe.
Side-by-side comparison
"Soul" is the spiritual or immaterial part of a being. Also a music genre rooted in African-American gospel tradition. "Soul music" = the genre born from gospel and R&B.
She poured her soul into every piece of music she composed.
Music has the power to touch the soul in a way words cannot.
Not a soul was left in the building after the fire alarm sounded.
"Sole" can mean the only one ("the sole reason" = the only reason), the underside of a shoe or foot, or a type of flat edible fish. Three distinct meanings, one word.
She was the sole candidate for the director position.
The sole of his shoe had worn through after the hiking trip.
He holds the sole rights to distribute the product in Latin America.
Common mistake
- •"The soul purpose of this meeting" when meaning the only purpose is wrong (correct: sole purpose).
- •And "He is the sole reason I believe in humanity" when meaning the spiritual soul is wrong (correct: soul reason, but "sole" is only/exclusive, not the spirit).
Trick to remember it
- •"Soul" contains OU like "sound," "loud," "touch", things that reach deep inside.
- •"Sole" is short and contained, like its meaning (only, exclusive, limited to one).
Quick rule
Is it the spirit, the soul, or the music genre? "Soul." Is it only/exclusive or the bottom of a shoe? "Sole."
Did you know?
The phrase "sole soul" exists in English as wordplay: "She was the sole soul in the building." Both words sound identical but mean completely different things. Shakespeare constantly exploited this kind of ambiguity with homophones in his plays. Elizabethan audiences enjoyed catching the double meanings in real time. Soul music took its name in the 1950s when African American gospel began fusing with R&B, and the term "soul" captured the spirituality and deep emotion that characterized that new sound. A "sole" is also a type of flat fish prized in European cuisine, giving the language yet another meaning for this one sound.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
He felt a deep connection between his _____ and the music.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
He was the _____ provider for the family after his wife lost her job.
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