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'Vale' is a valley in poetic or literary English; 'veil' is a piece of fabric covering the face or something hidden.
Side-by-side comparison
"Vale" is a valley in literary or poetic use. "Vale of tears" = a metaphorical expression for the hardships of life. Rare in modern everyday English.
The poem described the misty vale between the two mountains.
"Vale of tears" is a poetic expression for the difficulties of life.
The village nestled in a quiet vale sheltered from the north wind.
"Veil" is the thin translucent fabric used to cover the face. "Wedding veil" = the bride's face covering. Also the verb to conceal. "Veil of secrecy" = a cover of secrecy.
The bride lifted her veil as she reached the altar.
A veil of secrecy surrounded the details of the acquisition.
She could not veil her disappointment when the results were announced.
Common mistake
"She wore a vale at the wedding" when meaning the fabric piece is wrong (correct: veil). And using "veil" in the literary expression "vale of tears" (valley of tears) is wrong (correct: vale). "Vale" is a literary term for a valley.
Trick to remember it
- •"Vale" has ALE like "dale" and "gale", all landscape or nature words.
- •A vale is a natural setting.
- •"Veil" has EIL like "ceiling", something that hangs above and conceals.
Quick rule
Is it a valley in literary or poetic usage? "Vale." Is it the face covering or something that conceals? "Veil."
Did you know?
The expression "vale of tears" has deep medieval religious roots. It appears in the Salve Regina (11th century): "mourning and weeping in this vale of tears", earthly life described as a valley of suffering before paradise. The word VEIL, in turn, gave us the verb "to unveil" (to reveal, to uncover something hidden), used today for product presentations, monument inaugurations, and any public revelation. That the same word family that covers (veil) and the suffering valley (vale) ended up as near-homophones is another of those historical accidents of English phonology.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
The bride wore a beautiful _____ that covered her face as she walked down the aisle.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
The hikers rested in a narrow green _____ between two mountain ridges.
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