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WTF Words: Defuse vs. Diffuse

by Aileen McDonough

We need to talk about the word "diffuse." People are using the word diffuse a lot lately, and they are all using it WRONG. I see it all the time. "Well, I wanted to diffuse the tension, so I told a joke." (It actually gave me physical pain to write that sentence.) According to good ol' Merriam-Webster, to diffuse something means to "permit or cause to spread freely."  Think of it this way: why do you use a diffuser? You use a diffuser to spread a lovely aromatherapy oil into the air. Release … [Read more...]

Filed Under: WTF Words Tagged With: grammar, homophone, homophones, tricky words, words, writing

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