Have you seen both ‘sale’ and ‘sail’ and wondered what the difference is between these words? We’ll go over that in this article, plus teach you how to pronounce both words and use them correctly in a sentence.
Need a short answer?
Here it is:
- ‘Sale’ is a noun, and it refers to the act of selling or the transfer of ownership from one person to another.
- ‘Sail’ can be used as a noun and a verb, and it means to take a trip on a boat or otherwise move through air or water. It can also be a piece of fabric attached to a ship.
These words might sound the same when you say them, but they’ve got totally different meanings. They’re homophones, so avoid using them interchangeably.
‘Sail’ vs. ‘Sale’ – Homophones, Difference & Meaning
As you just learned, ‘sail’ and ‘sale’ are homophones. That means they sound the same when you say them, but they mean different things.
- ‘Sail’ refers to the act of riding on a boat or the fabric that makes up the ‘sail’ on a ship or boat.
For example, if you’re planning on going out on a boat this summer, you’re going ‘to sail’ on that boat.
- ‘Sale’ refers to the purchase of a good or service.
For example, if you go to the store and make a purchase, the store (or company) has made a ‘sale.’ In other words, they’ve sold you something.
- In the movie Pretty Woman, there was a ‘sales’ girl who refused to serve Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts) because she didn’t appear to have money based on her unkempt appearance.
Difference Between ‘Sail’ and ‘Sale’
The difference between ‘sail’ and ‘sale’ is:
- The former refers to a boat or ship, and
- The latter refers to retail consumerism.
Remember, you can ‘sail’ on the ocean on a boat or ship.
And when you buy something from a store, the company has just made a ‘sale.’
Or if you’re in the e-commerce industry, you might make a ‘sale’ or two of your own every day.
Definition of ‘Sale’: What Does ‘Sale’ Mean?
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ‘sale’ as:
- The act of selling (specifically the transfer of ownership of and title to property from one person to another for a price).
It could also mean:
- The opportunity of selling or being sold (demand)
- Distribution by selling
- Public disposal to the highest bidder (auction)
- Selling of goods at bargain prices
- Operations and activities involved in promoting and selling goods and services
- Gross receipts
Synonyms of the word include:
Definition of ‘Sail’: What Does ‘Sail’ Mean?
The same dictionary defines ‘sail’ as:
- An extent of fabric (such as canvas) by means of which wind is used to propel a ship through water.
It could also mean:
- The sails of a ship
- A ship equipped with sails
- An extent of fabric used in propelling a wind-driven vehicle (such as an iceboat)
- Something that resembles a sail
- Especially a streamlined conning tower on a submarine
- A passage by a sailing craft (cruise)
- To travel on water in a ship
- Yacht
- To travel on water by the action of wind upon sails or by other means
- To move or proceed easily, gracefully, nonchalantly, or without resistance
- To move through the air
- To begin the water voyage
- To travel on (water) by means of motive power (such as sail)
- To glide through
- To direct or manage the motion of
Synonyms of the word include:
- Crossing
- Voyage
- Cruise
- Passage
- Boat
- Navigate
- Ferry
- Ship (out)
Pronunciation: How to Pronounce ‘Sale’ and ‘Sail’
Are you unsure of how to pronounce ‘sale’ and ‘sail’?
Here’s a short guide.
To pronounce ‘sale’ and ‘sail’ correctly, here’s the phonetic spelling:
SAYL
How to Use ‘Sale’ and ‘Sail’ in a Sentence
Now that you know what both words mean and how to pronounce them, let’s see some examples of how to use them in a sentence correctly.
Sale
- I haven’t made a sale on my Etsy shop yet. I wonder what I could be doing wrong. Or what more could I be doing to get a sale?
- There’s a sale on those multi-colored sweaters at Macy’s today. Do you want to come with me? I’ll buy you one if you do.
- All is well, but I still haven’t been to a single sale. I don’t want to miss them, and I don’t like shopping online. I like to be in the store and feel the fabric of the clothes I want to buy and try on a pair of shoes I’m thinking about getting. Do you know what I mean?
- I’m thinking about running a sale on my Shopify store, but I don’t know which items to put on sale. On second thought, maybe I’ll just put everything on sale.
- I missed the sale at Nordstrom last week. Was there anything good? And did you get anything for yourself?
- There’s a sale on the Apple TV store on a bunch of movies I’ve been dying to get. I’m about to go buy some now! I can’t wait to watch Harriet the Spy.
Sail
- My dad just bought a boat so that he could sail down the Hudson River all summer. I’m going to take at least one trip with him because it’s been a while since I’ve been on a boat.
- I’ve always wanted to take a sail on my boyfriend’s boat on the lake near our house. We rarely have time to get out and enjoy it. But it’s really beautiful so we’re going out to the lake tomorrow afternoon.
- I don’t think we should sail any farther in this direction. I think it’s time to turn the boat around before we get too far out.
- I can’t ensure that you won’t get wet when we go sailing. The waters can be pretty unpredictable. So, if you want to be on the safe side, bring a poncho or something. Or maybe you can just stay below the deck.
- Let’s raise the sail so we can get going. I don’t want to be out on this murky water too late at night. You never know what might be lurking just below the surface.
- My crazy cousin sailed all the way from Rhode Island to South Carolina. Or so he says. I think he might be stretching the truth a bit, so we have to take what he says with a grain of salt.
Final Thoughts on ‘Sale’ and ‘Sail’
To recap, we learned the following:
- ‘Sale’ is a noun, and it refers to the act of selling or the transfer of ownership from one person to another.
- ‘Sail’ can be used as a noun and a verb, and it means to take a trip on a boat or otherwise move through air or water. It can also be a piece of fabric attached to a ship.
These words might sound the same when you say them, but they’ve got totally different meanings. They’re homophones, so avoid using them interchangeably.
If you ever get stuck on anything, you can always come back here to review what you learned. We’ve also got a ton of other content on confusing words and phrases you might see as you’re learning the language. Go check it out anytime.
