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Now, on to “defuse” and “diffuse.” These verbs are nearly homonyms; they sound almost identical. Their meanings differ, however. Here’s how they differ, along with how to keep them distinct in your discourse and your writing. (Remember, proper enunciation helps ensure your meaning is communicated.)

Here’s the key difference between the two words. A person persuades another to do something, to take action. “I persuaded Algernon to go with me to the roller derby.” Because “to go” is an action, the correct verb choice is “persuade.”

Rob Reinalda, winner of ACES’ 2019 Robinson Prize for excellence in editing, is the founder and principal of Word Czar Media. He is the author of “Why Editors Drink.”

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Frequently, you might hear someone say something like, “I convinced Melvin to make his presentation less tedious.” Well, you may have succeeded in getting Melvin to spice things up, slide-wise, but what you actually did is “persuade” him to do so. (You may also have “convinced” him that it would be a splendid idea for his audience not to be lulled into a vapid stupor.)

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It has another meaning, in physics: “to spread by diffusion”—the movement of objects or particles away from one another. Think of “diffused light,” which spreads into a haze rather than holding to a concentrated beam of light.

You can keep “defuse” and “diffuse” straight by talking like someone with a strong New Jersey accent a minute. Use defuse when you are removing “de fuse” from an explosive situation — remove “de fuse.” Otherwise, it could blow up, and everything in sight would be diffused in an instant.

Then there is this sentence: “I convinced Algernon that roller derby is an enthralling way to spend a Saturday.” In that case, there’s a concept, an idea, or an opinion at stake. That’s when “convince” is the way to go.

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First, consider the verbs “convince” and “persuade.” Even though the adjective forms —“convincing” and “persuasive”—are synonyms, the verbs “convince” and “persuade” should be used in different contexts.

The Quick and Dirty Tip is an easy mnemonic device. The second syllable of each word holds the key. Let the “a” in the last syllable of “persuade” stand for “action”, and use “persuade” when you want someone to take action. Let the “i” in the last syllable of “convince” stand for “idea,” and use “convince” when you are conveying an idea.

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The same sources state that “diffuse” means “to pour out and spread, as a fluid; to spread or scatter widely or thinly; disseminate.”

According to Dictionary.com, which cites Random House, “defuse” means “to make less dangerous, tense, or embarrassing [as in]: to defuse a potentially ugly situation.” That’s definition number two. The primary definition is more to the point, and more literal: “to remove the fuse from (a bomb, mine, etc.).” De-fuse.

Some pairs of words are used interchangeably, even indiscriminately. Often the words in question sound similar, and that creates confusion. Other times they are simply misused so frequently—owing to their similarity of meaning, despite a nuanced difference—that the misuse becomes commonplace.

Also, “diffuse” is the opposite of “fusion,” which means a coming together of elements. So diffusion is the spreading apart of elements.