Calvary vs. Cavalry
Words that are spelled similarly are often misused and mispronounced. While some may not catch the mistake, you definitely want to use words correctly and avoid any embarrassment. Two words in the English language that are often misused are Calvary and cavalry. Let's take a closer look.
Calvary is a noun and is used to refer to the location where Jesus was crucified, Golgotha. Some use calvary to describe a state of extreme physical or mental suffering as well, which is an allusion to the suffering of Christ.
1. In the painting, there are clouds over the hill of Calvary while Jesus suffers on the cross.
2. When Christians travel to Jerusalem, they often want to visit Calvary.
3. The death of my brother when we were children is my own personal calvary.
Cavalry, on the other hand, is a noun that is a military term used to refer to soldiers mounted on horseback who form a fighting unit. Like Calvary, sometimes cavalry is also used figuratively to refer to someone coming to the rescue.
1. My great-grandfather served in the cavalry during World War I.
2. Just when I started to be afraid of the group of bullies surrounding me, the cavalry of teachers came to my rescue.
3. The modern day army does not have a cavalry.
As you can see, Calvary and cavalry mean very different things. They are only confused because of their similar spellings and pronunciation. With a little forethought about which spelling you need will help you to avoid mistakes.
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