Patience vs. Patients
Homophones are easily confused. A set of homophones is two or more words that sound exactly the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings. While these words are not a problem when we speak, we may struggle with which spelling to use when we write the words. Patience and patients are two homophones that may give you trouble, but that are easily distinguished.
Patience is a noun that refers to the ability to wait, or to tolerate set-backs or delay.
1. Patience is a good trait for a kindergarten teacher to have.
2. The little boy was told he could have a cookie after dinner, but he lacked the patience to wait and took one when no one was looking.
3. Our dog has no patience on Saturday or Sunday morning, and he wakes us up by barking as soon as he sees the sun.
Patients is a plural noun and refers to those who is receiving care or services from a medical professional.
1. When the dentist retired, he sent a letter to all of his patients informing them.
2. The pediatrician had a lot of walk-in patients during flu season.
3. The doctor has so many patients on his list that he is no longer accepting any new patients.
These words are actually spelled very similarly in addition to sounding the same. So, here are a couple of small ways to remember when to use which one.
Patients is a plural noun-so it ends in "s." When you want to refer to a doctor's patients remember that you are looking for patient + s.
In addition, you can remember that doctors try to suit their patients to a "t." There are two t's in patients.
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