Plum vs. Plumb: What's the Difference?
Understanding the distinction between plum and plumb is crucial in using each word correctly. A plum is an edible, round fruit with a pit, juicy flesh, and a smooth skin, often found in purple or red colors. In contrast, plumb, from the Latin plumbum meaning 'lead', refers to a tool with a weight on one end used to ensure vertical alignment or measures the depth of water. The word can also be used as an adverb or adjective to denote something that is exactly vertical or squarely.
How do you use the word plum in a sentence?
Use the word plum primarily to refer to the stone fruit that is known for its sweet taste and smooth texture. It can also be used metaphorically to describe something desirable, like a 'plum job'. The noun plum is often used in contexts relating to food, gardening, and sometimes as an endearment.
Examples of plum in a sentence
- She bit into the ripe plum, and its sweet juice dribbled down her chin.
- Landing the leading role in the play was a real plum for the aspiring actress.
- The vivid purple of the sunset reminded me of a plum's rich skin.
How do you use the word plumb in a sentence?
Plumb as a noun often pertains to a tool used by builders or carpenters to find the depth of something or to ensure a structure is vertically straight. As an adverb or adjective, plumb suggests precise alignment, such as 'plumb in the center' or 'the wall is not plumb'. It can also indicate completeness or extremity in phrases like 'plumb crazy'.
Examples of plumb in a sentence
- The carpenter checked that the posts were plumb before continuing with the construction.
- With a plumb line, the surveyor measured the depth of the well.
- He dropped the keys plumb in the middle of the bowl, avoiding the edges.
Plum and plumb definition, parts of speech, and pronunciation
Plum definition:
A plum is a noun that refers to a sweet fruit with a single large seed encased inside that typically is purple or red when ripe.
Plum parts of speech:
Plum pronunciation:
The word plum is pronounced as /plʌm/.
Plumb definition:
The word plumb can act as a noun referring to a weight tied to a string used to find a vertical line or depth, as an adverb indicating exact vertical alignment, or as an adjective meaning exactly straight down or up.
Plumb parts of speech:
Plumb pronunciation:
Plumb is pronounced as /plʌm/, which is phonetically similar to plum.
A plum is a noun that refers to a sweet fruit with a single large seed encased inside that typically is purple or red when ripe.
Plum parts of speech:
- As a noun: I baked a plum pie for dessert.
- As a noun, metaphorically: Winning this award is certainly the plum of his career.
Plum pronunciation:
The word plum is pronounced as /plʌm/.
Plumb definition:
The word plumb can act as a noun referring to a weight tied to a string used to find a vertical line or depth, as an adverb indicating exact vertical alignment, or as an adjective meaning exactly straight down or up.
Plumb parts of speech:
- As a noun: Use the plumb to ensure the post is vertical.
- As an adjective: The wall must be plumb to pass the inspection.
Plumb pronunciation:
Plumb is pronounced as /plʌm/, which is phonetically similar to plum.
Plum vs. plumb in a nutshell
Though plum and plumb sound the same, they embody completely different meanings. Plum is the name of a sweet fruit and is used solely as a noun, while plumb can be a noun, adjective, or adverb related to precise alignment. Understanding the context in which each is used is paramount to ensure proper usage. A simple memory aid is that the 'b' in plumb can stand for 'building' or 'balance', linking it to its meanings relating to construction and exactness.
Get AI Writing Assistance Wherever You Type
Make sure your vocabulary is on point and every punctuation mark is in the right place, no matter where you’re working. Grammarly works across more than 500,000 websites and apps so you can improve your writing without copying, pasting, or breaking focused.
More Commonly Confused Words
Interest piqued? Pore (not pour) over other commonly confused words to help your writing reach peak (not peek) performance.