Aid and aide are both words that we use when we write about help. But they are used slightly differently. This post will help you understand when to use aid and when to use aide.
Aid can be used as a noun (a naming word) and as a verb (an action word).
As a noun, aid means help or the means by which help is given .
Here are some examples of aid used as a noun in a sentence.
Bob Geldof formed Band Aid in 1984 to raise money for Ethiopian famine relief.
There are several synonyms for aid, including:
As a verb, aid expresses the act of helping. The synonyms we listed above can also act as synonyms for aid as a verb.
Here are some examples of aid used as a verb in a sentence.
Aide is only used as a noun, and it has three main meanings.
1 An assistant to an important person, especially to a political leader
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2 A shortened form of aide-de-camp, who is a high-ranking military officer
3 A person employed as an assistant or auxiliary (mainly in American English)
Aid and aide sound exactly the same and have similar meanings but can’t always be used interchangeably.
Aid used as a noun means help, support, or assistance.
Aid used as a verb means to help, to support, to assist, and it expresses the action of helping.
Aide is the name (noun) we give to an important person’s assistant, to a high-ranking military officer, or to someone employed as an assistant or auxiliary, particularly in the health sector in the United States.
Those are called homophones. You can read more about them here.
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