The spelling and pronunciation are different, as are the meanings, of these two words but they are all similar enough to be misused without most people realising.
aural: [adjective] related to the ear or the sense of hearing
An aural learner may study better by reading notes out loud or discussing the concepts.
oral: [adjective] the mouth or related to the mouth
His oral presentation was fanatic but his written report was poor. Babies putting everything into their mouth is known as the oral stage of development.
You may be able to remember which is which by thinking of the O you make with your mouth being oral.
Nice one, Tash! Nothing like a bit of learning to start one’s day on the right foot. Best regards, P.
Happy to get your day started well Paul!
There are many other pairs of words that people get confused about. And I guess “aural” and “oral” even though may sound similar are very different in meaning. I sometimes get confused using these two words. Other pairs of words that people often get confused about are : “your’ and “you’re”, “then” and “than”, “loose” and “lose”. I often see these words used incorrectly on the Internet. It can be quite annoying when people can’t be bothered to be precise in their usage of words. Perhaps you can write an article listing all these confusing words.
There are many pairs (or triplets) of similar words – some because they sound alike and some because they have similar meanings. I have covered many such words in the Monday Meanings section of my blog – including your/you’re/yore and their/they’re/there which are some of the most common misused words I see.
I didn’t realize you have a dedicated section that deals with such confusing words. I’ll be sure to check it out every Monday. That is when you publish in this section?
Sorry UmiNoor – I didn’t spot this comment when you made it. Yes, I do offer explanations of similar words in my “Monday Meanings’ category – I miss the occasional Monday but do it most weeks.
To differentiate between “loose” and “lose”, try this:
“Loose” has 2 Os, as does “foot” — and both words are in the word “footloose”. (Also, “lose” is of course related to “lost”, and both are spelt with only one O.)
Thanks for adding your suggestion Craig.
I have previously given the tip that ‘lose’ has lost an o so is not longer ‘loose’.
Interesting. As far as I know, “oral” and “aural” are used interchangeably for music exams and assessments. However there is good reason for this, because normally you are supposed to listen to the piece first before you sing it. That made me think that “aural” was just another word for “oral” for years… how mistaken I was.
I think many people don’t know aural and oral are different words – understandably as they sound pretty much the same, especially when people talk fast. Thanks for sharing your story, onewrongmove
It’s true that a music exam may involve listening and singing, but think of using the those words in a music exam for a violin for example – then there is no oral component. You’re right that both words maybe used but I suspect ‘aural’ is the correct term (a musician may know otherwise – I don’t claim to be a music expert!)