gauge or gouge

“Gauge” is an unusual spelling in English, and the word frequently gets misspelled. Your spelling-checker will catch “gague” (believe it!), but won’t catch “gouge,” which occurs more often than you might think. It’s pretty easy to find a “tire pressure gouge” for sale on the Web. If the word you want has an A sound in it, the spelling you want is “gauge.”

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• various vs several
• ect. vs etc.
• swam vs swum
• dateline vs deadline
• woman vs women
• afterall vs after all
• gaurd vs guard
• absorbtion vs absorption
• throws of passion vs throes of passion
• espouse vs expound vs expand

Definitions

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• n  a measuring instrument for measuring and indicating a quantity such as the thickness of wire or the amount of rain etc.
• n  accepted or approved instance or example of a quantity or quality against which others are judged or measured or compared
• n  the distance between the rails of a railway or between the wheels of a train
• n  the thickness of wire
• n  diameter of a tube or gun barrel
• v  judge tentatively or form an estimate of (quantities or time)
• v  rub to a uniform size
  gauge bricks
• v  determine the capacity, volume, or contents of by measurement and calculation
  gauge the wine barrels
• v  measure precisely and against a standard
  the wire is gauged
• v  adapt to a specified measurement
  gauge the instruments
• v  mix in specific proportions
  gauge plaster

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• n  an impression in a surface (as made by a blow)
• n  and edge tool with a blade like a trough for cutting channels or grooves
• n  the act of gouging
• v  force with the thumb
  gouge out his eyes
• v  obtain by coercion or intimidation
• v  make a groove in

News & Articles

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• U.S. Corporate Credit Swaps Decline for First Time in Two Days
  A gauge of U.S. corporate credit risk declined for the first time this week as investors weighed whether the economy is expanding enough to prompt the Federal Reserve to reduce debt purchases.
  June 12, 2013 - Bloomberg
• U.S. Corporate Credit Swaps Decline for First Time in Two Days
  A gauge of U.S. corporate credit risk declined for the first time this week as investors weighed whether the economy is expanding enough to prompt the Federal Reserve to reduce debt purchases.
  June 12, 2013 - Bloomberg
• DEQ: Gauge Containing Radioactive Material Recovered
  A gauge containing radioactive material was recovered over the weekend. It had been stolen from the back of a pickup truck near Ponca City on Thursday.
  June 11, 2013 - News On 6 Tulsa

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• Tiger Woods struggles with game, wrist injury
  Woods finished only 10 holes in the rain-delayed first round at Merion, spending far too much time trying to gouge out of the thick rough with a wedge. On at least four occasions, he was either flexing or shaking his left hand after the forceful shots.
  June 14, 2013 - Detroit News
• A sluggish, painful start for Tiger Woods
  ARDMORE, PA. (AP) - Tiger Woods said his left wrist was fine. It's his game that was hurting him Thursday in the U.S. Open. Woods finished only 10 holes in the rain-delayed first round at Merion, spending far too much time trying to gouge out of the thick rough with a ...
  June 14, 2013 - The Washington Times
• Tiger's first round a painful, sluggish one at US Open
  ARDMORE, Pa. — Tiger Woods said his left wrist was fine. It's his game that was hurting him Thursday in the U.S. Open. Woods finished only 10 holes in the rain-delayed first round at Merion, spending far too much time trying to gouge out of the thick rough with a wedge.
  June 14, 2013 - Tahlequah Daily Press