plain vs plane : Common Errors in English

About plain vs plane

Both of these words have to do with flatness. A flat prairie is a plain, and you use a plane to smooth flat a piece of wood. “Plain” is also an adjective which can describe things that are ordinary, simple, or unattractive. But whether you go the airport to catch a plane or meditate to achieve a higher plane of consciousness, the meanings that have to do with things high up are spelled “plane.”

plain Meaning(s)

  • (n) extensive tract of level open land
  • (n) a basic knitting stitch
  • (v) express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
  • (s) clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
  • (a) not elaborate or elaborated; simple
  • (a) lacking patterns especially in color
  • (s) not mixed with extraneous elements
  • (s) free from any effort to soften to disguise
  • (s) lacking embellishment or ornamentation
  • (s) lacking in physical beauty or proportion
  • (r) unmistakably (`plain' is often used informally for `plainly')

plane Meaning(s)

  • (n) an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets
  • (n) (mathematics) an unbounded two-dimensional shape
  • (n) a level of existence or development
  • (n) a power tool for smoothing or shaping wood
  • (n) a carpenter's hand tool with an adjustable blade for smoothing or shaping wood
  • (v) cut or remove with or as if with a plane
  • (v) travel on the surface of water
  • (v) make even or smooth, with or as with a carpenter's plane
  • (s) having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
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