Sound-alike words
Miner vs. Minor
Miner is a noun for a person who digs for coal, gold or other minerals. Minor is an adjective meaning small or less important, and a noun for someone under the legal adult age. A minor can't work as a miner.
| Word | Part of speech | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| miner | noun | a person who digs coal, metal or stone out of the ground |
| minor | adjective | small, not serious, or not very important |
| noun | a person who is younger than the legal adult age, usually 18 |
Miner
noun: a person who digs coal, metal or stone out of the ground
- My great-grandfather was a coal miner in Pennsylvania.
- Miners wear lamps on their helmets to see in the tunnels.
Minor
adjective: small, not serious, or not very important
- The car had only minor damage after the fender bender.
- We made a few minor changes to the menu.
noun: a person who is younger than the legal adult age, usually 18
- Minors need a parent's signature to join the trip.
- Movie tickets for minors are half price on Tuesdays.
How to remember the difference
Miner ends in -er like other job titles: teacher, farmer, miner. Minor ends in -or like its opposite, major.
Good to know
In music, minor names a type of key or chord, and in college a minor is a second subject studied in less depth. A minor league is a lower level of professional sports.
Spot the mistake
It was just a
minerminor mistake, so don't worry.Correct: It was just a minor mistake, so don't worry.
The
minorsminers found gold in the creek in 1849.Correct: The miners found gold in the creek in 1849.
Check yourself
Pick the word that fits each sentence.
1. The checked the air in the tunnel before starting work.
Answer: miner. This is a worker in a tunnel, so the job word miner fits.
2. Luckily, Ben had only a cut on his hand.
Answer: minor. The cut is small and not serious, so the adjective minor fits.