Sound-alike words
Plain vs. Plane
Plain means simple, clear or not decorated, and as a noun it is a large area of flat land. Plane is short for airplane, and it also means a flat surface or a woodworking tool. We flew a plane over the plains.
| Word | Part of speech | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| plain | adjective | simple and without decoration, or easy to see or understand |
| noun | a large area of flat land with few trees | |
| plane | noun | an airplane, a machine with wings that flies through the air |
| noun | a flat or level surface in math, or a hand tool for smoothing wood |
Plain
adjective: simple and without decoration, or easy to see or understand
- I'll have a plain bagel with butter.
- The instructions were written in plain English.
noun: a large area of flat land with few trees
- Herds of bison once roamed the Great Plains.
- The road crossed a wide plain covered in tall grass.
Plane
noun: an airplane, a machine with wings that flies through the air
- Our plane landed twenty minutes early.
- Ana slept for most of the plane ride to Denver.
noun: a flat or level surface in math, or a hand tool for smoothing wood
- In geometry class, we drew triangles on a plane.
- The carpenter used a plane to smooth the edge of the door.
How to remember the difference
Plane and jet both have an E. Plain and simple both have an I.
Good to know
The phrase is in plain sight, meaning easy to see, not plane sight. On a higher plane means on a higher level of thought, so it uses plane.
Spot the mistake
The keys were sitting in
planeplain sight on the counter.Correct: The keys were sitting in plain sight on the counter.
Our
plainplane was delayed by fog for two hours.Correct: Our plane was delayed by fog for two hours.
Check yourself
Pick the word that fits each sentence.
1. I like my yogurt , with no fruit or sugar.
Answer: plain. The yogurt is simple with nothing added, so the adjective plain fits.
2. The circled the airport before landing.
Answer: plane. This is an aircraft, so the word is plane.