What Is the Difference between "Aid" and "Aide"?
The Quick Answer
To aid means to help or to assist.
An aide is a helper or an assistant. (In other words, an aide is a person.)
Aid and Aide
The words aid and aide sound identical, but their meanings are very different.(Note: Aid and aide are homonyms, i.e., pronounced the same but with different meanings.)
Aid
The word aid means help or assistance. It is commonly seen as an adjective, a noun, or a verb. (As a verb, it means to help or to assist.)Examples:
- Be bold and mighty powers will come to your aid.
(Basil King) - I have known sorrow and learned to aid the wretched. (Virgil, 70-19 BC)
Aide
The noun aide means a helper or an assistant. An aide is a person.Examples:
- General McChrystal and his aides told the unvarnished truth.
- The Libyan leader caused a scene at the African Heads of State Summit in Munyonyo when he slapped one of his aides for taking him to a wrong venue.
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