Confusables Entry 412 / 1011 60-second read

Patience vs. Patients

The virtue versus people in care.

The comparisoni

✗ Wrong

The doctor’s patience waited for hours.

✓ Correct

The doctor’s patients waited for hours.

The ruleii

PATIENCE = calm endurance. PATIENTS = people in care.

PATIENCE ends in CE like endurance. PATIENTS ends in TS like a plural — it is the plural of patient.

Memory aidiii

Remember it like this

Patience is a SINGULAR virtue. Patients are PLURAL people.

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