Legal Writing

Confusing pairs: gel and jell

By Pam_Nelson

When we speak of a group or a team coming together to form a cohesive whole or when we write about an idea becoming a concrete plan of action, we usually use the spelling jell for the verb. However, gel can also mean something has taken definite form.

I like to reserve gel, though, for congeled, as when a gelatin sets. The dessert gelled; the plans jelled.

Follow this link to a longer treatment of gel vs. jell.

Full post as published by Triangle Grammar Guide on June 23, 2009 (boomark / email).