 8 versus 8. Due to the similar spelling and pronunciation of these two words, they are often confused in the English language. Let's take a closer look. The word 8, spelled A-I-D, refers to something that helps. That could be your teaching aids in the classroom, or medical aid like the first aid kit, and so on. Let's look at an example sentence. You need to talk a little louder to grandpa because he forgot his hearing aid. Note that aid can also be used as a verb, meaning to help, such as in this example. Drinking a lot of water aids digestion. Aid, spelled with an E at the end, however, refers to a living helper or an assistant. For example, my brother finally came home after working as a volunteer aid in Africa for six months. So remember, while both words refer to the act of helping, aid, spelled A-I-D, always refers to a thing, while aid, with an E at the end, always refers to a person. That's it for today. See you next time.