Rifle / Riffle

Certain sets of words in the English language tend to confuse writers. I have found the following to be among them:

RIFLE / RIFFLE

We are all familiar with the noun rifle, a type of firearm, but what about the verb rifle? And when does the verb riffle come into play?

The verb rifle with which we are concerned here means to ransack or plunder; the related verb riffle, often used with the preposition through, means to hastily search or skim, as in he riffled through the pages of the book in search of a photograph.

Incorrect: She rifled through the pages of her diary, looking for the flower she had pressed there so many years ago.

Correct: She riffled through the pages of her diary, looking for the flower she had pressed there so many years ago.

© 2016 Ann Henry. All Rights Reserved.

 

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