Certain sets of words in the English language tend to confuse people. I have found the following to be among them:
STENT / STINT
The word stent refers to a tube inserted into an anatomical vessel, often an artery, to keep the vessel from becoming blocked. The word stint, when used as a noun, most often indicates a period of time spent doing a particular job or activity though the time period may differ from case to case.
INCORRECT: My father needs heart surgery to have a stint placed in his artery.
CORRECT: My father needs heart surgery to have a stent placed in his artery.
INCORRECT: My brother served a stent in the air force after graduating from college.
CORRECT: My brother served a stint in the air force after graduating from college.
If you have trouble remembering which of these words is which, perhaps it might help to remember that stint includes the letter group “int” and that a job or activity you do is often one that you are “interested” in.
EXAMPLE: I took ballet lessons for a stint when I was young.
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