suite & suit

A common pronunciation error is to pronounce the word suit as “suite”. This is particularly prevalent amongst Latin learners that are relatively new to the language.

It turns out even native English companies are capable of making this mistake. In writing.

We decided to take time out on this blog entry to educate.

What is the Difference Between Suit and Suite?

We decided to take time out on this blog entry to educate.

When to Utilize Suit

For a noun, a suit may refer to a pair of clothing or categories of cards. A lawsuit is often shortened to “suit”.

Some examples include:
He always looks nice in a suit
Often, she would use a bathing suit without swimming cap
Wear your Sunday suit

As a verb, suit means to match or operate nicely, or colloquially, to wear a uniform or pair of clothing. The subsequent sentences stand as illustrations:

It’s time to suit up. We’re leaving.
This will not suit us.
If I see you at 7pm, does that suit you?

What is “suite”? The Cambridge English Dictionary (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/suite) defines it as:

SUITE – room: a set of connected rooms, especially in a hotel:
The singer was interviewed in his hotel suite.
They have a whole suite of offices on the 34th floor.

SUITE – furniture: a set of furniture for one room, of matching design and colour:
I’ve ordered a new three-piece suite for the living-room.
We’re having a new bathroom/bedroom suite fitted at the weekend.

SUITE – music: a piece of music with several parts, usually all in the same key

SUITE – computer: a set of related software (= computer program) products

Pronunciation: It’s pronounced the exact same way as the word sweet (candy/sugar), although that word has its own set of different meanings which do not overlap with suite.

How do we remember the difference?

Both suite and suit are nouns. Only suit can be used as a verb. If you’re selecting it as a verb, choose suit.

Which brings us to the point. “Suite” was selected as the suit(e) of choice, breaking both the rule of use and pronunciation. This is a problem coming from an English-based company.

Always in the interests of speaking proper.

Source: Speak Proper Blog