I saw one of these verbs while investigating the word “disdain”.

Problem:
These two verbs have distinct meanings but differ by only one letter.

Explanation:
Feeling playful, I wondered this morning whether the word “disdain” had a counterpart word “dain”.

So I searched a dictionary for “dain” but found no match. Instead, I learned that “disdain” — spelled D-I-S-D-A-I-N — comes from “dis” plus “deign” — spelled D-E-I-G-N.

I also learned that one of the synonyms for “disdain” as a verb is the verb “contemn” — spelled C-O-N-T-E-M-N.

The meaning of this verb “contemn” is to treat with contempt.

In contrast, the verb “condemn” — spelled C-O-N-D-E-M-N with a “d” in the middle — means to express strong disapproval of and is related to the roots “con” and “damn”.

Here are examples of proper use of these two verbs:

• “Please do not condemn him for wanting to take care of his family.”
• “The consultant contemns any client who asks questions after what the consultant gives what he believes is a thorough presentation.”

Solution:
Remember that “condemn” — spelled with a “d” — is related to the word “damn”. Remember that “contemn” — spelled with a “t” — is related to “contempt” — also spelled with a “t”.