For instance, take yakIsIk and yaklasIk -- and many other examples too numerous to mention...OK, just a few, then...

These two words look and sound too much alike -- with meanings that are far removed from each other. The first means proper and second means approximate.

But sounding and looking alike isn't the worst of it. After all -- English suffers on that account too.

The worst is trying to find the "memory hooks" that we're so used to using. I mean, how is a poor English speaker supposed to remember these two words? Where are the "memory hooks"?

Can I remember that the first word means proper because the 4th letter is "i" instead of "l"? Puleeze, mister...do you call that a "memory hook"?

I keep looking for a similarity to English (or at least a nice, familiar Latin or Romantic language base) to latch onto, but they aren't that easily found or concocted...

So you just have to commit much of Turkish vocabulary to memory -- without the friendly hooks. And at my age (uhhh, more than 30) -- this is not so easy.

Pay strict attention to the letters

Words like yakIsIk and yaklasIk are just the tip of the iceberg!

What about uç (meaning point, extremity) and üç (meaning three)? Or acIk (meaning grief) and açIk (meaning open)? Do you see the tiny differences in the letters? Have I made my point yet?

You say you need a few more examples...?

• ihtira means invention
• ihtiram means respect, veneration
• ihtiras means strong longing, passion
• itiraz means objection

Now, can you imagine saying to your lover that you have an "objection" to her when you really have a "passion" for her? Or to your boss that you have a "passion" for him when it's "respect" you meant? Or that you'd like to obtain a patent for your "strong longing" when you really want to get one for your "invention"? Well, it's easy to do in Turkish!

And then there are our all-time favorite memory confounders...

• karsI -- opposite, contrary, opposed, against
• karsI karsIya -- face to face
• karsIlayIcI -- a welcomer
• karsIlamak -- to greet, meet, welcome
• karsIlama -- a greeting, meeting, welcoming
• karsIlasmak -- to meet one another
• karsIlasma -- a sporting event
• karsIlastIrmak -- to compare
• karsIlastIrma -- a comparison
• karsIlastIrmalI -- comparative

Anyone got some good "memory hooks" for that list...?!