If you’re wondering whether to write liason or liaison, you’re not alone. Many words in the English language are tricky to spell, including this one.
So which spelling are you supposed to use?
The correct spelling is liaison with two Is—one before the A, and one after the A.
Read on to learn more about what liaison means, plus examples of how to use this word correctly.
Liason Definition
Liaison is a noun that can mean multiple different things.
The most common definition of liaison is a person who establishes communication between multiple groups.
For example, two companies working together might hire a liaison to help facilitate cooperation between their groups.
There are also liaisons in the armed forces and other large organizations to ensure communication between units.
Another definition of liaison is an illicit affair. For example, you might say that two people had a liaison if they had a secret relationship while they were also in relationships with other people.
In French cooking, liaison can also refer to the process of thickening sauces or soups with thickening agents, such as cream or butter. It can also refer to a mixture of egg yolks and heavy cream that is commonly used to thicken a sauce.
Finally, in phonetics, liaison refers to the linking of the final consonant of one word with the first vowel of another word. Words with liaisons are common in French, but they also occur in other languages.
The word liaison comes from the Latin word ligātiōn, meaning “a binding.” That’s why each definition of liaison has something to do with binding.
How Do You Spell Liaison?
The correct way to spell liaison is with two Is, one before the A, and one immediately after the A. Liason, with only one I, is a common misspelling.
This rule also applies to the words liaisoning and liaisoned. Liaison is almost always a noun, so it’s rare to conjugate the word as a verb, but sometimes writers choose to do this for stylistic reasons.
When you conjugate liaison as a verb, you should always include two Is, rather than writing liasoning and liasoned.
Tips for Spelling Liason or Liaison
One tip for remembering the correct spelling is to think about how to spell each sound in the word. The word is pronounced “lee-ay-zon.” To create the “lee” sound, you use the letters LI, and to create the “ay” sound, you use the letters AI.
Another useful mnemonic is to remember that the word liaison can refer to a person who establishes communication between two groups or individuals. Those two individuals each refer to themselves with the pronoun I. Therefore, there are two Is in liaison.
If you’re worried about spelling errors, you can always run your work through ProWritingAid, which will highlight all misspellings for you and guide you toward the correct solution.
Now you know how to spell liaison correctly! Remember the trick of someone coordinating communication between two different “I”s, and you’ll spell this word correctly every time.
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