Steal vs. steel: two homophones you should never mix up

The short answer

Steal and steel are homophones, meaning they sound identical but have completely unrelated meanings and spellings. Steal is a verb meaning to take something that belongs to someone else without permission, as in someone tried to steal her bicycle outside the station. Steel is most often a noun naming a strong metal made mainly from iron and carbon, as in the bridge was built from reinforced steel. Because the words sound the same, spelling is the only thing that separates them in writing.

• Steal (verb) = to take without permission
• Steel (noun) = a strong metal; (verb) = to brace yourself

What "steal" means

Steal is a verb meaning to take property, money, or credit that is not yours, often secretly or by force. Its past tense is stole and its past participle is stolen, as in the thief stole a car and was later caught with the stolen vehicle. Steal can also be used figuratively, as in the comedian stole the show with her opening joke, meaning she drew all the attention and praise. Not: someone tried to steel her bicycle; the correct verb there is steal.

Steal also describes taking something intangible, like time, attention, or an idea, as in the movie stole two hours I will never get back or the rival company stole our marketing idea. In sports, to steal a base or steal a possession means to take an advantage away from an opponent through skill or timing, extending the core sense of taking something that belonged to someone else.

What "steel" means

Steel most commonly names the hard, durable metal used in construction, tools, and appliances, as in the knife was made of stainless steel. Steel can also work as a verb meaning to prepare yourself mentally for something difficult, as in he steeled himself before delivering the bad news. Used this way, steel suggests becoming as strong and unyielding as the metal itself. Not: he steal himself for the difficult conversation; the correct word for bracing yourself is steel.

Idioms that trip people up

Several common phrases use steel in its figurative, strengthening sense, including nerves of steel, meaning great courage under pressure, and steel yourself, meaning to prepare for something unpleasant. These idioms never use steal, even though the phrases describe a kind of mental toughness rather than the metal itself. Meanwhile, steal appears in phrases like steal the spotlight or steal a glance, both meaning to take attention or a quick look, never related to metal.

Other useful phrases include steal someone's thunder, meaning to take credit or attention that rightfully belongs to someone else, and a steal, an informal noun meaning a bargain so good it feels like theft, as in that used car was a steal at that price. None of these idiomatic uses ever switch to steel, since the spelling always follows the meaning of taking, not the metal.

Remember it

Link steel to metal by the double e, the same double e found in words like steer and sleet, which relate to hard, solid things. Link steal to the idea of taking, since a thief who steals is always after something that is not theirs. If the sentence involves taking something or someone drawing attention unfairly, use steal; if it involves a metal or bracing yourself, use steel instead.