Waste-Waist | Commonly Confused Words

Waste

/weɪst/

Use or spend something thoughtlessly or without care, often leading to its loss or uselessness.

I gave her money, which her husband wasted.'And he sits there wasting precious time.'He thought of her as walking barefooted through a stony waste.

/weɪst/

The part of the body above the hips and below the ribs

Measure around your waist and around your hips or buttocks.

Waste is something that is left over or not used, like trash or time that's squandered.
Waist refers to a part of the human body, specifically between the ribs and hips.
Remember the common phrase waste not, want not to associate waste with unused resources.
Picture a belt around the waist to recall which word refers to the body part.
Think of a waste basket for trash and recycling to differentiate from waist of the body.