Yet and jet are differently spelled words with a lot you can relate between the two. Do you know what they have in common? Let’s start by giving you an overview of yet vs jet.
Yet is a negative adverb meaning “thus far, up to the present/up to some specified time.” It also means “continuously up to the current time.” In contrast, a jet is “a collimated stream or sprout of liquid or glass from an engine/pressurized container.” It’s also a type of airplane with jet engines.
If you are familiar with the words yet and jet, then you may wonder what they have in common to warrant the comparison in this post. The similarities between these words are not apparent at first sight. Read on to find out what these words have in common and their differences.
Definitions Of Yet And Jet
The differences and similarities between the words yet and jet are easy to identify if you understand their definitions. So, let us kick off this article with the definitions of yet and jet below:
Definitions Of Yet
This adverb means “thus far, until the present, or up to a specific time.” “Yet” also means “continuously up to the current time.” (synonym: still)
Another meaning is “at some time in the future” (synonym: eventually). A close meaning is “not as of the time referenced.” For example, “I have not met the new team yet.”
This adverb also means “in addition.” For example, “There are two hours yet to go.” Other definitions include “even,” “at the same time, still, or continuing from a former state.”
As a conjunction, this word means “nevertheless, but, despite that, or besides that.” (synonym: however). As a verb, yet means “to melt, found, or cast as a metal” (dialectal).
Definitions Of Jet
A jet is “an airplane that uses jet engines instead of propellers.” Another definition of a jet is “a collimated stream, nozzle, or sprout of liquid or gas from a pressurized container or an engine.
A jet is also an engine that thrusts an automobile using a stream of fluid as propulsion. Some refer to a jet as “a dense black coal used to make jewelry.”
In physics, a jet is “a narrow cone of hardons and other particles produced by the hadronization of a quark or gluon.” Another source defines a jet as “a variety of lignite, usually compact textured and dark-colored, often wrought into jewelry or buttons.”
Jet also means “an artificially produced flow of water.” As a verb, to jet means:
- To spray out of a container
- To travel on a jet aircraft or by jet propulsion
- To move rapidly around
- To shoot forward
- To strut or walk with a lofty gait or to be interfering
- To install or adjust a carburetor jet
- To leave (slang)
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- As an adjective, jet means:
- Propelled by turbine engines
- Very dark colored (similar to the color of jet or coal)
How To Properly Use Yet And Jet In A Sentence
The words jet and yet have multiple meanings. This means you can use them in different contexts, depending on the subject of your sentence. Below are some usage tips:
How To Use The Word Yet
This word is an adverb. An adverb is a word that modifies other words, like verbs, clauses, adjectives, and other adverbs. Yet is an adverb of time. It indicates when something happened or when you can expect it to happen.
For example, “The teacher is yet to arrive.” The adverb “yet” in this sentence explains that the teacher has not arrived but is expected to arrive.
You can use this word as an adverb of time to express the following:
- Within an indefinite time or an unspecified time in the future
- A situation that has existed up to the present time
- Before some future time
- At the same time
- Not of the time referenced
- Thus far
- Eventually
This word is also a conjunctive adverb. That means you can use it in a sentence as a conjunction. It connects two clauses of sentences. For example, Simon waited for two hours at the cafe, yet he had important things to do at home. The conjunctive yet connects two sentences, “Simon waited for two hours at the café” and “he had important things to do at home.” The conjunctive adverb denotes that the two sentences are related.
You can also use this word as a regular conjunction. It is synonymous with “nevertheless, but, despite that, and however.” For example, “We thought we knew Samantha, yet we had no idea about her past.
This word is also an adverb of degree. It describes the intensity of an action or quality. For example, “The temperature outdoors is yet higher than this.” This means the weather outdoors is even higher.
How To Use The Word Jet
Use this word as a noun in a sentence to refer to:
- An aircraft powered by jet engines
- A rapid stream of liquid or gas sprouting out of a small opening
- A small nozzle for sending out liquid or gas
- A body of air moving in a specific direction
- A liquid is blown through the air as tiny drops
Use this word as a verb to mean:
- To sprout out in a jet
- To travel by a jet airplane
- To move quickly
- To be transported in an aircraft
Use this word as an adjective in a sentence to refer to a glossy black color like coal.
Yet Vs Jet: Main Differences
The key difference between these words is their definitions. These words have nothing in common when it comes to their definitions. They also have different spellings. Below are other differentiating elements between these words:
Pronunciation
These words have different pronunciations. The pronunciation for jet is “/jet/.” In contrast, the correct spelling of yet is “/yet/.”
History And Etymology
The word jet was first used in the 1690s from the French word “jeter,” meaning “to throw, thrust, or shoot out.” It originates from the Late Latin “iectare,” meaning “to toss about.” It also comes from the pie root “ye-“ meaning “to throw or impel.”
In contrast, the word yet comes from the Old English word “get” or “gieta,” meaning “till now, earlier, or at last.” It also has Middle High German, Late Latin, and Old Frisian roots.
Similarities You Probably Didn’t Know About Yet And Jet
While these words have many differences, they also have some similarities. Here are some:
- They are both monosyllables (have one syllable)
- They both have multiple unrelated meanings
- They both have Late Latin roots
Other Word Comparison Posts
List Of Examples Of Yet And Jet Use In Sentences
You can easily use these words in sentences. Here are some sample sentences:
Example sentences of the word yet
- The teacher has not yet arrived.
- My sister was annoyed, yet she still hugged me when I got home.
- I waited for hours, yet they never showed up.
- The principal is yet to announce the contest winner.
- The climate is yet more unpredictable than last year.
Example sentences of the word jet
- The Kardashians use their jet for all their travels.
- The container let out a jet of liquid when we punctured it.
- I used the mat to stop the water jet from causing more damage than necessary.
- The jet landed in our backyard.
- The jet fuel caused much damage when it lit up.
Conclusion
Yet and jet are both correct English words with different meanings and application contexts. The key to learning how to use them is studying their definition. Note that frequent practice also helps; don’t stop practicing these words in sentences.
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of The Content Authority. He’s one part content manager, one part writing ninja organizer, and two parts leader of top content creators. You don’t even want to know what he calls pancakes.