Which should you use, assay or essay? The verb assay means to perform an examination on a chemical in order to test how pure it is. The noun assay means the testing of a metal or ore to determine its ingredients and quality. The noun essay means a short piece of writing on a particular subject. The verb essay means to attempt or try.
| Incorrect: |
Sometimes we write assays.
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| Correct: |
Sometimes we write essays.
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| Incorrect: |
Each essay was performed in triplicate.
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| Correct: |
Each assay was performed in triplicate.
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