Words easily confused. One letter makes all the difference: Currant and current.

I hesitated the other day as I wrote the word undercurrent – should it have an ‘a’ or an ‘e’?

I consulted Google and found that currants are dried, black, seedless grapes originally produced in Greece. So blackcurrants, redcurrants and any other fruit currants you can think of take an ‘a’.

Current on the other hand has two meanings:

• Of the present time, up-to-date, contemporary
• A movement of water, air or electricity, in a particular direction

Examples:

• We visited the bank to find out the current rates of interest.

• The company’s current season has some very interesting productions.

• It’s not advisable to swim in the Thames, because the currents can be very strong.

• Electric current is a flow of electric charge through a conductive medium.

• Birds use warm air currents to make flying easier.