Not only do they look alike but the words palate, palette, and pallet also have similar sounds. In the world of art and wine, it may be common to mix these terms up as you may encounter all three of them. This post will try to help you clarify their differences in terms of meaning and use.
The word palate is used as a noun referring to “the roof of the mouth, separating the cavities of the nose and the mouth in vertebrates.”
Arlington nurses save lives taking part in cleft palate surgeries
Wicked Local ArlingtonManila mayor eyes founding of PHL’s first ‘world-class’ cleft-palate facility
Business MirrorAsk the Vet’s Pets: Cleft palate most common in flat-faced breeds
Reading Eagle
However, it may also denote “a person’s appreciation of taste and flavor, especially when sophisticated and discriminating.”
A more cosmopolitan Indian palate is eager to assimilate keema-pav and ghee roast
Economic TimesGREAT WINE caters to customers’ unique palate
Bellevue Reporter
Meanwhile, the term palette is used as a noun referring to “a thin board or slab on which an artist lays and mixes colors.”
Adobe brilliantly reimagines the color picker as an artist’s watercolor palette
TNWTownsend pizza artist uses cheese, tomato sauce and pepperoni as his palette
The News Journal
It may also mean “the range of colors used by a particular artist or in a particular picture.” This may also apply to makeup.
Huda Beauty Desert Dusk Eyeshadow Palette: Everything You Need to Know
Allure MagazineChanging it up? Choose your colour palette carefully
The Chronicle HeraldPicking the Perfect Color Palettes for Your Home
Westchester Magazine
On the other hand, the word pallet is used a noun referring to “a wooden flat-bladed instrument” or “a portable platform for handling, storing, or moving materials and packages as in warehouses, factories, or vehicles.”
Global Market Study on Pallets: Plastic Material Type Segment Projected to Register the Highest CAGR During 2017 – 2025
Markets InsiderAvoid wooden pallets if you don’t know what they’ve been used for
Belleville News DemocratThree buildings, thousands of pallets destroyed in fire
Tiffin Advertiser Tribune
Now that you’ve determined the different uses and meanings of the words palate, palette, and pallet, you may be able to use them properly in your writing. Just remember that it depends on your palate what color in the palette you would prefer for your delivery pallets.
