TOEIC Link Part 5: pedal versus peddle
Pedal and peddle sound almost identical, but they point at two different worlds: one of feet and machines, the other of selling. Pedal is a foot-operated lever (or the verb for working it), while peddle is a verb meaning to sell, usually in small quantities or informally. Part 5 rewards you for asking whether the blank is about foot-powered motion or selling something. For the full set of look-alike traps, start with the commonly confused word pairs master index.
The core rule: foot lever versus selling
- pedal (noun / verb) = a foot lever on a bicycle, car, piano, or machine; as a verb, to work such a lever, especially to move a bike forward. She adjusted the brake pedal before the test drive. / Commuters pedal across the bridge every morning. It answers what did the foot press? or how did they power the bike? Anchor it to ped- words about feet: pedestrian, pedicure — a pedal is worked by the foot.
- peddle (verb) = to sell goods, often in small amounts, door to door, or informally; figuratively, to promote or spread ideas. Street vendors peddle souvenirs near the station. / The report accused the firm of peddling misleading claims. It answers what did someone try to sell or push? and it takes a direct object. Anchor it with the double -dd- and the related word peddler (a seller).
A quick anchor: pedal = a foot lever (think pedestrian, the foot); peddle = to sell (think peddler). You pedal a bike; you peddle goods.
Why Part 5 likes this pair
The two words are near-homophones, so the wrong choice slips past a quick read. The item is decided by the surrounding meaning: machinery and motion point to pedal, while commerce and selling point to peddle.
Cyclists must __ hard to climb the steep approach to the office park.
The sentence is about powering a bike up a hill, foot-driven motion, so it needs pedal.
The company was fined for __ unapproved supplements online.
The blank takes supplements as its object and describes selling questionable goods, so it needs peddle.
Spotting the clue
Check what the blank is really doing, then match it to feet or to selling:
- Is the sentence about a bicycle, car, or machine part, or the act of powering a bike with the feet? → choose pedal (pedal faster, the gas pedal, brake pedal).
- Is the sentence about selling, hawking, or pushing goods or ideas, often with a negative or informal tone? → choose peddle (peddle wares, peddle rumors, door-to-door peddling).
A quick test: can you replace the word with "sell" or "push"? Then it is peddle. Does it name a foot lever or the act of cycling? Then it is pedal. In TOEIC business scenarios, you will see pedal in product descriptions of vehicles, exercise equipment, and machinery, and peddle in passages about vendors, sales tactics, or accusations of pushing dubious products. For more pairs where one swapped or doubled letter flips the meaning, see the sound-alike verb pairs study guide. Another selling-related trap worth reviewing next is canvas versus canvass.