Today I confront five of my linguistic bugaboos — usage choices that perplex me every time I encounter them.

—Hurtle or hurdle? Perhaps because my good friend in high school hurdled (jumped) over hurdles as he hurtled (sped) down the track, I've always confused these verbs.

Use "hurtle" when you mean "to speed" (The spacecraft was hurtling toward Mars), and "hurdle" when you mean "to leap over"; (We've hurdled a major obstacle).

—Pleaded or pled? Traditionalists insist that the correct past tense form of "plead" is "pleaded," not "pled," but there's an interesting backstory here.

"Pleaded" and "pled" co-existed in English until the 1500s when "pleaded" became the dominant form in England. But "pled" survived amid the crags and crannies of Scotland.

So when the Scots-Irish emigrated to North America during the early 1700s, they brought "pled" with them — it fit very nicely into a back pocket — and "pled" has flourished as a non-standard form in the U.S. ever since.

Usage expert Bryan Garner ranks "pled" as a "stage 3 word" on his Language-Change index: "commonplace even among many well-educated people but still to be avoided in formal usage."

—Peak, peek or pique? "Peak" means "high point"; think "a" for "alp." "Peek" means "to sneak a look"; think of the two "e"'s as two eyes. "Pique" means "to irritate or incite," as in "piqued his interest." Think of the "i" in "irritate" or "incite."

—All of a sudden or all of the sudden? As a child, I always said "all of the sudden," but usage authorities insist on "all of a sudden."

The phrase "all of a sudden" may seem illogical; after all, "of" should precede a noun, and "sudden" is an adjective. But, amazingly enough, "sudden" once WAS a noun; it meant "an unexpected occurrence, a suddenness."

William Shakespeare uses the noun "sudden" in "Romeo and Juliet" when Romeo says, "I have been feasting with mine enemy, where on a sudden one hath wounded me."

So something that happens "all of a sudden" happens "of (with) a suddenness."

—How do you say "renege"? I've always been uncertain about the pronunciation of "renege," meaning "to go back on a promise or commitment."

According to dictionaries and Internet pronunciation guides, both "rih-NEG" and "rih-NIG" are standard in the U.S., while the Brits favor "rih-NAYG."

So anyone who promises that there's one, true pronunciation of "renege" should renege on this vow.

Rob Kyff, a teacher and writer in West Hartford, Conn., invites your language sightings. Send your reports of misuse and abuse, as well as examples of good writing, via e-mail to Wordguy@aol.com or by regular mail to Rob Kyff, Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254.