Here’s a tidbit from The Chicago Manual of Style 5.250, my absolute favorite section so far (Problematic Words and Phrases).
Hone or Home?
You’re writing a fabulous piece about craft, but you’re suddenly unsure whether you should use “home” in or “hone” in.
Definition
To hone is to sharpen.
As in: “Larry honed his knife before plunging it into __.” (Into the tomato, obviously. Wait. Where did YOUR writer-brain take that sentence?) Or, “I read Cec Murphey’s book about ghostwriting because I want to hone my skills.”
To “home” in (think “homing pigeon”) is to focus in or head for a target, or to return home.
As in: “The tracker homed in on his quarry. The errant tomato wouldn’t get far.”
Home and Hone Confused
This is a screenshot from an actual website offering a class for writers:
I’m not making fun. My point: even professionals make mistakes. Errors WILL happen, regardless of editor talent, because we’re human.
Typos are not an invitation to judge (and in most cases, are not an invitation to send a letter delineating the mistakes we’ve noticed).
Instead, think of errors as opportunities to give grace to others and ourselves. If a company that makes money training writers is capable of making an error, when an aspiring editor-reader sends us a list of typos in our own writing, we shouldn’t beat ourselves up. And, just in case you’re waffling: it’s inappropriate to egg the editor-reader’s house.
Keeping Home and Hone Straight
The easiest way to remember how to use “hone” is to remember the definition of “home.”
In general, something “homing” is heading for a target (often, toward home). If you home in on a target, you’re heading for it.
Also, if we connect “hone” with “knife” (both contain the letter n), we’re more likely to hang on to the idea of “sharp.” Hone your knife, hone your skills.