word choice - Is the expression "Say your piece" or "Say your peace"?


I have googled this one and seen arguments for both sides.


Say your piece would imply that you've had the opportunity to make your part of the statement on the subject.


Say your peace would imply that you've had the opportunity to speak and set your mind at ease.


Clearly, they both make perfect sense in those contexts. To be clear, I want to know which is the form used by most people?



Answer



It seems to be say your piece and hold your peace. Because 'peace' and 'piece' are homophones, they are easily confused.


Google Ngram shows piece being 20X more common than peace in 2008, but 45X more common in 1999 (acknowledging the horrendous predictive value of Ngrams). So, in a decade or so... it may well be; not based on the Ngram, but based on how misuse has so often turned into common usage.


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