Phase

When I was in 7th grade, I was in the Rhode Island state spelling bee. I did okay, spelling the first word or two they threw at us. The next one I had to do was phase. I initially spelled it F-A-Z-E, which is also a word. They then told me I had the wrong word and defined it for me. Being nervous, I blurted out P-H-A-Z-E, which I realized was wrong immediately, but in spelling bees as in life, there are no do-overs. I blame Piers Anthony.