Between charging point and charging port

With style, we are back to what I call ‘phone register’ today. Or to vocabulary, in a general sense. We are starting with a common mix-up, which pits ‘port’ against ‘point’.

The small hole in the phone into which the charger is plugged is not a ‘charging point’; it is the ‘charging port’. Calling it otherwise thus amounts to an error, though a popular one:

I need to take my phone to a repairer. The charging point is bad. (Wrong)

I need to take my phone to a repairer. The charging port is bad. (Correct)

 The phone isn’t charging. I have the fear its charging point is damaged again. (Wrong)

The phone isn’t charging. I have the fear its charging port is damaged again. (Correct)

Note that it’s not only the phone that has a charging port. Also called a charger port, it is the same small opening on some other electronic devices like laptops, lamps and fans, where you plug in the charging cable.

The question may, however, arise: is ‘charging point’ a useless expression? No. What’s important is that you shouldn’t use it to refer to the part of the phone the charger enters. ‘Charging point’ is also a standard phrase but it means something else: a place, a socket or another piece of equipment for charging electric vehicles and other devices like phones and laptops:

The organisers provided about eight charging ports in the training room. (Wrong)

The organisers provided about eight charging points in the training room. (Correct)

I may have a problem with my phone later because there is no charging port in the hall. (Wrong)

I may have a problem with my phone later because there is no charging point in the hall. (Correct)

Melting pot vs melting point

Another pair of related expressions is ‘melting pot’ and ‘melting point’. They have different meanings and are, consequently, not to be mixed up. First, ‘melting pot’ indicates a place or situation where diverse people, cultures, or ideas blend together to form a cohesive whole. On the other hand, melting point is the temperature at which a substance changes from a solid to a liquid:

Boasting people of all races, London may be the biggest melting point in the world. (Wrong)

Boasting people of all races, London may be the biggest melting pot in the world. (Correct)

The students don’t know the melting pot of the substance. (Wrong)

The students don’t know the melting point of the substance. (Correct)

Note the use of port and point in the following too:

First port of call: The first place you visit during a journey or when starting a task or process.

Tinapa was our first port of call when we got to Calabar.

A port in a storm: A person or place that provides comfort or safe haven when you are going through a difficult situation.

The old imam was ironically the port in a storm for the Christians fleeing from the attackers.

Beside the point: Information or facts that are irrelevant to the subject being discussed.

That he was absent was beside the point since we are talking about the life of the little girl.

Breaking point: The critical stage at which a person or situation can no longer be tolerated and loses control.

Government must do something before things reach the breaking point.