A word like "heard" is for the birds...

[deponti]

From "The Language Instinct" by Steven Pinker

Beware of heard, a dreadful word
That looks beard and sounds like bird,
And dead: it's said like bed, not bead--
For goodness' sake don't call it "deed"!
Watch out for meat and great and threat
(They rhyme with suite and straight and debt).

Thanks to anushsh for lending me this tough-to-read but interesting book!