Macarons vs Macaroons

Do you know the difference?  I didn't even realize they were spelled differently until I was reading a random post on my RSS feed this afternoon.

How could I pass up a blog post on "5 Cooking Projects for Snow Days?"

I clicked on the link for Macarons and at the bottom of THAT page I found this article: Weekend Project: Make Macarons!

And so, I'm reading reading reading.  Trying to figure out which Macaron recipe to make (I didn't like any on that website) and do I have all the ingredients.  At the bottom I found a link called "What's the Difference? Macaroons Vs. Macarons" and it took me a couple minutes to even realize the difference between the two spellings.  It makes sense now that I was so confused when macarons became so popular. I didn't know there were two different spellings and I always thought they were made with coconut...until MACARONS became popular and I thought "maybe they TASTE like coconut?"

And then I found out I have to "age" the eggs overnight by letting them sit out at room temperature.  Not sure how I feel about that.  Doesn't sound very sanitary.  Anyhow, I'm going to make these macarons.  But first, I must set the eggs out on the counter and roast some almonds so I can make almond meal.