English word sound same

This is the second blog post in a three-part series on the relationships between the pronunciation of English words and their spellings. Follow the links for part one of the series on Silent Letters and part three on the Sound System of American English.

As mentioned in the previous blog post, it often happens that the spelling of an English word doesn’t match up well with its pronunciation. There’s another category of word that can also cause confusion; these are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings. These words are called “homophones”. If you memorize the most common homophones in English, then you will avoid a lot of potential confusion in your communications. An added bonus of memorizing common homophones is that you will be able to easily understand many jokes, puns, and plays on words that you encounter (or even spice up your conversations by creating such plays on words yourself!)

Without further ado, here is a chart of some of the most common sets of homophones in English. Remember, all of the words in the left column are pronounced the same way. That is, if you say “ate, eight” out loud, then it should sound exactly the same as if you said “ate, ate” or “eight, eight”.

Spelling:	Pronounced:
ad, add	ad
Adam, atom	AD-um
air, err, heir	air
aisle, isle, I’ll	AI-ull
aloud, allowed	uh-LOUD
altar, alter	ALL-ter
ant, aunt	ant
assent, ascent	uh-SENT
ate, eight	ate
bail, bale	bale
ball, bawl	bawl
band, banned	band
bazaar, bizarre	buh-ZAR
bare, bear	bare (rhymes with “air”)
base, bass (instrument)	base (rhymes with “ace”)
be, bee	bee
beat, beet	beet
berry, bury	berry
bin, been	bin
billed, build	bild
bite, byte	byte
blew, blue	bloo
board, bored	bord
brake, break	brake
buy, by, bye	by
carrot, karat	KARE-ut
cell, sell	sell
cent, sent, scent	sent
cereal, serial	serial
chili, chilly, Chile	chill-ee
chews, choose	chooz
cite, site, sight	site
close, clothes	kloz
core, corps	kor
course, coarse	korss
creek, creak	creek
cue, queue	kyoo
days, daze	daze
deer, dear	deer
die, dye	dye
do, due, dew	doo
fair, fare	fare
faze, phase	faze
finish, Finnish	finish
find, fined	find
feudal, futile	FYU-dul
flea, flee	flee
feat, feet	feet
flower, flour	FLOW-er (“flow” rhymes with “cow”)
for, four	for
fowl, foul	FOW-ul
great, grate	grate
groan, grown	grone
Greece, grease	grees
guest, guessed	gest (rhymes with “best”)
gym, Jim	jim
hair, hare	hair
hall, haul	hawl
heal, heel	heel
hear, here	heer
heed, he’d	heed
herd, heard	herd
him, hymn	him
hire, higher	hi-er
hole, whole	hol
horse, hoarse	horse
hostel, hostile	HAHST-ul
hurts, hertz	herts
I, eye	AI
in, inn	in
intense, intents	intense
jewels, joules	joolz
lessen, lesson	less-in
maid, made	made
mail, male	male
manner, manor	manner
meat, meet	meet
metal, medal, meddle	MED-ul
need, knead	need
new, knew	noo
no, know	no
nose, knows	noz
not, knot	not
nun, none	nun
oh, owe	oh
one, won	wun
or, oar	or
our, hour	ow-er
pail, pale	pale
pair, pare, pear	pare
past, passed	past
peace, piece	peese
peer, pier	peer
plane, plain	plane
poll, pole	poll
pour, pore	pore
prince, prints	prins
principal, principle	PRINCE-i-pul
profit, prophet	PRAH-fit
rain, rein, reign	rane
rap, wrap	rap
red, read	red
right, write, rite, wright	rite
ring, wring	ring
road, rode, rowed	rode
roll, role	roll
root, route	root
sail, sale	sale
sea, see	see
seam, seem	seem
seas, sees, seize	seez
seen, scene	seen
seller, cellar	seller
side, sighed	side
so, sow, sew	so
sole, soul, Seoul	sole
some, sum	sum
son, sun	sun
stair, stare	stare
steal, steel	steel
sweet, suite	sweet
sword, soared	sord
tail, tale	tale
taught, taut	tawt
tear (meaning: drop of water), tier	teer
tear (meaning: rip), tare	tair
tense, tents	tense
there, their, they’re	thair
threw, through	threw
thrown, throne	throne
tie, Thai	tye
to, too, two	too
tow, toe	toe
vain, vein	vain
way, weigh	way
wait, weight	wait
weather, whether	wether
week, weak	week
where, wear, ware	ware
which, witch	witch
whose, who’s	hooz
will, we’ll	will
wood, would	wood
wore, war	wore
worn, warn	worn
your, you’re	yer

Do you have further questions about American English, or are you interested in accent training? Reach out and contact me!

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meaning and spellings. You can download and learn homophones with our A-Z List PDF. In English there are many words in that category. You should learn how to use them, most importantly understand them correctly. English words that sound same can be hard for second comers. With some English practice and using those words in context will help you greatly.

I recommend getting some help from dictionaries and using visual cards can help you a lot. You can find some most common English words that look and sound similar with example sentences. Practice  can help you to tell the difference between them easily.

1. Difference between Bear-Bare

Bear is a verb. Meaning: to hold up; support; carry
-to bear the weight of the roof.

Bare is an adjective. Meaning:(of a person or part of the body) not clothed or covered.
-bare walls, bare walls

2. Difference between Break-Brake

Break is a verb. Meaning: to smash, split, or divide into parts violently; reduce to pieces or fragments
-He broke a vase.
-She broke her promise.

Brake is a noun. Meaning: anything that has a slowing or stopping effect.
-You should brake your car when you see someone on the road.

3. Difference between Coarse-Course

Coarse is a adjective. Meaning: composed of relatively large parts or particles.
-The beach had rough, coarse sand.

Course is a noun. Meaning: Course: a series of classes you take to learn about a certain subject.
-English course

4. Difference between Desert-Dessert

Desert is a noun. Meaning: a hot, dry land with little rain and few plants or people.
-The Sahara is a vast sandy desert.

Dessert is also a noun. Meaning: cake, pie, fruit, pudding, ice cream, etc., served as the final course of a meal.
-Maybe we should have vanilla ice cream for dessert.

5. Difference between Race-Raise

Race is noun. Meaning: a contest of speed, as in running, riding, driving, or sailing.
-They spent a day at the races.

Raise is a verb. Meaning: to move to a higher position; lift up; elevate.
-Raise your head

6. Difference between Price-Prize

Price is a noun. Meaning: the sum or amount of money or its equivalent for which anything is bought, sold, or offered for sale.
-Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Prize is noun. Meaning: a reward for victory or superiority, as in a contest or competition.
-her invention won first prize in a national contest

7. Difference between Plain-Plane

Plain is an adjective. Meaning: not decorated or elaborate; simple or basic in character.
-good plain food

Plane is a noun. Meaning: a vehicle designed for air travel.
-flying with a plane

8. Difference between Lose-Loose

Lose is a verb. Mostly used with a object. Meaning: suffer a loss or fail to keep something in your possession
-I lose my hat everyday.
-I am losing my mind

Loose is an adjective. Meaning: free or released from fastening or attachment.
-a loose end.

Homophones A-Z List PDF

 
Homophones-A-Z List PDF – download

TEST
YOUR VOCABULARY I

54. Words
that sound the same

Some words in English
have the same sound but different meanings. Read the questions and circle the
correct answer.

1	Which is short for ‘it is’?	it’s	its
2	Which can you eat?	meat	meet
3	Which is half of four?	too	two
4	Which is a greeting?	high	hi
5	Which one is the place for a ship?	sea	see
6	Which is a fruit?	pear	pair
7	Which is short for ‘they are’?	they’re	there
8	Which is a door made of?	would	wood
9	Which had sixty minutes?	hour	our
10	Which is the opposite of ‘old’?	knew	new
11	Which is the past Simple of ‘see’?	sore	saw
12	Which do you do with a pen?	write	right
13	Which is the number above seven?	ate	eight
14	Which is the Past Simple of ‘throw’?	threw	through
15	Which is a vegetable?	bean	been

Answer key

Learning English Language is a Work in Progress.

Ever faced a situation where you were confused as to what the other person is saying, as the word you hear might have more than one meaning? Trust me! You are not alone. The English Words that Sound the same can trip you up in certain cases. There are many examples of similar-sounding English words where we stop and think twice, and many times face awkward silence.

Similar sounding words, also known as Homophones, are words that sound the same, yet have different meanings and are at times spelt differently. But, how do we know the difference when somebody is speaking to us?

Here is a sneak peek at a few 12 common Homophones in the English language that we come across in our daily lives.

• Allowed — means permission granted;

“Riya allowed Hema to copy her class notes as she was absent yesterday.”

Aloud — speaking in a voice that can be heard clearly;

“The teacher asked Rashmi to read the poem aloud.”

• Ant — a small insect;

“The ant was making a move towards the cube of sugar lying on the floor.”

Aunt — Relation, your father’s/mother’s sister;

“Neha met her Aunt after 2 years.”

• Buy — to purchase something;

“Will you buy me this book?”

Bye — greeting, to take someone’s leave;

“Bye! See you tomorrow.”

• Bored — feeling disinterested or weary with one’s activity or lack of activity;

“She got bored by reading such a dull book.”

Board — flat and smooth surface usually used for writing;

“He was asked to solve the sum on the board.”

• Cellar — room below the ground floor of a house;

“The maid took some extra coal from the cellar.”

Seller —a person who sells his wares;

“Meena asked the price of guavas from the fruit seller.”

• Coarse — rough surface;

“The material was coarse.”

Course1 — route taken by a ship or plane; 

“The course was set along the coastline” 

Course2 — set of dishes served on the menu;

“What are you offering as a main course for dinner?”

• Deer— Animal found in woods and forests;

“The deer ran after spotting a tiger.”

Dear— a friendly form of address;

“Do not worry, my dear!”

• Die — Pass away, to stop living;

“He expected to die from starvation.”

Dye— Substance used to change the colour of a thing.

“She used blue to dye her white shirt.”

• Farther — longer distance;

“The red car is farther away than the blue car.”

Father— Parent;

“This must be your Father?”

• Flour — Powder formed by grinding grain;

“The cook had flour all over her apron.”

Flower— Blossom;

“Rose is a beautiful flower.”

• Fair — to be just;

“The judgement was fair.”

Fare — Money paid for travelling.

“Fare of a flight ticket from India to Dubai is too high.”

• Great — amount or quality above average;

“You are doing a great job.”

Grate — to make small shreds by rubbing on the surface of a grater;

“Grate two cubes of cheese for me.”

 

Looks interesting, right?

You, too, can learn more about such similar-sounding words which can make your conversation easier, under the guidance of our skilled trainers who will teach you and also help you understand the English language better. To know more you can check out our website FastInfo Class^TM and enrol yourself today.

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