Homophones word with meaning

What you will learn:

1. What are homophones?
2. 101 English homophones with examples
3. How to learn homophones in English
4. Quiz: Test your understanding of English homophones
 

What are homophones?

Homophones are two or more words that sound the same (identical pronunciation), but have different meanings. These words are often spelt differently in English too (e.g. pear vs. pair). The term homophone comes from Greek ‘homo-’ (meaning: same) and ‘-phone’ (meaning: sound or voice), so the word literally means: ‘same sound’.

English has more homophones than most languages because its pronunciation has changed a lot over time, while its spelling has changed very little. Many words have been borrowed from other languages through the centuries and this explains why English spelling is so strange (or confusing!). For example: right (Old English: riht) vs. write (Old English: writan) vs. rite (Latin: ritus). In the past, these words would have been pronounced differently, but today they all sound the same in modern English.

In this guide, we will focus on homophones in British English. Most of these are the same in American English too. However, national and regional accents change the way people pronounce words and sometimes this creates different homophones. For example, these words are homophones in American English, but not in British English: hostel/hostile, balm/bomb, caught/cot, halve/have.

Let’s take a look at some homophones!
 

101 English homophones with examples

In this list of English homophones, you will find simple, intermediate and more advanced level vocabulary. For each pair or set, there are meanings and examples. Some you will know already, but others will certainly be new! Where possible, these homophones have been put into approximate categories to help you organise and learn them.

NUMBER HOMOPHONES

1. One, won

One (noun): The number that comes after 0 but before 2.
My son is one year old today.

Won (verb): The past tense of ‘win’.
The football team won two games in a row.

1. Two, to, too

Two (noun): The number that comes after 1 and before 3, a pair.
He bought two packets of crisps.

To (preposition): In the direction of a particular location.
I am going to the shop.

Too (adverb): To a higher degree than desired, also.
The girl was too tired to work. I was tired too.

1. Four, for

Four (noun): The number that comes after 3 and before 5.
The clock struck four.

For (preposition): If someone receives something, if something is done for a reason.
I bought John some sweets for his birthday (for him to eat).

It is common for native speakers to use numbers in online chat or SMS messages. For example, you can write ‘before’ like ‘b4’ and ‘forget’ as ‘4get’. This is because ‘for’ sounds the same as ‘four’ (4). Another common example is ‘m8’ (mate – friend).

1. Eight, ate

Eight (noun): The number that comes after 7 and before 9.
There were only eight days left until Christmas.

Ate (verb): Past tense form of ‘eat’.
We ate dinner together then went home.

FOOD & DRINK HOMOPHONES

1. Steak, stake

Steak (noun): Prime cut of meat, usually beef.
My all-time favourite meal is steak and chips.

Stake (noun): A strong wooden post with a sharp point at one end.
Vampires can only be killed with a stake through the heart!

1. Bean, been

Bean (noun): Edible seed that grows in pods on leguminous plants.
Baked beans on toast is a traditional British dish!

Been (verb): Past tense form of ‘be’.
Where have you been all night?

1. Pear, pair

Pear (noun): Common type of fruit.
Would you like a pear from the garden?

Pair (noun): A set of two things (often used together).
He couldn’t find a matching pair of socks.

1. Bread, bred

Bread (noun): Type of food.
Our local bakery sells the best wholemeal bread for miles!

Bred (verb): Past tense form of ‘breed’ – to raise or develop animal stock.
In the past, many farmers bred rabbits for meat and fur.

1. Cereal, serial

Cereal (noun): Grain used for food (e.g. wheat), type of dried breakfast eaten with milk.
My favourite cereal is cornflakes.

Serial (noun/adjective): A story or programme delivered in instalments, taking place in series.
The serial killer loved watching serials on TV!

1. Flour, flower

Flour (noun): Ingredient used to make bread and cakes.
This recipe uses two cups of flour and 1/4 cup of sugar.

Flower (noun): Seed-bearing part of a plant.
Her husband gave her a nice bunch of flowers on her birthday.

1. Meat, meet

Meat (noun): Food from the flesh of an animal.
The hotel guests got food poisoning because the meat wasn’t cooked properly.

Meet (verb): Arrange or happen to cross paths with somebody.
I’m going to meet my friend at the train station this evening.

1. Chilli, chilly

Chilli (noun): Small spicy pepper or pod used in cooking.
I ordered the Mexican Hot Pizza, but couldn’t eat the chilli on top!

Chilly (adjective): A bit cold, not warm.
Don’t forget your coat! It’s a bit chilly out today.

1. Mussel, muscle

Mussel (noun): Mollusc with purple-brown shell.
I had the mussels as a starter and they were delicious!

Muscle (noun): Type of human body tissue.
What do you prefer in a boyfriend – brains or muscles?!

1. Wine, whine

Wine (noun): Alcoholic drink made from fermented grapes.
Chilled white wine goes well with fish.

Whine (noun/verb): Long high-pitched cry, complain.
The little dog shivered by the door and let out a whine.

1. Bite, byte

Bite (noun/verb): Tear something apart with teeth.
Let’s grab a bite to eat in town after work!

Byte (noun): Unit of measurement of digital information.
How many bytes are there in each character in MS Word?

1. Grate, great

Grate (verb): Shred into small pieces using a food grater.
The recipe says we need to grate the cheese into the sauce.

Great (adjective): Large, prominent, very good.
The Great White Shark is a great hunter!

1. Berry, bury

Berry (noun): Small pulpy fruit.
Did you know that watermelons are a type of large berry?

Bury (verb): Put or hide underground.
You shouldn’t bury your head in the sand each time there’s an argument.

1. Currant, current

Currant (noun): Type of berry, also of dried berry variety.
We have lots of currant bushes at the bottom of our garden – both red- and blackcurrants.

Current (noun/adjective): Strong flow of water, present or up-to-date.
Surfers should be aware of the strong currents along the south coast of England.

Even native speakers get confused by the way words are pronounced vs. written! Here are some examples of commonly confused homophones: compliment/complement, practice/practise, principle/principal, lightning/lightening, insight/incite, miner/minor.

1. Leek, leak

Leek (noun): Long white and green stick-like vegetable in the onion family.
Wales is famous for its rainy weather and its giant leeks!

Leak (noun/verb): Hole through which fluid can escape accidentally, drip out.
Our roof has got a leak so we need to fix it before winter comes.

1. Maize, maze

Maize (noun): Corn.
It is common for manufacturers to use maize as an ingredient in many processed foods.

Maze (noun): Labyrinth.
Chatsworth House has a maze that is made up of a network of paths and hedges.

1. Thyme, time

Thyme (noun): Type of aromatic herb.
What goes best with roast chicken – thyme or rosemary?

Time (noun): Period, measure of seconds/minutes/hours/days/etc.
How much time does it take to cook a roast chicken?

1. Sauce, source

Sauce (noun): Liquid used to add flavour to food.
This Chinese cooking sauce uses a variety of citrus fruits.

Source (noun): Origin, cause of something.
Citrus fruits are a good source of vitamin C.

1. Sweet, suite

Sweet (noun/adjective): Candy, food with a sugary taste.
If you eat up all your vegetables, I’ll let you have one more sweet!

Suite (noun): Set of rooms or technical instruments.
The journalist interviewed the rock star in his London hotel suite.

1. Mousse, moose

Mousse (noun): Light and fluffy dessert.
The French restaurant opposite our office sells the best chocolate mousse in town!

Moose (noun): Large animal in the deer family.
Do people eat moose in Canada? They certainly have a lot of them!

ANIMAL HOMOPHONES

1. Hare, hair

Hare (noun): Animal that looks like a large rabbit.
The hare hopped through the woodland.

Hair (noun): Growing from the skin of humans and other animals.
Her hair was so long that she had to wear a large hat to work!

1. Bear, bare

Bear (noun): Type of large hairy animal.
Our local pub is called The Brown Bear.

Bare (adjective): Naked, without clothes/covering, plain.
If you walk around with bare feet you might cut yourself!

NOTE: The word ‘bear’ is also a verb that literally means ‘to carry a load’. This is not often used in modern English, although you will find it in expressions like ‘I’ll bear that in mind’ (remember) or ‘I can’t bear it!’ (tolerate, put up with).

1. Deer, dear

Deer (noun): Large animal with antlers, similar to a small elk or moose.
Some UK farmers keep deer and breed them for their meat (venison).

Dear (noun/adjective): Beloved person, expensive.
The wedding ring you’ve chosen is a bit too dear, my Dear!

1. Gorilla, guerrilla  

Gorilla (noun): Large ground-dwelling ape.
African gorillas live in mountainous forests in the west of the country.

Guerrilla (adjective/noun): Unauthorised and irregular (military) action, partisan fighter.
The Colombian guerrillas lived in the jungle and sometimes attacked government troops.

1. Sole, soul

Sole (noun): Variety of marine flatfish.
I really love grilled sole with a touch of lemon!

Soul: Spirit, immortal part of a human.
For my philosophy course, I have to write an essay about the human soul.

NOTE: The word ‘sole’ is also a noun that refers to the underside of a person’s foot or shoe, and the word ‘soul’ can be used as an adjective to describe the musical genre.

1. Flea, flee

Flea (noun): Small jumping parasitic insect that often lives on dogs or cats.
I caught a flea on our cat today so we’ll need to wash him with special shampoo.

Flee (verb): Run away or escape from danger.
After 3 months of bombing, the family decided to flee the conflict in their war-torn city.

1. Boar, bore

Boar (noun): Wild pig.
We saw a boar and a tiger when we visited the local zoo.

Bore (verb/noun): Make someone bored or disinterested, a boring person.
John‘s such a bore! All the guy talks about is golf and work!

NOTE: In technical contexts, the word ‘bore’ can also mean ‘make a hole using a tool’. Therefore, ‘borehole’ would be an engineering word for a drill hole, and not a hole made by a wild pig!

1. Horse, hoarse

Horse (noun): Four-legged animal often used for riding or work.
When my grandfather was young, he went to school on a horse and cart.

Hoarse (adjective): Describes a rough or husky voice due to a sore throat.
I was feeling hoarse before the concert, but managed to sing when I got up on stage.

1. Lynx, links

Lynx (noun): Type of medium-sized wild cat.
In American Indian mythology the lynx is considered a ‘keeper of secrets’.

Links (noun): Plural form of ‘link’, connections or points of contact.
Our company has links to suppliers all over the world.

1. Whale, wail

Whale (noun): Largest (marine) mammal on Earth.
Thanks to the work of conservationists, most species of whale are now protected.

Wail (noun/verb): High-pitched cry of pain, anger or sadness.
I heard a patient wail in agony from the neighbouring (hospital) ward.

1. Mare, mayor

Mare (noun): Adult female horse.
Children often came from the village to feed apples to the old mare.

Mayor (noun): Elected leader of regional government.
The mayor cut the ribbon at the museum opening ceremony.

1. Toad, towed, toed

Toad (noun): Type of large brown frog.
There’s a toad living in our garden pond and my daughter has named it ‘Freddy’!

Towed (verb): Past tense of ‘tow’, when one vehicle pulls another.
When our car broke down, a neighbour kindly towed it home for us.

Toed (adjective): Having toes.
The three-toed sloth lives in the jungles of Borneo.

PRONOUN HOMOPHONES (+ contractions & determiners)

1. I, eye

I (pronoun): Used by a speaker to refer to himself/herself.
I did not enjoy the film.

Eye (noun): The pair of organs that allow us to see.
He is blind in one eye.

1. I’ll, isle, aisle

I’ll (contraction): Short form of ‘I will’.
I’ll get to school on time if there is no traffic today.

Isle (noun): A small island.
We go on holiday every year to the Isle of Wight.

Aisle (noun): Passage between two rows of seats.
Passengers must not leave their bags in the aisle at any time.

NOTE: While ‘isle’ and ‘aisle’ are always homophones in British English, the contracted form ‘I’ll’ is pronounced differently in many regional accents (isle vs. aal). The same is true for similar contractions like ‘you’ll’ (yule vs. yorl) and ‘we’ll’ (wheel vs. wirl).

1. You, ewe, yew

You (pronoun): Used to refer to the person or people being addressed.
Would you like to come round for dinner sometime next week?

Ewe (noun): Female sheep.
The little lamb followed its mother as the ewe crossed the field.

Yew (noun): Type of evergreen tree.
Traditional English longbows were often made from yew (wood).

1. You’ll, Yule

You’ll (contraction): Short form of ‘you will’.
I think you’ll improve your piano playing with practice.

Yule (noun): Old word for Christmas.
The word ‘Yule’ is still used in old Christmas songs and religious hymns.

1. You’re, your

You’re (contraction): Short form of ‘you are’.
You’re my best friend.

Your (determiner): Belonging to the person the speaker is addressing.
Hi, I’m Jack! What’s your name?

1. Our, hour

Our (determiner): Belonging to the speaker and one or more other person.
We both got our hair cut at the same place!

Hour (noun): Period of 60 minutes.
The queue for the roller coaster was over an hour so we didn’t go on it.

NOTE: In many regional accents of British English, ‘our’ and ‘are’ will be homophones. For example, in the sentence ‘Our (ar) friends are (ar) coming to stay’ the words ‘our’ and ‘are’ can be pronounced in exactly the same way.

1. They’re, their, there

They’re (contraction): Short form of ‘they are’.
My brother and his girlfriend got engaged because they’re really in love.

Their (determiner): Belonging to a person or thing being mentioned.
Parents are often keen to help their children with their homework.

There (adverb): In, at, or to a given place.
I threw the ball and now it’s over there.

1. Theirs, there’s

Theirs (pronoun): Refers to something that belongs to two or more people.
I think that white football is theirs.

There’s (contraction): Short form of ‘there is’.
There’s a good film on at the cinema tonight. Fancy it?

1. We’ve, weave

We’ve (contraction): Short form of ‘we have’.
We’ve been digging all day and we haven’t found any treasure!

Weave (verb): Make fabric/baskets by crossing threads over and under.
My grandmother taught me how to weave cloth and make my own clothes.

1. We’d, weed

We’d (contraction): Short form of ‘we would/had’.
If we’d got the bus, then we’d be home by now!

Weed (noun): A wild plant that is not wanted.
The gardener pulled up all the weeds in the flowerbed.

1. We’ll, wheel

We’ll (contraction): Short form of ‘we will’.
We’ll have to run; otherwise we’ll miss the bus!

Wheel (noun): A circular object used to move things over the ground.
The back wheel of my bike is bent and needs to be replaced.

1. We’re, weir

We’re (contraction): Short form of ‘we are’.
When do you think we’re going to get our exam results?

Weir (noun): Low barrier to control the flow of water in a river.
I saw some boys fishing down by the weir.

1. Him, hymn

Him (pronoun): Refers to a male object in a sentence.
His face looks familiar, but I don’t really know him.

Hymn (noun): Religious song to praise God.
The church congregation stood up to sing a hymn.

1. He’ll, heel, heal

He’ll (contraction): Short for ‘he will’.
He’ll win the tennis match if he scores the next point.

Heel (noun): Back part of a foot or shoe below the ankle.
He stood on a nail and cut his heel.

Heal (verb): (Cause to) become healthy again.
The cut on your foot will heal by itself, but you must keep it clean.

1. He’d, heed

He’d (contraction): Short for ‘he would/had’.
He’d better not be late or I’ll kill him!

Heed (verb): Pay attention to.
He should have heeded the warnings. Now he’s in trouble!

1. It’s, its

It’s (contraction): Short form of ‘it is’.
It’s not my fault. It’s yours!

Its (possessive determiner): Belonging to a thing being mentioned.
Lay the baby on its side if it starts crying.

In English you can say ‘it’ about a small baby without being impolite. Native speakers often do this if they do not know the gender of the child. In most other languages grammatical gender dictates that separate words must be used for male vs. female babies.

1. Who’s, whose

Who’s (contraction): Short form of ‘who is’.
Who’s coming to your birthday party tomorrow?

Whose (pronoun): Belonging to or associated with which person.
Let’s get on with the game! Whose turn is it to roll the dice?

1. What’s, watts

What’s (contraction): Short form of ‘what is’.
What’s the capital of France?

Watts (noun): Unit of power in electrical items (plural form).
How many watts are in an amp?

1. Which, witch

Which (pronoun/determiner): Used when asking for information about people or things.
Which of these shirts do you like best?

Witch (noun): Woman with magic powers, usually evil ones.
I’m dressing up as a witch for Halloween this year.

COLOUR HOMOPHONES

1. Blue, blew

Blue (adjective): Colour between green and violet (e.g. like the sky).
Elvis was a fan of blue suede shoes!

Blew (verb): Past tense form of ‘blow’.
The storm blew down several trees on our street!

1. Red, read

Red (adjective): Colour at the end of the spectrum (e.g. like blood).
Little Red Riding Hood is a popular children’s fairytale.

Read (verb): Past tense form of ‘read’.
How many Harry Potter books have you read?

1. Greys, graze

Greys (noun): Two or more shades of the colour grey.
I really like how the artist has used the greys in this painting.

Graze (verb): Eat grass in a field (of cows, sheep, etc.).
Early each morning, the farmer took his cattle out to graze.

FAMILY HOMOPHONES

1. Son, sun

Son (noun): A boy or man in relation to his parents.
My son is only eight years old, but he thinks he is 18!

Sun (noun): Star round which the Earth orbits, light/warmth from this star.
The sun rises in the morning and sets in the evening.

1. Aunt, aren’t

Aunt (noun): The sister of someone’s father or mother.
My mum’s sister is my aunt.

Aren’t (contraction): Short form of ‘are not’.
We aren’t going on holiday this year.

NOTE: In American English and many UK regional accents, the words ‘aunt’ and ‘ant’ are homophones. In Britain, ‘ant’ (aunt) would be the usual pronunciation in the north of the country.

1. Father, farther

Father (noun): Dad.
My father used to play rugby for England.

Farther (adverb): Comparative form of ‘far’.
How much farther do we have to walk?

NATURE HOMOPHONES

1. Root, route

Root (noun): Underground part of a plant or tree, source or origin.
A weed may grow again if you don’t remove the root.

Route (noun): Way, course or path.
Our route took us through the Alps and then on to Italy.

1. Wood, would

Wood (noun): Small forest, material from trees.
There used to be badgers in the wood, but they are gone now.

Would (verb): Past tense form of ‘will’, expresses conditional.
Where would you like to spend the summer holidays?

1. Sea, see

Sea (noun): Expanse of salt water that covers most of our planet.
Julie’s hometown is by the sea.

See (verb): Action of perceiving with the eyes.
If you climb to the top of that hill, you can see for miles!

1. Tide, tied

Tide (noun): Alternate rising and falling of the sea.
When it’s low tide you have to walk a long way before you can swim.

Tied (verb): Past tense form of ‘tie’.
She tied the hook to the end of the fishing line.

1. Shore, sure

Shore (noun): The land along the edge of the sea or a body of water.
We walked along the shore and found some pretty shells.

Sure (adjective): Confident that one is right.
I’m sure that I locked the door.

1. Weather, whether

Weather (noun): Relates to sunshine, rain, wind etc.
The weather in April is usually showery.

Whether (conjunction): Expressing a doubt or choice between alternatives.
I don’t know whether to go to work or call in sick.

Whether the weather is cold
or whether the weather is hot,
we’ll weather the weather,
whatever the weather,
whether we like it or not.

1. Mist, missed

Mist (noun): Light fog.
The morning mist covered the fields.

Missed (verb): Past tense form of ‘miss’.
We missed the train so had to get to London by coach.

1. Dew, due

Dew (noun): Tiny drops of water that form on cool surfaces at night.
The grass was wet with dew.

Due (adjective): Expected at a certain time.
My sister’s baby is due in 3 weeks!

1. Reed, read

Reed (noun): A tall plant which grows in water or marshy ground.
There were reeds growing along the side of the canal.

Read (verb): Look at and comprehend the meaning of words.
She loved books so much that she would read them all day long.

1. Air, heir

Air (noun): Mix of gases that we breathe.
The air was moist after the storm.

Heir (noun): A person entitled to the property or rank of another after death.
He was the King’s only son, and so was heir to the throne.

1. Night, knight

Night (noun): The period from sunset to sunrise.
The stars come out at night.

Knight (noun): An old term for a mounted soldier in armour.
He was my knight in shining armour.

VERB HOMOPHONES

1. Sew, sow, so

Sew (verb): Join or repair with needle and thread.
There’s a hole in my sock, but I don’t know how to sew.

Sow (verb): Plant by scattering seeds on the ground.
Each year the local farmers sow wheat in their fields.

So (adverb/conjunction): To the same or greater extent, therefore, in order that.
I’d never seen so many people in the shop, so I decided to come back later.

1. Pause, paws, pours, pores

Pause (verb): Interrupt an action briefly.
I think we should pause the meeting for a short break at 12.00.

Paws (noun): Plural form of ‘paw’, animal foot with pads and claws.
The cat got its paws trapped under the carpet.

Pours (verb): 3rd person form of ‘pour’, flow quickly in a steady stream.
If John pours the tea, then you can offer our guests a biscuit.

Pores (noun): Plural form of ‘pore’, tiny holes in the skin.
When you do physical exercise, sweat comes out through the pores in your skin.

1. Wrap, rap

Wrap (verb): Cover in paper or soft material.
My mum likes to use colourful paper to wrap the Xmas presents.

Rap (noun/verb): Hip-hop music, singing style involving quick rhymes.
When I was in my teens I used to love rap, but now I’m more into rock.

1. Wear, where, ware

Wear (verb/noun): Have clothing on one’s body, damage over time through use/friction.
Where (adverb): In, to, or in which place or situation.
I have no idea where the nearest petrol station is.

Ware (noun): Manufactured items of a certain type.
John Lewis is a good department store if you want to buy kitchenware.

1. Steal, steel

Steal (verb): Take (illegally) without permission.
If you steal goods from a shop, this is called ‘shoplifting’.

Steel (noun): Common type of metal use in construction.
The new art museum is made entirely from glass and steel.

1. Write, right, rite

Write (verb): Mark letters, words or symbols on paper with a pen or pencil.
Please remember to write to Santa Claus before Xmas!

Right (adjective): Correct, just, opposite of left.
I answered all the test questions, but only got half right.

Rite (noun): Ritual.
In many cultures, older boys must complete a rite of passage to become ‘men’.

1. Buy, by, bye

Buy (verb): Get something in exchange for payment.
I am going to buy some food from the Supermarket.

By (preposition): Identifying who performed an action, near to, using.
My homework gets checked by my teacher.

Bye (exclamation): Informal way of saying ‘goodbye’.
“Bye mum! I’ll see you when I get home from school.”

1. Sell, cell

Sell (verb): Give or hand over something for money.
I want to sell my car and buy a new one.

Cell (noun): Small room for a prisoner.
The police kept the thief in a cell overnight.

1. Hear, here

Hear (verb): Perceive sound with the ears.
I could hear people laughing in the next room.

Here (adverb): In, at, or to this place or position.
We’ve lived here for most of our lives.

1. Break, brake

Break (verb): Smash or separate into pieces.
Be careful not to break a window with that football!

Brake (noun): A device used to slow down a moving vehicle.
When you want to slow the car down, remember to use the brake.

1. Affect, effect

Affect (verb): Influence, cause to change.
The Brexit vote will certainly affect the UK economy.

Effect (noun): A change which is a result of an action or other cause.
No one knows what the effects of this political decision will be.

1. Die, dye

Die (verb): Stop living.
When sailors die they are sometimes ‘buried’ at sea.

Dye (verb/noun): To colour something, substance that adds colour.
My sister would like to dye her hair pink, but I think green would look better!

1. Waste, waist

Waste (verb/noun): Use or expend carelessly, rubbish or unwanted material.
Let’s go. I don’t want to waste any more time!

Waist (noun): Part of the body or measurement around the hips.
I need a pair of jeans with a 36-inch waist.

1. Know, no

Know (verb): Be aware of.
Most men know how to boil an egg, but some don’t!

No (exclamation and determiner): A negative response, not any.
No, I don’t want to mow the lawn today.

1. Accept, except

Accept (verb): Agree to receive or undertake something.
I said the dog had eaten my homework, but the teacher didn’t accept my excuse!

Except (preposition): Not including, other than.
I invited everyone to my birthday party except Jamie.

1. Wait, weight

Wait (verb): Stay where you are until a particular time or event.
I didn’t want to wait any longer, so I left the cafe.

Weight (noun): The heaviness of a person or thing.
My wife often worries about her weight, but she’s actually quite slim!

1. Weigh, way, whey

Weigh (verb): Use scales to determine the weight of something.
Match officials have to weigh each boxer before a professional fight.

Way (noun): Method of doing something, road or route.
We got lost and I had to admit that I didn’t know the way home.

Whey (noun): Watery component of milk after the formation of curds.
Whey is produced as part of the cheese-making process.

1. Flew, flu, flue

Flew (verb): Past tense form of ‘fly’.
The beautiful eagle flew high above the trees.

Flu (noun): Influenza.
Many people suffer from flu during autumn and winter.

Flue (noun): Duct or pipe for smoke.
When we got a wood-burning stove, we had a flue and liner installed in the chimney.

A flea and a fly flew up in a flue.
Said the flea, “Let us fly!”
Said the fly, “Let us flee!”
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

1. Threw, through

Threw (verb): Past tense form of ‘throw’.
He threw his dirty clothes into the laundry basket and put on a clean t-shirt.

Through (preposition): Moving in one side and out of the other.
He walked through the door and went straight upstairs.

ADJECTIVE & ADVERB HOMOPHONES

1. Male, mail

Male (adjective): A man.
The survey was conducted with equal numbers of male and female participants.

Mail (noun): Letters and parcels sent by post.
The postman put the mail through the letterbox.

1. Vain, vein, vane

Vain (adjective): Inflated sense of self or appearance, producing no result.
I think a lot of fashion models are vain.

Vein (noun): Type of blood vessel.
The patient needed an injection, but the trainee nurse couldn’t find a vein.

Vane (noun): Weathervane, broad blade attached to rotating wheel/axis.
The weathervane moved from side to side in the wind.

1. Weak, week

Weak (adjective): Opposite of strong.
I like my tea weak, with milk and one sugar.

Week (noun): 7 days.
I can meet tomorrow, but I’m around all next week.

1. Whole, hole

Whole (adjective): Full, entire.
I can’t eat a whole pizza to myself. Would you like to share?

Hole (noun): Gap or space in the ground or a surface.
There’s a hole in my pocket. That’s how I lost my key!

1. Bored, board

Bored (adjective): Lacking interest or engagement.
The girl looked bored and half-asleep in class.

Board (noun/verb): Long and flat piece of wood, get onto transport (plane, ship, etc.).
The window was broken and a board had been nailed across it.

1. Coarse, course

Coarse (adjective): Rough, rude.
The surface of the stone was coarse and scratched his fingers.

Course (noun): Study programme.
A friend of mine is doing an online English course.

1. Higher, hire

Higher (adjective): Comparative form of ‘high’.
Our company sales figures are higher this year.

Hire (verb): Rent, borrow for money.
There’s no need to take bicycles because we can hire them at the park.

1. Plain, plane

Plain (adjective/noun): Simple, without flavour, large flat area of land with few trees.
I usually have plain yoghurt and muesli for breakfast.

Plane (noun): Aeroplane.
Our plane landed at 2 o’clock sharp.

1. Aloud, allowed

Aloud (adverb): Not silently.
He read the letter aloud so that everyone could hear.

Allowed (verb): Past tense form of ‘allow’.
The museum staff allowed us to take several photographs.

1. Principal, principle

Principal (adjective): Main, number one.
The government’s principal concern is immigration.

Principle (noun): Fundamental truth or proposition.
You can trust Rob. He’s a man of principle.
 

How to learn homophones in English

There is no secret formula when it comes to learning homophones. Try several different approaches and see what works best for you! To get you started, check out the 5 study tips below:

1) Always learn homophones in context

This is basically a fancy way of saying “in a real sentence or situation”. Context helps us understand the intended meaning behind the usage of a word. This becomes even more important when learning homophones because words like pause/paws/pours/pores all have identical pronunciation! You can only work out which meaning is intended by looking at the context.

2) Have a laugh with English homophones!

Many English jokes use homophones to confuse the listener and create puns. You have already seen several jokes in this study guide, but you can find more on Homophonelist.com. At higher levels, exploring English humour can be a really good way of developing your understanding of vocabulary and culture.

3) Use mobile apps anytime, anywhere

The best way to learn vocabulary is to repeat it regularly. Mobile apps offer a quick solution for learning homophones on the move! You can download apps like Homophones Free or go online to play the BBC’s homophone game.

4) Write nonsense sentences with homophones

Another good way to learn homophones is to practise them in your writing. Take a set of homophones and write one sentence that includes ALL of them. It does not matter if the sentence is nonsense! The main aim of the exercise is to compare the different meanings of the homophones. For example: I said “bye” to my friend and went to buy a coat in a shop by the river.

5) Play spelling games with homophones

Native speakers often make spelling mistakes because of homophones! This shows the importance of learning the correct meanings AND spellings of words that have the same pronunciation. Try this game: Make flashcards with x1 homophone on each side and the translation in your language in brackets. Ask a friend to choose random cards and read out the homophones and/or translations. Try to write down the correct spelling of the word, and then check to see if you are right!
 

Quiz: Test your understanding of English homophones

Now that you have been through the homophone list, it is time to test your knowledge! Try each of the exercises in this quiz and then check your answers at the end.

Liam G.
— Staff Writer.

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A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. A homophone may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example rose (flower) and rose (past tense of «rise»), or spelled differently, as in rain, reign, and rein. The term homophone may also apply to units longer or shorter than words, for example a phrase, letter, or groups of letters which are pronounced the same as another phrase, letter, or group of letters. Any unit with this property is said to be homophonous ().

Homophones that are spelled the same are also both homographs and homonyms, e.g. the word read, as in «He is well read» (he is very learned) vs. the sentence «I read that book» (I have finished reading that book).^[a]

Homophones that are spelled differently are also called heterographs, e.g. to, too, and two.

Etymology[edit]

«Homophone» derives from Greek homo- (ὁμο‑), «same», and phōnḗ (φωνή), «voice, utterance».

Wordplay and games[edit]

Homophones are often used to create puns and to deceive the reader (as in crossword puzzles) or to suggest multiple meanings. The last usage is common in poetry and creative literature. An example of this is seen in Dylan Thomas’s radio play Under Milk Wood: «The shops in mourning» where mourning can be heard as mourning or morning. Another vivid example is Thomas Hood’s use of birth and berth as well as told and toll’d (tolled) in his poem «Faithless Sally Brown»:

His death, which happen’d in his berth,

At forty-odd befell:

They went and told the sexton, and

The sexton toll’d the bell.

In some accents, various sounds have merged in that they are no longer distinctive, and thus words that differ only by those sounds in an accent that maintains the distinction (a minimal pair) are homophonous in the accent with the merger. Some examples from English are:

• pin and pen in many southern American accents
• by and buy
• merry, marry, and Mary in most American accents
• The pairs do and due as well as forward and foreword are homophonous in most American accents but not in most English accents
• The pairs talk and torque as well as court and caught are distinguished in rhotic accents, such as Scottish English, and most dialects of American English, but are homophones in some non-rhotic accents, such as British Received Pronunciation

Wordplay is particularly common in English because the multiplicity of linguistic influences offers considerable complication in spelling and meaning and pronunciation compared with other languages.

Malapropisms, which often create a similar comic effect, are usually near-homophones. See also Eggcorn.

Same-sounding phrases[edit]

Same-sounding (homophonous, or homophonic) phrases are often used in various word games. Examples of same-sounding phrases (which may only be true homophones in certain dialects of English) include:

• ice cream vs. I scream (as in the meme I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream.)
• euthanasia vs. Youth in Asia
• depend vs. deep end
• Gemini vs. gem in eye vs. Jim and I (vs. Jem in eye)
• the sky vs. this guy (most notably as a mondegreen in «Purple Haze» by Jimi Hendrix)
• four candles vs. fork handles
• sand which is there vs. sandwiches there
• philanderers vs. Flanders
• example vs. egg sample
• some others vs. some mothers vs. smothers

American comedian Jeff Foxworthy frequently uses same-sounding phrases in his Appalachian comedy routine, which play on exaggerated «country» accents. Notable examples include:

• Initiate vs. and then she ate: «My wife ate two sandwiches, initiate a bag o’ tater chips.»
• Mayonnaise vs. Man, there is: «Mayonnaise a lot of people here tonight.»
• Innuendo vs. in your window: «Hey dude I saw a bird fly innuendo.»
• Moustache vs. must ask: «I Moustache you a question.»

During the 1980s, an attempt was made to promote a distinctive term for same-sounding multiple words or phrases, by referring to them as «oronyms»,^[b]
but the term oronym was already well established in linguistics as an onomastic designation for a class of toponymic features (names of mountains, hills, etc.),^[2] the alternative use of the same term was not well accepted in scholarly literature.^[3]

Number[edit]

English[edit]

There are sources^[4] which maintain lists of homophones (words with identical pronunciations but different spellings) and even ‘multinyms.’ There is disagreement among such lists due to dialectical variations in pronunciation and archaic uses. In English, concerning groups of homophones (excluding proper nouns), there are approximately 88 triplets, 24 quadruplets, 2 quintuplets, 1 sextet, 1 septet, and 1 questionable octet (possibly a second septet). The questionable octet is:

raise, rays, rase, raze, rehs, res, reais, [race]

Other than the common words raise, rays, and race this octet includes

• raze – a verb meaning «to demolish, level to the ground» or «to scrape as if with a razor»
• rase – an archaic verb meaning «to erase»
• rehs – the plural of reh, a mixture of sodium salts found as an efflorescence in India
• res – the plural of re, a name for one step of the musical scale; obsolete legal term for «the matter» or «incident»
• reais – the plural of real, the currency unit of Brazil

The inclusion of «race» in the octet above is questionable, since its pronunciation differs from the other words on the list (ending with /s/ instead of /z/).

If proper names are included, then a possible nonet would be:

• Ayr – a town in Scotland
• Aire – a river in Yorkshire
• Eyre – legal term and various geographic locations
• heir – one who inherits
• air – the ubiquitous atmospheric gas that people breathe; a type of musical tune
• err – to make an error
• ere – poetic / archaic «before»
• e’er – poetic «ever» (some speakers)
• are – a defunct, small, metric unit of area

German[edit]

There are many homophones in present-day standard German. As in other languages, however, there exists regional and/or individual variation in certain groups of words or in single words, so that the number of homophones varies accordingly. Regional variation is especially common in words that exhibit the long vowels ä and e. According to the well-known dictionary Duden, these vowels should be distinguished as /ɛ:/ and /e:/, but this is not always the case, so that words like Ähre (ear of corn) and Ehre (honor) may or may not be homophones.
Individual variation is shown by a pair like Gäste (guests) – Geste (gesture), the latter of which varies between /ˈɡe:stə/ and /ˈɡɛstə/ and by a pair like Stiel (handle, stalk) – Stil (style), the latter of which varies between /ʃtiːl/ and /stiːl/.

Besides websites that offer extensive lists of German homophones,^[5] there are others which provide numerous sentences with various types of homophones.^[6] In the German language homophones occur in more than 200 instances. Of these, a few are triples like

• Waagen (weighing scales) – Wagen (cart) – wagen (to dare)
• Waise (orphan) – Weise (way, manner) – weise (wise)

Most are couples like lehren (to teach) – leeren (to empty).

Spanish[edit]

Although Spanish has far fewer homophones than in English, they are far from being non-existent. Some are homonyms, such as basta, which can either mean ‘enough’ or ‘coarse’, but most exist because of homophonous letters. For example, the letters b and v are pronounced exactly alike, so the words basta (coarse) and vasta (vast) are pronounced identically.^[7]

Other homonyms are etymologically related, but have different genders, and in some cases the different genders producing different lexical items. In the case of persona, el persona (the male or ungendered/unidentified person) and la persona (the female person) are the masculine and feminine forms of the noun persona (person) respectively. However, el capital and la capital have drastically different meanings, in which the masculine noun means ‘money’ and the feminine noun means ‘capital city’ or ‘capital letter’.^[8]

Japanese[edit]

There are many homophones in Japanese, due to the use of Sino-Japanese vocabulary, where borrowed words and morphemes from Chinese are widely used in Japanese, but many sound differences, such as the original words’ tones, are lost.^{[citation needed]} These are to some extent disambiguated via Japanese pitch accent (i.e. 日本 vs. 二本, both pronounced nihon, but with different pitches), or from context, but many of these words are primarily or almost exclusively used in writing, where they are easily distinguished as they are written with different kanji; others are used for puns, which are frequent in Japanese.

An extreme example is kikō (hiragana: きこう), which is the pronunciation of at least 22 words (some quite rare or specialized, others common; all these examples are two-character compounds), including:

Even some native Japanese words are homophones. For example, kami (かみ) is the pronunciation of the words

The former two words are disambiguated from the latter two by pitch accent.

Korean[edit]

The Korean language contains a combination of words that strictly belong to Korean and words that are loanwords from Chinese. Due to Chinese being pronounced with varying tones and Korean’s removal of those tones, and because the modern Korean writing system, Hangeul, has a more finite number of phonemes than, for example, Latin-derived alphabets such as that of English, there are many homonyms with both the same spelling and pronunciation.
For example

• ‘화장(化粧)하다‘: ‘to put on makeup’ vs. ‘화장(火葬)하다‘: ‘to cremate’
• ‘유산(遺産)‘: ‘inheritance’ vs. ‘유산(流産)‘: ‘miscarriage’
• ‘방구‘: ‘fart’ vs. ‘방구(防具)‘: ‘guard’
• ‘밤[밤ː]’: ‘chestnut’ vs. ‘밤’: ‘night’

There are heterographs, but far fewer, contrary to the tendency in English. For example,

• ‘학문(學問)’: ‘learning’ vs. ‘항문(肛門)’: ‘anus’.

Using hanja (한자; 漢字), which are Chinese characters, such words are written differently.

As in other languages, Korean homonyms can be used to make puns. The context in which the word is used indicates which meaning is intended by the speaker or writer.

Mandarin Chinese[edit]

Due to phonological constraints in Mandarin syllables (as Mandarin only allows for an initial consonant, a vowel, and a nasal or retroflex consonant in respective order), there are only a little over 400 possible unique syllables that can be produced,^[9] compared to over 15,831 in the English language.^[10]

Chinese has an entire genre of poems taking advantage of the large amount of homophones called one-syllable articles, or poems where every single word in the poem is pronounced as the same syllable if tones are disregarded. An example is the Lion-Eating Poet in the Stone Den.

Like all Chinese languages, Mandarin uses phonemic tones to distinguish homophonic syllables; Mandarin has five tones. A famous example,

• mā (妈) means «mother»
• má (麻) means «hemp»
• mă (马) means «horse»
• mà (骂) means «scold»
• ma (吗) is a yes / no question particle

Although all these words consist of the same string of consonants and vowels, the only way to distinguish each of these words audibly is by listening to which tone the word has, and as shown above, saying a consonant-vowel string using a different tone can produce an entirely different word altogether. If tones are included, the number of unique syllables in Mandarin increases to at least 1,522.^[11]

However, even with tones, Mandarin retains a very large amount of homophones. Yì, for example, has at least 125 homophones,^[12] and it is the pronunciation used for Chinese characters such as 义, 意, 易, 亿, 议, 一, and 已.

There are even place names in China that have identical pronunciations, aside for the difference in tone. For example, there are two neighboring provinces with nearly identical names, Shanxi (山西) and Shaanxi (陕西) Province. The only difference in pronunciation between the two names are the tone in the first syllable (Shanxi is pronounced Shānxī whereas Shaanxi is pronounced Shǎnxī). As most languages exclude the tone diacritics when transcribing Chinese place names into their own languages, the only way to visually distinguish the two names is to write Shaanxi in Gwoyeu Romatzyh romanization. Otherwise, nearly all other spellings of placenames in mainland China are spelled using Hanyu Pinyin romanization.

Many scholars believe that the Chinese language did not always have such a large number of homophones and that the phonological structure of Chinese syllables was once more complex, which allowed for a larger amount of possible syllables so that words sounded more distinct from each other.

Scholars also believe that Old Chinese had no phonemic tones, but tones emerged in Middle Chinese to replace sounds that were lost from Old Chinese. Since words in Old Chinese sounded more distinct from each other at this time, it explains why many words in Classical Chinese consisted of only one syllable. For example, the Standard Mandarin word 狮子(shīzi, meaning «lion») was simply 狮 (shī) in Classical Chinese, and the Standard Mandarin word 教育 (jiàoyù, «education») was simply 教 (jiào) in Classical Chinese.

Since many Chinese words became homophonic over the centuries, it became difficult to distinguish words when listening to documents written in Classical Chinese being read aloud. One-syllable articles like those mentioned above are evidence for this. For this reason, many one-syllable words from Classical Chinese became two-syllable words, like the words mentioned in the previous paragraph.

Even with the existence of two- or two-syllable words, however, there are even multisyllabic homophones. Such homophones even play a major role in daily life throughout China, including Spring Festival traditions, which gifts to give (and not give), political criticism, texting, and many other aspects of people’s lives.^[13]

Another complication that arises within the Chinese language is that in non-rap songs, tones are disregarded in favor of maintaining melody in the song.^[14] While in most cases, the lack of phonemic tones in music does not cause confusion among native speakers, there are instances where puns may arise.

Subtitles in Chinese characters are usually displayed on music videos and in songs sung on movies and TV shows to disambiguate the song’s lyrics.

Vietnamese[edit]

It is estimated that there are approximately 4,500 to 4,800 possible syllables in Vietnamese, depending on the dialect.^[15] The exact number is difficult to calculate because there are significant differences in pronunciation among the dialects. For example, the graphemes and digraphs «d», «gi», and «r» are all pronounced /z/ in the Hanoi dialect, so the words dao (knife), giao (delivery), and rao (advertise) are all pronounced /zaw˧/. In Saigon dialect, however, the graphemes and digraphs «d», «gi», and «v» are all pronounced /j/, so the words dao (knife), giao (delivery), and vao (enter) are all pronounced /jaw˧/.

Pairs of words that are homophones in one dialect may not be homophones in the other. For example, the words sắc (sharp) and xắc (dice) are both pronounced /săk˧˥/ in Hanoi dialect, but pronounced /ʂăk˧˥/ and /săk˧˥/ in Saigon dialect respectively.

Psychological research[edit]

Pseudo-homophones[edit]

Pseudo-homophones are pseudowords that are phonetically identical to a word. For example, groan/grone and crane/crain are pseudo-homophone pairs, whereas plane/plain is a homophone pair since both letter strings are recognised words. Both types of pairs are used in lexical decision tasks to investigate word recognition.^[16]

Use as ambiguous information[edit]

Homophones, specifically heterographs, where one spelling is of a threatening nature and one is not (e.g. slay/sleigh, war/wore) have been used in studies of anxiety as a test of cognitive models that those with high anxiety tend to interpret ambiguous information in a threatening manner.^[17]

See also[edit]

• Homograph
• Homonym
• Synonym
• Dajare, a type of wordplay involving similar-sounding phrases
• Perfect rhyme

Wiktionary

• List of dialect-independent homophones
• List of dialect-dependent homophones

Footnotes[edit]

References[edit]

Sources[edit]

External links[edit]

• Homophone.com – a list of American homophones with a searchable database.
• Reed’s homophones – a book of sound-alike words published in 2012
• Homophones.ml – a collection of homophones and their definitions
• Homophone Machine – swaps homophones in any sentence
• Useful tips … English homophones – homophones list, activities and worksheets

Homophones examples with meaning!

A homophone is a word that has almost the same pronunciation as the other word but has a different meaning. Homophones are word that has different spellings,  and different meaning i.e. 

• Sun – Son
• Able – Abel
• Marry – Merry
• Mare – Mere

What is the difference between homophones, homonyms, and homographs?

Homophones are words with different spellings and different meanings, but they sound the same i.e. Sun-Son, etc. on the other hand homonyms are words that have the same sound and same spellings i.e. Address – Address, Band – Band.

1. Homophones

• Brake/Break
• Cell/Sell

2. Homonyms

• Bat – Bat.
• Match – Match.

3. Homographs (words that are spelled the same, and are of different origin)

• sow (verb) – to plant seed / sow (noun) – female pig

Also Check: 300+ Forms of Verb List

Homophones Examples with Meaning in English PDF file is available for download at the bottom of this article.

	Homophones	Meaning
1.	Abject Object	Hateful Purpose
	The poor surroundings caused abject misery. Can you describe the object?
2.	Adapt Adopt	Make according Take on, Accept
	He needed to adapt his strategies when dealing with her. They decided to adopt a child.
3.	Admit Confess	Got admission Accept mistake
	Don’t be afraid to admit to your mistakes. I confess to some suspicion of your honesty.
4.	Affect Effect	Mask, show something else Result
	Colorado was affected by severe flooding last summer. The snow had a predictable effect on traffic.
5.	Oar Ore	a pole with a flat blade Ore is a rock that contains minerals like iron
	We each took an oar. Iron ores have been found in most of the states
6.	Lessen Lesson	Reduce something tutorial
	They gave her an injection to lessen the pain. I enjoyed the lesson on world history.
7.	Loath Loathe	Not Agreed Hate for
	The little girl was loath to leave her mother. I loathe these horrible roads, but I love the places they take you.
8.	Lose Loose	Left Not fixed in place
	I lose a lot of money during Pandemic. This tooth is loose.
9.	Marry Merry	Join together (Husband wife relation) Happy, joy
	John Wants to Marry Jackeline. He laughed at that, and his laugh was merry and frank.

Homophones examples with meaning – Image 1

10.	Mare Mere	Female horse Just, bit
	She urged her mare to jump the fence. I have mere two coins.
11.	Miner Minor	Digger Tint, small
	My friend is a miner. He suffered a minor heart attack.
12.	Feat Feet	Exercise for others fun paw, forepaw, hind paw, hoof
	It’s no wonder fans are fascinated by the feat.. Her feet are nice and clean.
13.	Float Swim	Hover, slide, flow Dip, Dive
	Cork can float on water. Rima knows how to swim.
14.	Foul Fowl	Wrong play Bird
	Please stop playing foul games. Fowl is a beautiful bird.
15.	Heal Heel	Cure, remedy, restore Shoe base
	Doctor has no heal for his pain. She was looking gorgeous in her black heals.
16.	Industrial Industrious	Related to factory and manufacturing Hardworking
	Industrial growth is of vital importance for a Country. His brother is a industrious person.
17.	Sore Soar	Painful Lift, zoom, moving upwards
	She rubbed a sore spot in her lower back. An eagle was soaring high up in the air.
18.	Stair Stare	Lift Look, gaze
	She tripped over a stair and landed hard. Stop Staring at me.
19.	Steal Steel	Act of thief, swipe, sneak Metal
	Your goal is to steal a necklace with a red gem on it. He emerged from the thick steel walls into the sunlight.

Homophones examples with meaning – Image 2

21.	Vain Vein	No gain Rug, skin tube, blood vessels
	I too hoped and waited for one until now- but in vain. The veins in his hands are really thick and easy to see under the skin.
22.	Waist Waste	Midsection of human body Garbage
	He put an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. I consigned her letter to the waste basket.
23.	Calendar Calendar	Date teller A machine that can smooth cloth
	Do you have next year’s calendar? Calender is glazing coater matching equipment.
24.	Casual Causal	Effort less Lesson giving, creative
	He tried to look casual. No causal connection between the events was found.
25.	Artist Artiste	Actor Related to singing
	Everyone wanted to meet the artist and discuss the work they were interested in. She was a popular French music hall artiste in the late 19th century.

1000 List of Homophones Examples

Here is the list of Common homophones:

• tail – tale
• sort – sought
• missed – mist
• curb – herb
• wart – wort
• pole – poll
• him – hymn
• eery – eyrie
• watt – what
• poof – pouffe
• him – hymn
• ewe – yew – you
• yaw – yore – your – you’re
• thyme – time
• oh – owe
• bare – bear
• wait – weight
• pi – pie
• hear – here
• board – bored
• aye – eye – I
• were – whirr
• raw – roar
• jewel – joule
• fie – phi
• sauce – source
• liar – lyre
• gilt – guilt
• cast – caste
• rough – ruff
• lay – ley
• furs – furze
• bur – burr
• shoe – shoo
• mall – maul
• hay – hey
• clack – claque
• straight – strait
• Sole – Soul
• meat – meet – mete
• coo – coup
• whirled – world
• review – revue
• knob – nob
• flea – flee
• Stile – Style
• Soar – Sore
• mean – mien
• complement – compliment
• talk – torque
• spa – spar
• mode – mowed
• cymbal – symbol
• woe – whoa
• throes – throws
• od – odd
• bard – barred
• tole – toll
• palate – palette – pallet
• bean – been
• allowed – aloud
• Sauce – Source
• licence – license
• giro – gyro
• caster – castor
• role – roll
• lac – lack
• for – four
• braid – brayed
• tor – tore
• paten – patten – pattern
• beau – bow
• altar – alter
• vale – veil
• peace – piece
• bight – bite – byte
• auger – augur
• rose – rows
• larva – lava
• franc – frank
• brews – bruise
• scene – seen
• lieu – loo
• gorilla – guerilla
• cede – seed
• which – witch
• real – reel
• knead – need
• fir – fur
• you’ll – yule
• tide – tied
• one – won

List of Homophone Examples – Image 1

• baron – barren
• wait – weight
• pica – pika
• heard – herd
• boarder – border
• sew – so – sow
• mail – male
• hangar – hanger
• choir – quire
• root – route
• laps – lapse
• foul – fowl
• bread – bred
• road – rode
• know – no
• flour – flower
• bough – bow
• tare – tear
• spade – spayed
• moor – more
• dam – damn
• terce – terse
• nay – neigh
• die – dye
• bait – bate
• waive – wave
• place – plaice
• he’d – heed
• bold – bowled
• sear – seer – sere
• loot – lute
• hail – hale
• cereal – serial
• whig – wig
• real – reel
• knew – new
• fir – fur
• told – tolled
• pair – pear
• beach – beech
• all – awl
• weaver – weever
• rain – reign – rein
• in – inn
• feat – feet
• there – their – they’re
• none – nun
• done – dun
• ball – bawl
• rye – wry
• lead – led
• gallop – galop
• buy – by – bye
• roe – row
• laager – lager
• for – fore – four
• brae – bray
• storey – story
• sole – soul
• meat – meet
• complement – compliment
• sea – see
• loan – lone
• grisly – grizzly
• censer – censor – sensor
• to – too
• packs – pax
• bay – bey
• ad – add
• tire – tyre
• packed – pact
• base – bass
• accessary – accessory
• shear – sheer
• maize – maze
• haw – hoar – whore
• cite – sight – site
• swat – swot
• Some – Sum
• meter – metre
• cousin – cozen
• sail – sale
• leak – leek
• gamble – gambol
• buyer – byre
• rouse – rows
• lea – lee
• gait – gate
• but – butt
• wail – wale – whale
• peal – peel
• bitten – bittern
• aural – oral
• See – Sea
• made – maid
• hair – hare
• cheap – cheep
• stalk – stork
• shore – sure
• manna – manner
• clew – clue
• wall – waul
• plain – plane
• heroin – heroine
• boos – booze
• tuba – tuber
• pea – pee
• berry – bury
• aren’t – aunt
• team – teem
• stair – stare
• morning – mourning
• desert – dessert
• rota – rotor
• lase – laze
• freeze – frieze
• bridal – bridle
• root – route
• lam – lamb
• forth – fourth
• brake – break
• war – wore
• plain – plane
• hew – hue
• draft – draught
• Stare – Stair
• sic – sick
• mantel – mantle
• climb – clime
• ware – wear – where
• pleas – please
• hi – high
• dual – duel
• stationary – stationery
• sight – site
• marshal – martial
• coarse – course
• wood – would
• throne – thrown

List of Homophone Examples – Image 2

• ode – owed
• bare – bear
• Sun – Son
• some – sum
• metal – mettle
• council – counsel
• troop – troupe
• pawn – porn
• bel – bell – belle
• arc – ark
• we’d – weed
• raise – rays – raze
• indict – indite
• ferrule – ferule
• whine – wine
• rest – wrest
• knight – night
• flair – flare
• white – wight
• right – rite – wright – write
• knot – not
• flex – flecks
• tear – tier
• stake – steak
• muscle – mussel
• deviser – divisor
• wet – whet
• read – red
• key – quay
• file – phial
• warn – worn
• plum – plumb
• higher – hire
• earn – urn
• taught – taut – tort
• staid – stayed
• moose – mousse
• days – daze
• ring – wring
• know – no
• flour – flower
• born – borne
• wax – whacks
• poor – pour
• ho – hoe
• eye – I
• weir – we’re
• rap – wrap
• it’s – its
• few – phew
• way – weigh
• practice – practise
• hoard – horde
• fah – far
• way – weigh – whey
• praise – prays – preys
• hoarse – horse
• faint – feint
• sale – sail
• lean – lien
• gays – gaze
• calendar – calender
• we – wee – whee
• pray – prey
• hole – whole
• fair – fare
• to – too – two
• pail – pale
• bazaar – bizarre

Homophone Examples – Image 3

• ail – ale
• sane – seine
• lessen – lesson
• genes – jeans
• call – caul
• weak – week
• principal – principle
• holey – holy – wholly
• fair – fare
• tern – turn
• nigh – nye
• discreet – discrete
• baize – bays
• weak – week
• principal – principle
• hour – our
• farther – father
• weal – we’ll – wheel
• profit – prophet
• hour – our
• fate – fête
• waist – waste
• peer – pier
• hear – here
• boar – bore
• axel – axle
• saver – savour
• licker – liquor
• gnaw – nor
• caught – court
• rote – wrote
• law – lore
• friar – fryer
• broach – brooch
• wean – ween
• profit – prophet
• idle – idol
• faun – fawn
• waist – waste
• pedal – peddle
• heal – heel – he’ll
• bloc – block
• awe – oar – or – ore
• tough – tuff
• pause – paws – pores – pours
• beer – bier
• ante – – anti –
• wear – where
• quarts – quartz
• idle – idol
• fay – fey
• Steal – Steel
• sink – synch
• mask – masque
• coign – coin
• while – wile
• reek – wreak
• knight – night
• fizz – phiz
• stile – style
• sloe – slow
• me – mi
• complacent – complaisant
• satire – satyr
• levee – levy
• gild – guild
• canvas – canvass
• tacks – tax
• son – sun
• mind – mined
• crews – cruise
• shake – sheikh
• main – mane
• hart – heart
• chord – cord
• seas – sees – seize
• made – maid
• hair – hare
• cereal – serial
• weather – whether
• quean – queen
• in – inn
• faze – phase
• steal – steel
• sign – sine
• marten – martin
• coarse – course
• Rode – Road
• knows – nose
• foaled – fold
• boy – buoy
• teas – tease
• naval – navel
• dew – due
• bail – bale
• sweet – suite
• some – sum
• might – mite
• creak – creek
• wheald – wheeled
• read – reed
• knave – nave
• find – fined
• whirl – whorl
• retch – wretch
• knit – nit
• flaw – floor
• yoke – yolk
• tic – tick
• one – won
• bark – barque
• Scene – Seen
• links – lynx
• grate – great
• ceiling – sealing
• sea – see
• load – lode
• greys – graze
• cell – sell
• Tail – Tale
• son – sun
• miner – minor – mynah
• cue – kayo – queue
• rung – wrung
• leach – leech
• galipot – gallipot
• buy – by
• vain – vane – vein
• peace – piece
• berth – birth
• ate – eight
• vial – vile
• peak – peek – peke – pique
• billed – build
• auk – orc
• stationary – stationery
• side – sighed
• mare – mayor
• close – cloze
• Stationary – Stationery
• Side – Sighed
• mark – marque
• coal – kohl
• seam – seem
• loop – loupe
• guessed – guest
• cent – scent – sent
• saw – soar – sore
• lie – lye

List of Homophone Examples – Image 4

• gneiss – nice
• caw – core – corps
• toad – toed – towed
• pain – pane
• be – bee
• air – heir
• roo – roux – rue
• lade – laid
• foreword – forward
• braise – brays – braze
• their – there
• none – nun
• doe – doh – dough
• bald – bawled
• steal – steel
• slay – sleigh
• maw – more
• colonel – kernel
• ton – tun
• pascal – paschal
• beat – beet
• alms – arms
• te – tea – tee
• stair – stare
• morning – mourning
• dear – deer
• tale – tail
• Sort – Sought
• moat – mote
• currant – current
• sew – so
• mail – male
• hall – haul
• check – cheque
• toe – tow
• pair – pare – pear
• be – bee
• aisle – isle
• wain – wane
• pearl – purl
• heal – heel
• blew – blue
• away – aweigh
• whit – wit
• rheum – room
• knock – nock
• flew – flu – flue
• who’s – whose
• right – write
• knot – not
• floe – flow
• rood – rude
• lain – lane
• fort – fought
• brake – break
• scull – skull
• lo – low
• greave – grieve
• cell – sell
• suite – sweet
• sole – soul
• medal – meddle
• cops – copse
• threw – through
• oar – or
• douse – dowse
• band – banned
• seam – seem
• locks – lox
• groan – grown
• cent – scent

Homophones List Examples – Image 5

Homophones examples with meaning – Image 3

Homophones examples with meaning – Image 4

Homophones examples with meaning – Image 5

Homophones examples with meaning

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A List of Easily Confused Words With Practice Exercises

Homonyms are two or more words that have the same sound or spelling but differ in meaning. Homophones—which means «same sounds» in Latin—are two or more words, such as knew and new or meat and meet, that are pronounced the same but differ in meaning, origin, and often spelling. Homographs, meanwhile, are words that have the same spelling but differ in origin, meaning, and sometimes pronunciation, such as the verb bear (to carry or endure) and the noun bear (the animal with a shaggy coat).

Words that fall under any of these three categories often confuse readers and writers alike. But they need not perplex you: Understanding the meaning of these three grammatical terms and, especially, being able to recognize them can help clear up any confusion. A list of some of the most common homonyms, homophones, and homographs can help any writer use these words correctly and any reader or listener recognize them when they occur.

Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs 

Here is a listing of some the most common homonyms, homophones, and homographs. The first column contains homonyms in alphabetical order, while the second and third columns list the corresponding homonym, homophone, or homograph as applicable.

accept — take in	except — other than
ad — advertisement	add — join, combine
advice — guidance	advise — recommend
aid — assist, assistance	aide — one who gives assistance
ail — to suffer poor health	ale — a beverage
air — atmosphere	ere — before	heir — one who inherits property
aisle — a passage	I’ll — contraction of I will	isle — island
allusion — an indirect reference	illusion — false appearance
altar — table in a church	alter — to change
ate — past tense of eat	eight — the number 8
bail — to clear water	bail — release of a prisoner	bale — a large bundle
band — a ring, something that binds	band — a group	banned — prohibited
bare — uncovered	bear — large animal	bear — support, yield
bases — starting points	bases — four stations on a baseball field	basis — a basic principle
beat — to strike, overcome	beat — exhausted	beet — a plant with red roots
blew — past tense of blow	blue — the color
bread — baked food item	bred — produced
buy — purchase	by — near, through	bye — goodbye
capital — punishable by death	capital — chief city	capitol — building where legislature meets
ceiling — top of a room	sealing — setting, fastening
cell — compartment	sell — vend
cent — penny coin	scent — an odor	sent — past tense of send
cereal — breakfast food	serial — sequential
chews — gnaws with teeth	choose — to select
Chile— country in South America	chili — bean stew	chilly — frosty
chord — musical tone	cord — rope
cite — quote	site — location	sight — view
close — opposite of open	clothes — clothing
coarse — rough	course — path, procedure
complement – enhance; go together	compliment — praise
conduct — behavior	conduct — to lead
council — committee	counsel — guidance
creak — squeak	creek — stream of water
crews — gangs	cruise — ride on a boat
days — plural of day	daze — stun
dear — darling	deer— woodland animal
desert — to abandon	desert — dry land	dessert — after-dinner treat
dew — morning mist	do — operate	due — payable
die — cease to exist	dye — color
discreet — tactful	discrete — distinct
doe — female deer	dough — uncooked bread
dual — double	duel — battle
elicit — draw out	illicit — illegal
eminent — distinguished	imminent — soon
ewe — female sheep	you — second-person personal pronoun
eye — sight organ	I — first-person personal pronoun
facts — true things	fax — a document transmitted via telephone
fair — equal	fare — price
fairy — elflike creature with wings	ferry — boat
faze — impact	phase — stage
feat — achievement	feet — plural of foot
find — to discover	fined — charged a penalty
fir — type of tree	fur — animal hair
flea — small biting insect	flee — run
flew — did fly	flu — illness
flour — powdery, ground up grain	flower — blooming plant
for — on behalf of	fore — front	four — three plus one
forth — onward	fourth — number four
foreword — introduction to a book	forward — advancing
gene — a chromosome	jean — fabric; pants
gorilla — big ape	guerrilla — warrior
grease — fat	Greece — country in Europe
groan — moan	grown — form of grow
hair — head covering	hare — rabbit-like animal
hall — passageway	haul — tow
halve — cut in two parts	have — possess
hay — animal food	hey — interjection to get attention
heal — mend	heel — back of foot
hear — to listen	here — at this place
hi — hello	high — up far
hoarse — croaky	horse — riding animal
hole — opening	whole — entire
holey — full of holes	holy — divine	wholly — entirely
hoarse — rough voice	horse — animal
hour — sixty minutes	our — belonging to us
knead — massage	need — desire
knew — did know	new — not old
knight — feudal horseman	night — evening
knot — tied rope	not — negative
know — have knowledge	no — opposite of yes
lead — metal	led — was the leader
leased — past tense of lease	least — the minimum
lessen — make smaller	lesson — class
loan — lend	lone — solitary
made — did make	maid — servant
mail — postage	male — opposite of female
material — matter	materiel — supplies for an organization, particularly the military
marry — to wed	merry — very happy
meat — animal protein	meet — encounter
mince — to chop finely	mints — type of sweet
morning — a.m.	mourning — remember the dead
none — not any	nun — woman who takes special vows
oar — boat paddle	or — otherwise	ore — mineral
oh — expression of surprise or awe	owe — be obligated
one — single	won — did win
overdo — do too much	overdue — past due date
pail — bucket	pale — not bright
pain — hurt	pane — window glass
peace — calm	piece — segment
peak – highest point	peek — glance
patience — being willing to wait	patients — person treated in a hospital or by a doctor
pear — a type of fruit	pair — two (usually matching)
plain — ordinary	plane — flight machine plane; flat surface
pole — post	poll — survey
poor — not rich	pour — make flow
pray — implore God	prey — quarry
principal — most important	principle — belief
rain – water from sky	rein — bridle
rap — tap	wrap — drape around
read — past tense of the verb to read	red — color
real — factual	reel — roll
right — correct; not left	write — scribble
ring — encircle	wring — squeeze
road — street	rode — past tense of ride
role — function	roll — rotate
rose — flower	rows — lines
sail — move by wind power	sale — bargain price
scene — landscape	seen — viewed
sea — ocean segment	see — observe with eyes
seam — joining edge	seem — appear
sew — connect with thread	so — as a result	sow — plant
soar — ascend	sore — hurt place
sole — single	soul — essence
son — male child	sun — the star that lights the solar system
some — a few	sum — amount
stair — step	stare — to look at steadily
steal — swipe	steel — alloy
suite — large room in a hotel	sweet — the opposite of sour
tail — animal’s appendage	tale — story
their — belonging to them	there — at that place	they’re — they are
threw — past tense of throw	through — passing from one place to another
to — toward	too — also	two — the number 2
toe — foot appendage	tow — pull along
vary — differ	very — wail — howl
wail — howl	whale — huge sea mammal
waist — area below ribs	waste — squander
wait – kill time	weight — measurable load
war — battle	wore — did wear
warn — caution	worn — used
way — path	weigh — measure mass
we — us	wee — tiny
weak — not strong	week — seven days
wear — to don attire	where — question word
weather — climate	whether — if
which — that	witch — sorcerer
wood — material coming from trees	would — conditional auxiliary
your — belonging to you	you’re — you are

Practice Using Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs

Complete each of the following sentences by filling in the blank with the correct word. You’ll find the answers at the end of the exercise. To heighten interest, all of the sentences are quotes from various authors’ writings in books and magazine articles published over the years. Feel free to use the previous table to help you if you get stumped.

1. “He simply sat down on the ledge and forgot everything _____ [accept or except] the marvelous mystery.”
   — Lawrence Sargent Hall
2. «I live in the Oakland Hills in a tiny house on a street so windy you can’t drive more than ten miles per hour. I rented it because the _____ [ad or add] said this: ‘Small house in the trees with a garden and a fireplace. Dogs welcome, of course.'»
   — Pam Houston
3. «Francis wondered what _____ [advice or advise] a psychiatrist would have for him.»
   — John Cheever
4. «The _____ [aid or aide] gets out of the way, picking her skirt out of the rubble of children at her feet.»
   — Rosellen Brown
5. «He seemed to want to recapture the cosseted feeling he’d had when he’d been sick as a child and she would serve him flat ginger _____ [ail or ale], and toast soaked in cream, and play endless card games with him, using his blanket-covered legs as a table.»
   — Alice Elliott Dark
6. «He sat down and leaned forward, pulling the chair’s rear legs into the _____ [air, ere, or heir] so that the waitress could get by.»
   — Stanley Elkins
7. «[T]he stewardess was moving down the _____ [aisle, I’ll, or isle], like a trained nurse taking temperatures in a hospital ward, to see that they were all properly strapped in for the take-off.»
   — Martha Gellhorn
8. «Mrs. Parmenter laughed at his _____ [allusion or illusion] to their summer at Mrs. Sterrett’s, in Rome, and gave him her coat to hold.»
   — Willa Cather
9. «In the long years between, she had fashioned many fine dresses—gowned gay girls for their conquests and robed fair brides for the _____ [altar or alter].»
   — Mary Lerner
10. «On a Saturday morning soon after he came to live with her, he turned over her garbage while she was at the grocery store and _____ [ate or eight] rancid bacon drippings out of a small Crisco can.»
    — Pam Durban
11. «The barn was bigger than a church, and the fall’s fresh hay _____ [bails or bales] were stacked to the roof in the side mows.»
    — John Updike
12. «Her two spare dresses were gone, her comb was gone, her checkered coat was gone, and so was the mauve hair-_____ [band or banned] with a mauve bow that had been her hat.»
    — Vladimir Nabokov
13. «Without the shelter of those trees, there is a great exposure—back yards, clotheslines, woodpiles, patchy sheds and barns and privies—all _____ [bare or bear], exposed, provisional looking.»
    — Alice Munro
14. «This was the time when outfields were larger than they are today and well-hit balls would roll for a long time, giving runners ample time to round the _____ [bases or basis] for a home run.»
    — Deidre Silva and Jackie Koney
15. «The conductor had his knotted signal cord to pull, and the motorman _____ [beat or beet] the foot gong with his mad heel.»
    — Saul Bellow
16. «Nancy held the cup to her mouth and _____ [blew or blue] into the cup.»
    — William Faulkner
17. «A pigeon landed nearby. It hopped on its little red feet and pecked into something that might have been a dirty piece of stale _____ [bread or bred] or dried mud.»
    — Isaac Bashevis Singer
18. «He was wearing a new hat of a pretty biscuit shade, for it never occurred to him to _____ [buy, by, or bye] anything of a practical color; he had put it on for the first time and the rain was spoiling it.»
    — Katherine Anne Porter

Answers to the Exercise

1. except 2. ad 3. advice 4. aide 5. ale 6. air 7. aisle 8. allusion 9. altar 10. ate 11. bales 12. band 13. bare 14. bases 15. beat 16. blew  17. bread 18. buy

Sources

• Hall, Lawrence Sargent. «The Ledge.» The Hudson Review, 1960.
• Houston, Pam. «Waltzing the Cat.» Washington Square Press, 1999, New York.
• Cheever, John. «The Country Husband.» The New Yorker, 1955.
• Brown, Rosellen. «How to Win.» The Massachusetts Review, 1975.
• Dark, Alice Elliott. «In the Gloaming.» The New Yorker. 1994.
• Elkins, Stanley. «Criers and Kibitzers, Kibitzers and Criers.» Perspective, 1962.
• Gellhorn, Martha. «Miami-New York.» The Atlantic Monthly, 1948.
• Cather, Willa. «Double Birthday.» «Uncle Valentine and Other Stories.» University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Neb., 1986.
• Lerner, Mary. «Little Selves.» The Atlantic Monthly, 1915.
• Durban, Pam. «Soon.» The Southern Review, 1997.
• Updike, John. «My Father’s Tears and Other Stories.» Knopf, 2009, New York.
• Nabokov, Vladimir «That in Aleppo Once…» The Atlantic Monthly, 1944.
• Munro, Alice. «Meneseteung.» The New Yorker, 1989.
• Silva, Deidre, and Koney, Jackie. «It Takes More Than Balls: The Savvy Girls’ Guide to Understanding and Enjoying Baseball.» Skyhorse, 2008, New York.
• Bellow, Saul. «A Silver Dish.» The New Yorker, 1979.
• Faulkner, William. «That Evening Sun Go Down.» The American Mercury, 1931.
• Singer, Isaac Bashevis. «The Key.» «A Friend of Kafka.» Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1979, New York.
• Katherine Anne Porter, «Theft.» The Gyroscope, 1930.

The term «homonyms» in its broad meaning includes homonyms, homophones, and homographs. In more specific sense, homonyms are words with the same pronunciation and spelling but different in meaning. Homophones have the same pronunciation but are different in meaning and spelling. Homographs are identical in spelling but differ in meaning and pronunciation. Homophones present the most difficulty for learners of English.

The list below is mostly for intermediate and advanced learners. It includes common homonyms and less frequently used homonyms, with examples illustrating their use. A shorter list of homonyms for beginners is provided in Homonyms Short List in the section Writing.

Note: In many cases, homonyms are words of different origin (i.e., derived from different words). Depending on the definition this or that dictionary provides for the word «homonym» (and definitions of «homonym» may differ), some words in the list below, for example, «chord, cord; discreet, discrete; plain, plane; toast, toast; train, train; trunk, trunk», may or may not be considered homonyms as they were derived from one and the same word. For example, «plain» and «plane» were derived from Latin «planus» meaning «flat, level»; «trunk» was derived from Latin «truncus» meaning «truncated, lopped».

Термин «homonyms» в широком смысле включает в себя омонимы, омофоны и омографы. В более определённом смысле, омонимы – это слова с одинаковым произношением и написанием, но разные по значению. Омофоны имеют одинаковое произношение, но различаются в значении и написании. Омографы пишутся одинаково, но имеют разное значение и произношение. Омофоны представляют наибольшую трудность для изучающих английский язык.

Список ниже в основном для изучающих среднего и продвинутого уровня. Он включает в себя распространённые омонимы и менее употребительные омонимы, с примерами, иллюстрирующими их употребление. Более краткий список омонимов для начинающих дан в материале «Homonyms Short List» в разделе Writing.

Примечание: Во многих случаях, омонимы – это слова разного происхождения (т.е. образованные от разных слов). В зависимости от определения, которое тот или иной словарь даёт для слова «homonym» (а определения слова «homonym» могут отличаться), некоторые слова в списке ниже, например, «chord, cord; discreet, discrete; plain, plane; toast, toast; train, train; trunk, trunk», могут или не могут считаться омонимами, т.к. они были образованы от одного и того же слова. Например, «plain» и «plane» были образованы от латинского «planus» (плоский, ровный); «trunk» был образован от латинского «truncus» (усечённый, отрубленный).

The same pronunciation, different meaning

(Одинаковое произношение, разное значение)

AIR – HEIR (воздух, проветрить – наследник): fresh air; to air the room; the heir to the throne;

AISLE – ISLE (проход – остров): an aisle seat; to sit on the aisle; the British Isles;

ALTAR – ALTER (алтарь – изменить): to lead to the altar; to alter course; to alter a coat;

AURAL – ORAL (слуховой – устный, ротовой): aural perception; aural surgeon; oral examination; oral cavity;

BAIL – BALE (залог, освобождать под залог – кипа, тюк, связка): he was out on bail; he was bailed out for 1000 dollars; a bale of cotton; a bale of hay;

BALL – BALL (шар, мяч – бал): a ball of fire; to play ball; a ball gown; to open a ball;

BAND – BAND (отряд, группа – тесьма, завязка): a rock band; a rubber band;

BANK – BANK (насыпь, берег – банк): the bank of the river; the Bank of England; a bank account;

BARE – BEAR – BEAR (голый – нести ношу, родить – медведь): with bare hands; I can’t bear it; bear in mind; the polar bear;

BARK – BARK – BARK, BARQUE (лай, лаять – кора – парусное судно): the dog barked at me; the bark of a tree; a bark is a sailing ship;

BASE – BASE (основа, основание, база, базовый, основывать на – низкий, подлый): the base of a mountain; the story is based on real facts; base ingratitude; base conduct;

BAT – BAT – BAT (летучая мышь – бита – моргнуть): blind as a bat; a baseball bat; not to bat an eyelid;

BAY – BAY – BAY – BAY – BAY (бухта, залив – ниша, отсек – положение загнанного зверя – лавр – гнедой): Hudson Bay; bay window; an animal at bay; bay leaf; several bay horses;

BE – BEE (быть – пчела): to be or not to be; to be as busy as a bee; a bee in one’s bonnet;

BEAT – BEET (бить – свекла): to beat the drums; beets and carrots;

BERRY – BURY (ягода – хоронить): strawberry jam; to bury the dead; to bury the hatchet;

BERTH – BIRTH (койка – рождение): a single-berth compartment; birth certificate; to give birth to; she is French by birth;

BILL – BILL (счёт, банкнот – клюв): to pay the bill; a ten-dollar bill; a bill is the beak of a bird;

BIT – BIT – BIT (кусочек, немного – удила (часть уздечки), режущий край инструмента, бур, сверло – бит): a bit of butter; wait a bit; this drill has removable bits; the computer term «bit» is a contraction of «binary digit»;

BITE – BYTE (кусать, укус – байт): to bite one’s tongue; his dog bites; a deep bite; insect bites; one kilobyte is 1024 bytes;

BLOCK – BLOC (колода, квартал, преграда, блокировать – блок, объединение): a wooden block; walk two blocks; they blocked the exit; a military bloc;

BORE – BORE – BOAR (бурить – наскучить – кабан): to bore a hole; I’m bored; a wild boar;

BOUGH [bau] – BOW [bau] – BOW [bau] (сук, ветка – поклон, наклонить – корма судна): the boughs of a tree; to take a bow; to bow one’s head; the ship’s bow;

BOW [bou] – BEAU [bou] (лук для стрельбы, дуга, смычок, галстук-бабочка – кавалер): a bow and arrows; a rainbow; the bow of a violin; a bow tie; he is her new beau;

BRAKE – BREAK (тормоз, тормозить – перерыв, сломать, разбить): car brakes; let’s take a break; don’t break it;

BUY – BY – BYE (покупать – около, у – Пока!): to buy a car; to sit by the window; Bye-bye!

CACHE – CASH (тайник, запас – наличные деньги): cache memory; to pay cash; I have no cash;

CAN – CAN (мод. гл.: мочь, быть в состоянии – консервная банка, консервировать): I can do it; a can of beer; canned olives;

CANNON – CANON (пушка – правило, закон): water cannon; cannon ball; the canons of taste;

CANVAS – CANVASS (холст, брезент – предвыборная агитация): a painter’s canvas; to canvass a district;

CAPE – CAPE (накидка, плащ – мыс): he was wearing a dark gray cape; the Cape of Good Hope;

CARAT – CARROT (карат – морковь): a two-carat diamond; grated carrots;

CASE – CASE (случай, обстоятельство, положение дел, судебное дело, пример, довод – ящик, коробка, контейнер, футляр, чехол): in case of fire; a criminal case; two cases of wine; a jewel case;

CAST – CASTE (бросать, бросок – каста): to cast a glance; the cast of actors; high caste;

CELL – SELL (отсек, камера, ячейка, клетка – продавать): a prison cell; my cell phone; red blood cells; to buy and sell; to sell books;

CENSOR – SENSOR (цензор – датчик, чувств. элемент): to censor a document; acoustic sensor;

CENT – SCENT (цент – запах): 100 cents in a dollar; a faint scent of roses;

CEREAL – SERIAL (крупа – серийное издание): to eat breakfast cereal; to watch TV serials;

CHASE – CHASE (преследовать, погоня – паз, оправа, гравировать): to chase butterflies; to chase a thief; a wild-goose chase; metal chasing;

CHORD – CHORD – CORD (струна, хорда – аккорд – верёвка, шнур): to strike a deep chord; dissonant chords; electric cord; vocal cords;

CHUTE – SHOOT (скат, жёлоб – стрелять, делать съёмки): down the chute; to shoot a gun; to shoot a film;

CLIP – CLIP (подрезать – зажим, скрепка): to clip the hedge; a paper clip;

COARSE – COURSE (грубый – курс): coarse fabric; a course of lectures;

COLON – COLON (двоеточие – ободочная кишка): put a colon before a long list; colon cancer;

COLONEL – KERNEL (полковник – ядро, суть): lieutenant colonel; almond kernels; the kernel of the question;

COMPLEMENT – COMPLIMENT (комплемент, дополнение – комплимент): verb complement; give a compliment;

COUNCIL – COUNSEL (совет, собрание – совет, адвокат, дать совет): city council; legal counsel;

CREAK – CREEK (скрип, скрипеть – ручей): the floor creaks; a narrow creek;

CUE – CUE – QUEUE (намёк, подсказка – кий – очередь): give a cue; billiard cue; stand in a queue;

CURRANT – CURRENT (смородина – текущий, течение): red currant; current month; ocean current;

DAM – DAMN (плотина – проклятие): to build a dam; damn it; I don’t give a damn;

DEAR – DEER (дорогой – олень): Dear Sir; dear friend; a young deer; several deer;

DESERT [di’zərt] – DESSERT [di’zərt] (покидать – десерт): to desert the village; apple pie for dessert;

DEW – DUE (роса – должный): morning dew; When is the train due? with due respect;

DIE – DYE (умереть – краситель, окрашивать): He died two years ago. She dyed her hair red.

DISCREET – DISCRETE (осмотрительный – разрозненный): discreet silence; discrete parts;

DOE – DOUGH (самка оленя – тесто): a young doe; to roll the dough;

DUAL – DUEL (двойной – дуэль): dual citizenship; dual ownership; to fight a duel; verbal duel;

EARN – URN (зарабатывать – урна): to earn money; to earn a living; to earn respect; cremation urn;

EVE – EAVE, EAVES (канун – карниз, свес крыши): Christmas Eve; on the eve of their wedding; under the eaves;

FAIR – FAIR – FARE (справедливый – ярмарка – плата за проезд): that’s fair; book fair; bus fare;

FAST – FAST (быстрый, прочный – пост, поститься, ничего не есть): he drives too fast; hard-and-fast rules; to observe the fast;

FAUN – FAWN – FAWN (фавн – оленёнок (до одного года), жёлто-коричневый – подлизываться): in mythology, a faun is half man and half goat; fawn color is light yellowish brown; he is fawning on them;

FINE – FINE (прекрасный – штраф): one fine day; fine wine; to pay a fine for speeding;

FIR – FUR (ель – мех): pines and fir trees; a fir cone; a fur coat; natural fur;

FIT – FIT (годиться, подходить по размеру, подходящий – припадок, приступ): this dress fits you perfectly; it is a perfect fit; the food was fit for a king; a fit of coughing; a fit of anger;

FLAIR – FLARE (способность, чутьё – вспыхивать, вспышка): a flair for fashionable clothes; to flare up; a flare of anger;

FLEA – FLEE (блоха – спасаться бегством): a flea market; to flee the country;

FLAT – FLAT (плоский, плоская поверхность – квартира): flat roof; the flat of the hand; a block of flats;

FLOUR – FLOWER (мука – цветок): two cups of flour; a bunch of flowers;

FOREWORD – FORWARD (предисловие – вперёд): a foreword in a book; to move forward;

FORT – FORTE (форт – сильная сторона): a military fort; good spelling is her forte;

FOUL – FOWL (отвратительный, грязный – птица, дичь): foul smell; foul words; domestic fowl;

GAIT – GATE (походка – ворота): heavy gait; slow gait; to open the gate;

GILD – GUILD, GILD (золотить – гильдия): to gild the pill; gilded youth; the guild of merchants;

GILT – GUILT (позолота, позолоченный – вина): to cover with gilt; we have no proof of his guilt;

GRATE – GRATE – GREAT (решётка – скрести, тереть – большой, великий, замечательный): metal grate; to grate cheese; a great opportunity;

GRAVE – GRAVE (могила – серьёзный, тяжёлый, важный, мрачный): to dig a grave; grave situation; grave illness; his face was grave;

GROUND – GROUND (земля – молотый): to fall to the ground; freshly ground coffee;

HAIR – HARE (волосы – заяц): she has dark hair and green eyes; he ran like a hare;

HALL – HAUL (коридор, зал – тянуть, тащить): down the hall; a concert hall; to haul the boat;

HANGAR – HANGER (ангар – вешалка): a plane hangar; a coat hanger;

HAY – HEY (сено – эй): to make hay; hay fever; Hey!

HEAL – HEEL (излечивать – пятка, каблук): to heal the wounds; high heels;

HEAR – HERE (слышать – здесь): Did you hear what he said? She doesn’t live here.

HI – HIGH (привет – высокий): Hi, how are you? high walls; high speed; high temperature;

HOARSE – HORSE (хриплый – лошадь): a hoarse voice; to ride a horse;

HOLE – WHOLE (дыра – целый): a small hole in my sock; as a whole; the whole world;

I – EYE (я – глаз): I can see it clearly. My left eye itches.

IDLE – IDOL (неработающий, праздный – идол): idle machinery; idle talk; a teenage idol;

ILLICIT – ELICIT (незаконный – извлечь): illicit access; illicit trade; to elicit the truth; to elicit a reply;

JAM – JAM – JAMB (затор, сдавливать – джем – косяк, стойка): a traffic jam; to jam one’s finger in the door; strawberry jam; a door jamb;

KIND – KIND (сорт, вид – добрый): several kinds of apples; What kind of job are you looking for? it is very kind of you;

KNAP – NAP (дробить – лёгкий сон, дремать): to knap a stone; to take a nap;

KNEAD – NEED (месить, массировать – нужда, нуждаться в): to knead the dough; there is no need to worry; he needs rest;

KNIGHT – NIGHT (рыцарь – ночь): the Knights of the Round Table; a dark night; days and nights;

KNIT – NIT (вязать – гнида, яйцо блохи): to knit a sweater; a knitted cap; nit-picking;

KNOT – NOT (узел – не, нет): a tight knot; not a word; he is not a doctor;

KNOW – NO (знать – не, нет): Do you know him? No, I don’t. I have no time.

LAP – LAP – LAP (место от талии до колен в сидячем положении – один круг, оборот, один этап дистанции – лакать, лакание, плеск): the baby sat in his mother’s lap; a computer on his lap; he does six laps a day in the swimming pool; the dog lapped up the water; the sound of the waves lapping at the shore;

LEAK – LEEK (утечка, давать течь, протекать – лук-порей): a leak in the ship; the roof leaks; wild leek;

LESSEN – LESSON (уменьшить – урок): to lessen pain; to give a lesson; to learn a lesson;

LICHEN – LIKEN (лишайник – уподоблять): lichens are plants; he likens her to a rose;

LIE – LIE – LYE (ложь, лгать – лежать – щёлок): to tell a lie; don’t lie to me; to lie on the floor; a lye solution;

LIGHT – LIGHT – LIGHT (свет, светлый – лёгкий – натолкнуться, опускаться на): bright light; light blue; as light as a feather; light rain; a bird lighted on a branch;

LIME – LIME – LIME (известь – лайм – липа): burnt lime; lime juice; lime tree;

LOAN – LONE (ссуда, дать взаймы – одинокий): a bank loan; she loaned him some money; a lone house; a lone traveler; a lone wolf;

LOOP – LOUPE (петля – лупа): to make a loop; a loophole; a loupe is a magnifying glass;

MAIL – MAIL – MALE (почта, отправить почтой – кольчуга, броня – мужского пола, мужчина): Is there any mail for me? to send by mail; a coat of mail; a male child; a male dog;

MAIN – MANE (главный – грива): the main reason; a horse’s mane;

MAIZE – MAZE (маис, кукуруза – лабиринт): maize oil; a maze of streets; a maze is a labyrinth;

MALL – MAUL (пешеходная аллея – кувалда, калечить): shopping mall; to be badly mauled;

MANTEL – MANTLE (каминная полка – накидка, мантия): mantelpiece; mantelshelf; a silk mantle; the mantle of darkness;

MARSHAL – MARTIAL (маршал, выстроить – военный): air marshal; to marshal facts; martial law;

MATCH – MATCH (спичка – ровня, пара, подходить под пару, состязание, матч): to strike a match; a perfect match of colors; these two things don’t match; a football match;

MEAN – MEAN – MEAN (значить – плохой, скудный, низкий, подлый – средний, средняя величина): What do you mean? a mean trick; it was mean of him; mean time; mean speed;

MEAT – MEET (мясо – встретить): meat and potatoes; to meet a girl; to meet with friends;

MEDAL – MEDDLE (медаль – вмешиваться): a gold medal; to meddle in someone’s affairs;

METAL – METTLE (металл – характер): a metal door; to show one’s mettle; full of mettle;

MIGHT – MIGHT – MITE – MITE (мощь – мод. гл.: быть возможным – клещ – чуточка, капелька): with all his might; it might be true; the itch mite; a mite of consolation;

MISS – MISS (промахнуться, промах, пропускать, скучать по – мисс): he fired twice and missed; a near miss; she missed her bus; he misses his family; Miss Smith; Miss, can you help me?

MOLE – MOLE (родинка – крот): a black mole on the chin; as blind as a mole;

MOOR – MOOR (заболоченная местность – пришвартовать): moorlands have bad soil; to moor a ship;

MOOSE – MOUSSE (лось – мусс): to hunt moose; chocolate mousse;

MORNING – MOURNING (утро – скорбь, траур): on Monday morning; from morning till night; to be in deep mourning;

MUSCLE – MUSSEL (мускул – мидия): strong muscles; a man of muscle; mussels are mollusks;

NAVAL – NAVEL (военно-морской – пупок): naval academy; naval officer; navel infection;

NONE – NUN (ни один – монахиня): none of them; I have none; nuns and monks; she is a nun;

OAR – OR – ORE (весло – или – руда): a four-oar boat; one or two; iron ore;

PAIL – PALE (ведро – бледный): a pail of water; his face is pale; pale gray;

PAIN – PANE (боль – оконное стекло): dull pain; a pain in the chest; to take pains; window pane;

PAIR – PARE – PEAR (пара – очищать от кожуры – груша): a pair of gloves; to pare an apple; apples and pears;

PAT – PAT (шлепок, хлопок, похлопать, погладить – подходящий, уместный): a pat on the back; to pat a dog; a pat answer;

PEA – slang: PEE (горох – моча, мочиться): green peas; pea soup; to take a pee;

PEACE – PIECE (мир, покой – кусок): peace and quiet; a piece of bread; a piece of paper;

PEAK – PEEK – PIQUE (пик – заглянуть, взглянуть – уязвить, возбудить): a mountain peak; to peek into the hole; his curiosity was piqued;

PEAL – PEEL (звон колоколов, звонить в колокола – кожица, корка, чистить фрукты, овощи): to peal the bells; apple peel; to peel potatoes;

PEDAL – PEDDLE (педаль – торговать вразнос, мелочами): the gas pedal; to peddle goods from door to door;

PEER – PEER – PIER (сверстник, ровня – вглядываться – причал, пирс): peer group; to be judged by one’s peers; she peered into the dark room; the boat is at the pier;

PINE – PINE (сосна – чахнуть, тосковать): pines grow in many regions of the world; a pine forest; to pine with grief; she is pining for home;

PIT – PIT (яма – косточка фрукта, вынимать косточки): to dig a pit; air pit; orchestra pit; the pit of the stomach; a cherry pit (BrE: a cherry stone); to pit cherries (peaches, plums); to remove the pits;

PITCH – PITCH (бросок, высота/уровень/степень, бросать, сооружать – смола): a high-pitched voice; a high pitch of anxiety; to pitch a baseball; to pitch a tent; as black as pitch;

PLACE – PLAICE (место – камбала европейская): it is a good place for a picnic; plaice is European flatfish;

PLAIN – PLANE (ясный, очевидный, простой, равнина – плоскость, плоский): plain answer; plain food; the Great Plains; horizontal plane; plane geometry;

PLANE – PLANE – PLANE (самолёт – рубанок – платан): to go by plane; an airplane; a plane is a tool for smoothing wooden surfaces; a plane tree, or plane, is a large tree with broad leaves;

PLUM – PLUMB (слива – отвес): plums and peaches; to pick the plums; plumb line; plumb bob;

POLE – POLE – POLL (столб, шест – полюс – список избирателей, подсчет голосов, опрос): a telegraph pole; the North Pole; public opinion poll; exit poll;

PORE – PORE – POUR (обдумывать, изучать – пора (в коже) – лить): to pore over a problem; pores in the skin; to pour water into a glass;

POUND – POUND (фунт – колотить): a pound of cheese; to change dollars for pounds; to pound on the door;

PRAY – PREY (молиться – жертва, добыча): to pray to God; easy prey; birds of prey;

PRINCIPAL – PRINCIPLE (главный, начальник – принцип): principal cause; the school principal; a man of principle; on principle;

PROFIT – PROPHET (выгода, прибыль – пророк): profit and loss; he sold his house at a profit; the word «prophet» meant «speaker» in Greek;

PRUNE – PRUNE (чернослив – обрезать ветви, убирать лишнее): prunes are dried plums; to prune trees; to prune costs;

PRY – PRY (любопытствовать, совать нос – с силой / с трудом сдвинуть, открыть, вырвать): to pry into other people’s affairs; to pry the door open;

RACE – RACE (раса – скачки, гонка): the human race; horse racing; a race horse; race cars;

RACK – RACK – WRACK (вешалка, подставка, полка – пытка, пытать, мучить – разрушение, гибель): dish rack; luggage rack; to rack one’s brains; to go to wrack and ruin (also: to go to rack and ruin);

RAIN – REIGN – REIN (дождь – царствование – вожжа): it looks like rain; during his reign; a pair of reins;

RAP – WRAP (лёгкий удар, слегка/быстро ударять, стучать – шаль, шарф, обёртывать, завернуть): he rapped at the door; she wrapped the package in brown paper;

READ – REED (читать – тростник): to read a book; reed grows near water;

REEK – WREAK (вонь, вонять – излить на): to reek of alcohol; to wreak havoc on the enemy;

REST – REST – WREST (отдых, отдыхать – остаток, остальное – вырвать силой): rest a little; leave the rest of them here; to wrest a knife from someone’s hands;

RETCH – WRETCH (вызывать рвоту – жалкий человек, негодяй): it made her retch; a poor wretch;

REVIEW – REVUE (обзор, рецензия, рассматривать – ревю): to write a review; theatrical revue;

RIGHT – RITE – WRITE (правильный, правый, право – обряд – писать): that’s right; my right hand; civil rights; funeral rites; write a letter;

RING – RING – WRING (кольцо – звонить – скручивать): a wedding ring; to ring a bell; to wring one’s hands;

ROCK – ROCK (скала, камень – качать, качаться, качание): as firm as a rock; to rock the cradle; to rock the boat;

ROLE – ROLL (роль – рулон, катить): to play a role; a roll of toilet paper; the ball rolled away;

ROOT – ROUTE (корень – маршрут): the roots of the tree; Route 10; bus route;

ROW [rou] – ROW [rou] – ROE [rou] – ROE [rou] (ряд – грести – косуля – икра рыб): to sit in the first row; to stand in a row; to row the boat; a roe deer is also called a roe; the roe of sturgeon is called caviar;

RYE – WRY (рожь – кривой): rye bread; rye whiskey; a wry smile; a wry look;

SAIL – SALE (парус, плыть – распродажа): to sail on a ship; I bought it on sale;

SAW – SAW (пила, пилить – старинная пословица, изречение): to saw a log; an old saw;

SEA – SEE (море – видеть): the Black Sea; I want to see the sea. Have you ever seen the sea at sunrise? Did you see it?

SEAL – SEAL (печать, ставить печать, запечатывать – тюлень): the seal of fate; to seal an envelope; seals are sea mammals;

SEAM – SEEM (шов – казаться): Please take it in at the seams. She seems to be a little nervous.

SERF – SURF (крепостной, раб – прибой, плыть на гребне волны, заниматься серфингом): liberation of the serfs; the sound of the surf; to ride a surfboard; surfing;

SEW – SO – SOW (шить – так – сеять): to sew a dress; be so kind; to sow the seeds;

SHEAR – SHEER – SHEER (срезать, ножницы – прозрачный, абсолютный – отклониться от курса): to shear sheep; a pair of shears; sheer stockings; sheer nonsense; the ship was able to sheer off to avoid the collision;

SIGHT – SITE – CITE (вид, зрение – место – цитировать): a beautiful sight; to see the sights; good eyesight; construction site; website; to cite from a book;

SLAY – SLEIGH (сразить, умертвить – сани): slain by a bullet; a horse-drawn sleigh; sleigh bells;

SLEIGHT – SLIGHT – SLIGHT (ловкость – небольшой – пренебрежение, пренебрегать): a sleight of hand; a slight fever; to slight one’s duties;

SOAR – SORE (парить, взмывать – болячка, воспалённый): prices soared; a cold sore; a sore throat;

SOLE – SOLE – SOLE – SOUL (единственный – подошва – камбала – душа): sole heir; shoe sole; fillet of sole; body and soul;

SOME – SUM (какой-то, некоторый – сумма): I need some money; a large sum of money;

SON – SUN (сын – солнце): he is my son; she has three sons; the sun is shining;

SOUND – SOUND – SOUND – SOUND (звук – здоровый – зонд, щуп, измерять глубину, зондировать – узкий пролив): the sounds of music; a sound mind in a sound body; to sound the depth; the Long Island Sound;

STABLE – STABLE (конюшня – стабильный, прочный): a stable full of horses; a stable position;

STAIR – STARE (ступенька – пристально смотреть): go down the stairs; don’t stare at people;

STAKE – STAKE – STEAK (кол, столб – ставка – бифштекс): to pull up stakes; the stakes are high; I’d like a steak for dinner;

STALK – STALK (стебель – выслеживать, подкрадываться): corn stalk; to stalk a deer;

STATIONARY – STATIONERY (неподвижный – писчая бумага и др. канц. товары): stationary bicycle; letterhead stationery;

STEAL – STEEL (красть – сталь): to steal money; to steal a kiss; stainless steel; a heart of steel;

STEP – STEPPE (шаг, шагнуть – степь): the next step; to step forward; alpine steppe;

STICK – STICK (палка, палочка – воткнуть, проколоть, вставить, высунуть, приклеить): he struck him with a stick; to stick a needle into one’s finger; to stick a stamp on an envelope;

STRAIGHT – STRAIT (прямой – узкий пролив): a straight road; the Strait of Gibraltar;

SUITE – SWEET (комплект, номер-люкс, сюита – сладкий): a hotel suite; this cake is too sweet;

TAIL – TALE (хвост – рассказ): a bird with a long tail; a long and interesting tale;

TEA – TEE – TEE (чай – T-образный – метка для мяча в гольфе): a cup of tea; a tea party; a tee joint; to a tee; to tee off;

TEAM – TEEM (команда, объединяться – изобиловать): a football team; to teem with fish;

TEAR – TIER (слеза – ярус): tears in her eyes; the second tier;

THYME – TIME (тимьян – время): thyme is used for seasoning; I need more time;

TIC – TICK – TICK – TICK (тик – тикать, тиканье, галочка – клещ – чехол для матраца): to suffer from tic; the ticking of the clock; to mark with a tick; tick fever; bedtick;

TIP – TIP – TIP – TIP (кончик – наклонить – чаевые – намёк, совет, предупредить): the tip of the tongue; to tip the scales; a one-dollar tip; to give a tip; useful tips on gardening; to tip off;

TOAST – TOAST (тост, гренок – тост за): a piece of toast; I’d like to propose a toast to Alan’s health;

TOE – TOW (палец ноги – буксир, буксировать): I stubbed my toe; a tow truck; to tow a car;

TOO – TWO (тоже – два): I like it too. I spent two days at the lake.

TRAIN – TRAIN (поезд – учить, тренировать): to go by train; to train nurses; to train for the championship;

TRUNK – TRUNK (ствол дерева, туловище, хобот слона – сундук, багажник): the trunk of a tree; an elephant’s trunk; a wooden trunk; the trunk of a car;

VAIN – VANE – VEIN (тщетный, тщеславный – флюгер, лопасть – вена): in vain; she is vain; a weather vane; the vanes of a turbine; veins carry blood to the heart;

VICE – VISE, VICE (порок – тиски): vice squad; organized vice; table vise; vise clamp;

WAIL – WHALE (вопль, вой, вопить, выть – кит): a wail of grief; to wail with pain; killer whales;

WAIST – WASTE (талия – излишняя трата): a slender waist; a waste of time; to waste money;

WAIT – WEIGHT (ждать – вес): to wait for an hour; her weight is 65 kilograms;

WAIVE – WAVE (отказаться от требования – волна, качаться, махать): to waive a claim; ocean waves; a wave of emotion; to wave a flag;

WARE – WEAR – WHERE (изделия – одежда, носить одежду – где): glassware; kitchenware; women’s wear; sportswear; she is wearing a suit; Where is Mike?

WAY – WEIGH – WHEY (путь – взвесить – молочная сыворотка): to find a way; the shortest way; to weigh potatoes; she weighs 65 kilograms; curd and whey;

WEAK – WEEK (слабый – неделя): weak eyes; weak will; next week; for two weeks;

WEATHER – WHETHER (погода – ли): nice weather; ask her whether she wants to go;

WELL – WELL (хорошо – колодец): very well; to feel well; a deep well;

WET – WHET (мокрый – обострить): wet hands; wet floor; to whet a knife; to whet the appetite;

WHICH – WITCH (который – ведьма, колдунья): which of these; Which bag is yours? She is a real witch.

WHINE – WINE (скулить – вино): my dog often whines; stop whining; red wine; French wines;

WILL – WILL (вспом. и мод. гл.: будет – воля, желание, завещание): he will see you tomorrow; he has the will to succeed;

YOKE – YOLK (ярмо, хомут, иго – желток): the yoke of slavery; the yolk of an egg.

The same spelling, different pronunciation, different meaning

(Одинаковое написание, разное произношение, разное значение)

BOW [bou] – BOW [bau] – BOW [bau] (лук для стрельбы, дуга, смычок, бант, галстук-бабочка – поклон, наклонить – корма судна): a bow and arrows; a rainbow; the bow of a violin; a bow tie; to take a bow; to bow one’s head; the ship’s bow;

DESERT [‘dezərt] – DESERT [di’zərt] (пустыня – покидать): the Sahara Desert; he deserted her;

FORTE [fo:rt] – FORTE [‘fo:rtei], [‘fo:rti] (сильная сторона – муз.: форте): good spelling is her forte; forte-piano;

LEAD [li:d] – LEAD [led] (вести – свинец): this road leads to the lake; as heavy as lead;

ROW [rou] – ROW [rau] (ряд – ссора): Please stand in a row. My neighbors had a row yesterday.

SOW [sou] – SOW [sau] (сеять – свинья): to sow the seeds; to raise sows;

TEAR [tiər] – TEAR [teər] (слеза – рвать): tears in her eyes; to tear up his letter;

WIND [wind] – WIND [waind] (ветер – извиваться, заводить): a cold wind; to wind the clock.

Note: Homonyms in the form of proper names are not included in the list because there may be hundreds of them. Examples: bet – Bette; bell – Belle; bill – Bill; may – May – Mae; cliff – Cliff; penny – Penny; capital – Capitol; grease – Greece; main – Maine. (Омонимы в виде имён собственных не включены в список, т.к. их могут быть сотни.)

Homonyms with certain word forms

Many other homonyms occur when verbs, nouns, or pronouns are used in certain forms showing person, number, or tense. Word order and meaning help us to distinguish between such homonyms aurally. Examples: He left the house to his son. The house on the left belongs to my aunt. The list below provides examples of word forms that have the same pronunciation as some other words.

Многие другие омонимы возникают, когда глаголы, существительные или местоимения употреблены в некоторых формах, показывающих лицо, число или время. Порядок слов и значение помогают нам различить такие омонимы на слух. Примеры: He left the house to his son. (Он оставил дом своему сыну.) The house on the left belongs to my aunt. (Дом слева принадлежит моей тёте.) Список ниже дает примеры словоформ, которые имеют одинаковое произношение с некоторыми другими словами.

Third person singular:

sees – seize – seas (видит – схватить – моря); knows – nose (знает – нос); brews – bruise (варит – синяк); adds – ads (добавляет – объявления); links – lynx (соединяет – рысь); means – means (значит – средство); pries – prize (суёт нос в чужие дела – приз); prays – praise (молится – похвала, хвалить);

Past Indefinite:

allowed – aloud (разрешил – вслух); banned – band (запретил – отряд, группа); bored – board (заскучавший – доска); fined – find (оштрафовал – найти); leased – least (арендовал – наименьший); missed – mist (пропустил – туман); passed – past (прошёл – прошлое); owed – ode (был должен – ода); mowed – mode (скосил – способ); towed – toad (буксировал – жаба); mustered – mustard (собрал – горчица); tied – tide (связал – прилив);

led – lead [led] (вёл – свинец); read [red] – red (прочитал – красный); rode – road (ехал – дорога); made – maid (сделал – девушка); saw (увидел) – saw (пила); sent – cent (послал – цент); blew – blue (подул – синий); flew – flu (летел – грипп); knew – new (знал – новый); threw – through (бросил – сквозь); ate – eight (ел – восемь); won – one (выиграл – один); heard – herd (слышал – стадо); left – left (ушёл – левый); wore – war (был одет в – война); would – wood;

Past Participle:

ground – ground (молотый – земля); grown – groan (выращенный – стон); mown – moan (скошенный – стон); thrown – throne (брошенный – трон); seen – scene (увиденный – сцена); lain – lane (пролежавший – узкая дорога);

Plural nouns:

rays – raise (лучи – поднять); days – daze (дни – оцепенение); rows – rose – rose (ряды – роза – поднялся); brows – browse (брови – просматривать); claws – clause (когти – статья, пункт); seas – seize (моря – схватить); feet – feat (ступни, ноги – достижение, подвиг, мастерство);

Pronouns:

him – hymn (его – гимн); mine – mine (мой – рудник, мина); our – hour (наш – час); their – there (их – там);

Contractions:

who’s – whose (кто есть – чей); it’s – its (это есть – её); there’s – theirs (там есть – их); I’ll – aisle (я буду – проход); he’ll – heel (он будет – пятка); we’ll – wheel (мы будем – колесо); we’d – weed (мы бы – сорняк); he’d – heed (он бы – внимание);

Words with suffixes:

fourth – forth (четвёртый – вперёд); higher – hire (выше – нанимать); miner – minor (шахтёр – небольшой); chilly – chili (холодный – перец чили); wholly – holy (целиком – святой);

Two-word combination – one word:

all ready – already (всё готово – уже); all together – altogether (все вместе – вполне, совсем); any way – anyway (любой путь – во всяком случае); he may be there – maybe he is there (он может быть там – возможно он там); mean time (среднее время) – meantime (тем временем).

Note: In British English, homonyms (homophones) may also occur in some of those cases where the sound [r] is not pronounced in words. For example: arms – alms; pour – paw; sore – saw; sort – sought; court – caught, etc. Such words are not homophones in American English where the sound [r] is pronounced in all cases. Note that «ant» and «aunt», pronounced [ænt], are homophones in American English.

Homonymous constructions

In English, not only words but whole constructions can be homonymous in their structure. Due to the limited number of different grammatical forms, the same form is used in different functions. For example, there are only two case forms for personal pronouns (I — me, he – him, we – us, etc.) and only one case form for nouns (i.e., in fact there are no case forms for nouns); the ending ING is used for gerund, present participle, and some adjectives; IT is used as a pronoun in the third person singular for inanimate objects and as a grammatical subject in impersonal sentences. As a result, homonymous constructions appear. Compare these examples:

В английском языке не только слова, но и целые конструкции могут быть омонимичными по своему построению. Из-за ограниченного числа разных грамматических форм, одна и та же форма используется в разных функциях. Например, есть только две формы падежей для личных местоимений (I — me, he – him, we – us и т.д.) и только одна форма падежей для существительных (т.е. фактически нет форм падежей существительных); окончание ING используется для герундия, причастия настоящего времени и некоторых прилагательных; IT используется как местоимение в 3 лице ед. числа для неодушевлённых предметов и как грамматическое подлежащее в безличных предложениях. Как результат, появляются омонимичные конструкции. Сравните эти примеры:

She called him a taxi. (Она вызвала ему такси.) – She called him an idiot. (Она назвала его идиотом.)

They made him a hero. (Они сделали его героем.) – They made him a sandwich. (Они сделали ему бутерброд.)

I see a moving ‘truck. (Я вижу движущийся грузовик.) – I see a ‘moving truck. (Я вижу грузовик для перевозки мебели.)

He is reading. (Он читает.) – He is interesting. (Он интересный.)

It’s water. (Это вода.) – It’s Monday. (Понедельник. – т.е. Сегодня понедельник.)

It’s cold. (Оно холодное. – о предмете) – It’s cold. (Холодно. – о погоде)

What Is a Homophone?

A homophone is a word that sounds the same as another word but is usually spelled differently and has a different meaning. Homophones may consist of two or more words, although pairs are more common than three or more words that sound the same. Examples of homophones that have three words are to, too, and two, and their, there, and they’re.

The English language is, honestly, a bit of a mess, and homophones are extra tricky. Today, we’re learning what homophones are, how to use them correctly, and where you can find homophones hiding in English.

What Is the Difference between Homophones, Homonyms, and Homographs?

Do homophones always have different spellings? Well, it depends on who you ask. Let’s look at some other types of tricky words.

There are homophones, homographs, and homonyms. That’s enough to make anyone’s head spin! How do you tell the difference?

We can start by looking at the etymology of the words. The prefix homo- means «same.» The root phone comes from the Greek word phonos, which means «sound.» That means a homophone has the same sound. You can remember this by thinking of a phone, which we hear sounds through.

An example of a homophone pair is fare and fair. They sound alike but have different meanings. They are also spelled differently.

The root graph derives from the Greek graphein, which means «to write.» Same + write tells us that homographs are words that are written the same. They have the same spelling but different meanings and sometimes different pronunciations. Remember this by thinking of graphite, the part of a pencil that writes.

Now, let’s look at homonyms. Nym comes from the Greek word for «name.» Homonym means «same name,» but the definition of a homonym really depends on who you ask.

Some resources say that “homonym” only applies to words that are spelled the same but are pronounced differently in addition to having different definitions. In other words, it’s a homograph that does not sound alike.

In this strict sense, an example is bow. If you pronounce bow with a short /o/ sound, it can mean a part of a ship. If you pronounce it with a long /o/ sound, it’s something that shoots arrows.

Other resources say that a homonym is a word that is both a homophone and a homograph. It sounds the same, looks the same, and has different meanings.

One example of a homonym using this definition would be pitcher. It can mean the person who throws the ball in baseball or a vessel for pouring water. They sound the same and look the same, but they have different meanings.

Still others think that homonym is more of an umbrella term. Homophones and homographs are both types of homonyms. This is the definition we will use.

Now that you know the difference between the types of homonyms, let’s learn about homophones in more detail.

Do Homophones Rhyme?

Homophones rhyme because they are words that sound alike. When words rhyme, they have the same ending vowel sound. All homophones are rhymes, but not all rhymes are homophones.

What Are the Most Common Homophones in English?

There are thousands of English homophones. It’s hard to pin down an exact number because some words are homophones depending on regional accents. For example, sometimes people say «then» and «than» exactly the same, while others emphasize the differing vowel sounds.

Here are a few examples of common English homophones. We’ll go into more detail on some of these in a later section:

• to/too/two
• there/their/they’re
• which/witch
• way/weigh
• by/bye/buy
• whether/weather
• accept/except
• one/won
• you’re/your
• here/hear

These are just a few of the most commonly confused homophones in English. We’ll look at even more examples in the following sections.

How Do I Know Which Homophone to Use?

It’s important to know which homophone to use to ensure your meaning is clear. But how can you keep up when there are so many homophones to use?

Some homophones have tricks to help you remember them. Let’s look at one of the most commonly confused homophones: to/ too /two. It’s extra tricky because it contains more than two words.

To is a preposition with several meanings. Too means extra or excess. You can remember this by thinking «too has too many Os.» Two is the number 2. Remember «twins» to remind you that we spell this homophone with a TW.

Mnemonic devices can help you remember the difference between two or more words. But there are just too many homophones to come up with a cool trick for all of them!

You can always check the dictionary. Or you can use ProWritingAid. Our Homonym Report will check for all of the homophones and homographs that you might have mixed up in your writing. You can find this report under “More Reports” or add it to your “Combo Report” settings to check for homophones every time.

Try the Homonym Report with a free ProWritingAid account.

What Are Some Examples of Homophones?

We’ve looked at a few examples of English homophones, but there are so many! Let’s go more in depth with our examples.

What Are Some Common Homophones with Their Definitions?

• There/ their /they’re is one of the most commonly confused set of homophones. But these three words have more than just different spellings—they have very different meanings.

  There has a number of applications across different parts of speech, but the definitions relate to a location or place. Their is the third-person plural possessive pronoun. They’re is a contraction that means «they are.»

• Another common homophone pair that people mix up often is your/ you’re. Your is the second-person possessive pronoun. You’re is a contraction that means «you are.»

• Here means “this place,” while hear means “to sense sound.” Whether is a conjunction, while weather is the conditions outdoors.

• One is the number 1. Won is the past tense of the verb «win.» Accept is a verb that means “to receive or to agree.” Except is used to talk about excluding something or someone.

• Another triplet homophone is by/ buy /bye. By is a preposition that usually means “near” or “next to.” Buy is a verb that means “to purchase.” Bye is short for «goodbye.»

• Which is a preposition that means «what one.» A witch is a woman who does magic and might conjure images of pointy black hats and giant cauldrons.

• A way is a path. We use the verb weigh to find out how heavy something is.

• Its is the possessive form of the pronoun «it.» It shows that something belongs to it, e.g., the dog chewed its bone. It’s is a contraction that means «it is.»

We hope these definitions clear up some confusion about common homophones. But how do you use these tricky homophones in your writing?

What Are Some Examples of Homophones in Sentences?

We’ve defined several homophones that are all spelled differently. But the best way to understand homophones is to see them in the wild. Here are some example sentences with homophones.

• I always try to do the right thing. / Do you write fiction or nonfiction?
• When you see a bear, play dead. / My bare arms are freezing!
• Look how much he has grown. / He let out a groan at the terrible joke.
• You’re not allowed to go to the party. / She’s never said the words aloud.
• They will sell their house next year. / Mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell.
• Do you know the muffin man? / He had no money left.
• My son is very handsome. / The sun shines brightly.
• Do you think the cake is too sweet? / The hotel suite has two bedrooms and a small kitchen.
• I’m not giving you another cent! / The hounds caught the scent of the rabbit and ran after it.
• He was so angry he punched a hole in the wall. / I was so hungry I ate the whole pie in one sitting.
• She came in fourth at the gymnastics meet. / Go forth and conquer!
• Clean up the mess in the pasta aisle. / Have you ever visited the Isle of Wight?

We could give you homophone examples all day! But now you can apply what you have learned about homophones to your own writing. Can you think of any other homophones that we didn’t include? Let us know in the comments.

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Homophones are words that have different meanings but are pronounced the same way.

Sometimes you’ll find that the words are spelled the same way, while other times they’ll be spelled differently.

Examples

Same Way

One homophone that is spelled the same way but has a different meaning is bow.

In Sherwood Forest, someone who meets Robin Hood might choose to bow to greet him. Robin Hood might then give him a bow and arrow.

Homophones that are spelled the same are both homonyms and homographs.

Different Way

One homophone pair that is spelled differently is sail and sale.

A person with a yacht might put it on sale because the sail is broken and he can’t afford to fix it.

Homophones that are spelled differently are called heterographs.

What Does Homophone Mean?

The word homophone comes from two Greek words that have been put together – homo and phone.

‘Homo’ means ‘same’ and ‘phone’ means ‘sound’ or ‘voice’. Homophone therefore literally means ‘same sound’ or ‘same voice.’

Make sure you check out our complete homophones list.