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Homophones -
what are they and why are they important?
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So what are homophones?
Homophones are words that share the same pronunciation as another word but have a different meaning, origin or spelling. eg. sea and see
They are sometimes called homonyms although homonyms are more commonly thought of as words that have the same spelling but different meaning. eg. pole (North Pole) and pole (piece of wood or metal)
Why are they important?
Knowing about homophones is important because it can confuse other people if the wrong word is used.
More importantly, most spell-checkers on the computer do not recognise homophones. This means that you will not be told if the word has been used incorrectly. And since it is not the wrong spelling - only the wrong meaning - it won't alert you to the mistake.
If there are certain homophones that keep catching you out, I would recommend making a list of them and thinking of a way of telling them apart. This might be as simple as a short sentence next to the word.
eg. I would like some cake.
The sum of 2 and 2 is 4.
Also knowing that sea and tea are both liquid, may help you remember the sea/see homophones.
Here is a list of some common homophones and their meanings
bare - bear
bare = naked body
bear = the animal
blew - blue
I blew a bubble
blue = the colour
bye - buy - by
bye = to say goodbye
to buy something from a shop
I'll see you by the car
cheap - cheep
cheap = not expensive
cheep = the noise a chick makes
dye - die
I dye my hair
to die = to stop living
fir - fur
fir = fir tree
fur = on an animal
flower - flour
flower in the garden
flour in the kitchen
hair - hare
hair = on your head
hare = animal like a rabbit
hear - here
I hear you (with my ears)
here we are
hour - our
hour = time on a clock
our = it is our house
leek - leak
leek = vegetable
leak from a pipe
male - mail
male and female
you got mail
meet - meat
meet me at the church
meat = from an animal (you eat meat)
none - nun
none left
nun = member of a female religious community
piece - peace
piece of pie
give peace a chance
pour - pore
pour the gravy
pore = tiny holes in the skin
sail - sale
sail the boat
sale = it is for sale
see - sea
see = to look at something
sea = area of water
sole - soul
soles of your feet
heart and soul
some - sum
we have some sweets for sale
the sum of 2 and 2 is 4
son - sun
my son is 21 today
the sun is shining
there - their - they're
there is a bag of sweets
it is their bag (it belongs to them)
they're going to enjoy their sweets (they're = they are)
I have a page on learning and teaching the difference between there, their, and they're.
weak - week
weak = not strong
7 days in a week
which - witch
which way?
the witch has a big hat (think of a little hat on top of the t in witch)
whole - hole
whole thing
hole in the garden
would - wood
I would like to stay
wood = from a tree
write - right
write a letter
right and left
Take a look at my other spelling topics and helpful word lists.
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