Homophones

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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 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)

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

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