Homophones
Homophones are words that sound the same, but are spelled differently in writing and have a different meaning. They are therefore frequently a problem in English usage like near misses. Rehearsing Homophones to get students use to the distinctions of the words is a useful way of improving both written and spoken English. Homophones are something students need to see in written context and to hear in spoken contexts of structured conversation.
Try having students write a poem using homophones, and then to have them read it out loud to the class. This can be adopted as a dictation exercise.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Ad--add
Ads-adz
Aid--aide
Ail-ale
Air-heir
Aisle-I'll-isle
All-awl
Already-all ready
Allowed-aloud
Altar-alter
Ant-aunt
Arc-ark
Ascent-assent
Assistance-assistants
Ate-eight
Attendance-attendants
Aural-oral
Away-aweigh
Awful-offal
Aye-eye-I
Bail-bale
Bait-bate
Ball-bawl
Bard-barred
Bare-bear
Bark-barque
Base-bass
Bases-basis
Bazaar-bizarre
Be-bee
Beach-beech
Bearing-baring
Beat-beet
Beau-bow
Been-bin
Beer-bier
Bell-belle
Berry-bury
Berth-birth
Better-bettor
Bight-bite-byte
Billed-build
Blew-blue
Block-bloc
Boar-bore
Board-bored
Boarder-border
Boll-bowl
Bolder-boulder
Born-borne
Borough-burro-burrow
Bough-bow
Bouillion-bullion
Boy-bouy
Brake-break
Bread-bred
Brewed-brood
Brews-bruise
Bridal-bridle
Britain-Briton
Broach-brooch
But-butt
Buy-by-bye
C
Cache-cash
Callous-callus
Cannon-canon
Canvas-canvass
Capital-capitol
Carat-caret-carrot
Carol-carrel
Cast-caste
Cede-seed
Ceiling-sealing
Cell-sell
Cellar-seller
Censor-sensor
Cent-scent-sent
Cereal-serial
Cessions-session
Chasted-chaste
Cheap-cheep
Chews-choose
Chilly-chili
Choral-coral
Chord-cord
Chute-shoot
Cite-sight-site
Claws-clause
Click-clique
Climb-clime
Close-Clothes
Coal-cole
Coarse-course
Colonel-kernel
Complement-compliment
Coop-coupe
Core-corpse
Council-counsel
Cousin-cozen
Creak-creek
Crews-cruise-cruse
Cruel-crewel
Cue-queue
Currant-current
Curser-cursor
Cymbal-symbol
Dear-deer
Desert-dessert
Dew-do-due
Die-dye
Dine-dyne
Disburse-disperse
Discreet-discrete
Doe-dough-do
Done-dun
Dual-duel
Ducked-duct
Earn-urn
Ease-eaves
Ewe-yew-you
Eyelet-islet
Fain-feigh
Faint-feint
Fair-fare
Fawn-faun
Faze-phase
Feat-feet
Find-fined
Fir-fur
Flair-flare
Flea-flee
Flew-flu-flue
Flour-flower
For-fore-four
Foreword-forward
Forth-fourth
Foul-fowl
Franc-frank
Friar-fryer
Gilt-guilt
Gnu-knew-new
Gorilla-guerilla
Grae-great
Groan-grown
Guessed-guest
H
Hail-hale
Hair-hare
Hall-haul
Handsome-hansom
Hangar-hanger
Halve-have
Hart-heart
Hay-hey
Heal-heel-he'll
Hear-here
Heard-herd
Heed-he'd
Hertz-hurts
Hew-hue
Hi-hie-high
Higher-hire
Him-hymn
Hoarse-horse
Hole-whole
Holey-holy-wholly
Horde-hoard
Hostel-hostile
Hour-our
Hurdle-hurtle
Idle-idol-idyll
In-inn
Incite-insight
Instance-instants
Intense-intents
Its-it's
Jam-jamb
K
Knead-need
Knew-new-gnu
Knight-night
Knit-nit
Knot-not
Know-no
Lam-lamb
Lain-lane
Lay-lei
Lead-led
Leak-leek
Lean-lien
Leased-least
Lessen-lesson
Levee-levy
Liar-lyre
Lichen-liken
Lie-lye
Lightening-lightning
Load-lode
Locks-lox
Loot-lute
Low-lo
Made-maid
Mail-male
Main-Maine-mane
Maize-maze
Mall-maul
Manner-manor
Mantel-mantle
Marry-merry-Mary
Marshal-martial
Massed-mast
Meat-meet-mete
Medal-meddle
Might-mite
Miner-minor
Missed-mist
Misses-Missus (Mrs.)
Moan-mown
Mode-mowed
Morn-mourn
Muscle-mussle
Naval-navel
Ney-neigh
None-nun
Nay-neigh
None-nun
O
Oar-or-ore
Ode-owed
Oh-owe
One-won
Overdo-overdue
Overseas-oversees
Pail-pale
Pain-pane
Pair-pare-pear
Palate-palette-pallet
Passed-past
Patience-patients
Pause-paws
Peace-piece
Peak-peek-pique
Peal-peel
Pearl-purl
Pedal-peddle
Peer-pier
Per-purr
Pi-pie
Plain-plane
Plait-plate
Pleas-please
Plum-plumb
Pole-poll
Pore-pour
Pray-prey
Presents-presence
Principal-principle
Profit-prophet
Rack-wrack
Rain-reign-rein
Raise-raze-rays
Rap-wrap
Read-reed
Real-reel
Rec-reck
Reek-wreak
Rest-wrest
Right-rite-write
Rime-rhyme
Ring-wring
Road-rode-rowed
Roe-row
Role-rol
Root-route
Rose-rows
Rote-wrote
Rude-rued
Rumor-roomer
Rung-wrung
Rye-wry
S
Sail-sale
Scene-seen
Scent-sent-cent
Scull-skull
Sea-see
Seam-seem
Sear-seer
Serf-surf
Sew-so-sow
Shear-sheer
Shoe-shoo
Shone-shown
Side-sighed
Sign-sine
Slay-sleigh
Sleight-slight
Slew-slue
Soar-sore
Sole-soul
Some-sum
Son-sun
Staid-stayed
Stair-stare
Stake-steak
Stationary-stationery
Steal-steel
Step-steppe
Stile-style
Straight-strait
Suite-sweet
Tacks-tax
Tail-tale
Tames-Thames
Taught-taut
Tea-tee
Teas-tease
Team-teem
Tear-tier
Tern-turn
Their-there-they're
Theirs-there's
Threw-thru-through
Throne-thrown
Thyme-time
Tic-tick
Tide-tied
To-too-two
Toad-towed
Toe-tow
Told-tolled
Trussed-trust
Vain-vane-vein
Vale-veil
Vary-very
Vice-vise
Wade-weighed
Wail-whale
Waist-waste
Wait-weight
Waive-wave
Want-wont
Ware-wear-where
Way-weigh-whey
Ways-weighs
We-wee
Weak-week
Weal-we'll-wheel
Weather-whether
Weave-we've
We'd-weed
Weir-we're
Wet-whet
Which-witch
While-wile
Whine-wine
Who's-whose
Wood-would
Worst-wurst
You'll-yule
Your-you're
Blanket Copyright, Hugh M. Lewis, © 2005. Use of this text governed by fair use policy--permission to make copies of this text is granted for purposes of research and non-profit instruction only.
Last Updated: 03/14/05