This chapter is made based off the first two chapters I did, it would take forever if I were to make a chapter for each of them so I am making them all in one.

Homophones

Have you ever wondered which variation of the word “bear” to use in a sentence? “Bear” can mean to carry or it can mean to tolerate. The word “bare” sounds like “bear” but it is spelled differently and the two have different meanings. These tricky words and many others like them are members of a group of words called homophones.

Homophones fall under the umbrella of the term homonyms. Homonyms is a broad term for words that sound or are spelled the same but have different meanings. Let’s take a closer look at homophones.

What Are Homophones?

Homophones are words that are pronounced the same but they have different meanings and are usually spelled differently as well. They usually occur in groups of two but sometimes they can be three or four in a group. It’s important to recognize and identify the most common homophones because the spelling can change the entire meaning of a sentence! Here is a list of the most common homophones.

Examples of Homophones:

Spoiler: Spoiler

air, heir

aisle, isle

ante-, anti-

bare, bear, bear

be, bee

brake, break

buy, by

cell, sell

cent, scent

cereal, serial

coarse, course

complement, compliment

dam, damn

dear, deer

die, dye

eye, I

fair, fare

fir, fur

flour, flower

hair, hare

heal, heel

hear, here

him, hymn

hole, whole

hour, our

idle, idol

in, inn

knight, night

knot, not

know, no

made, maid

mail, male

meat, meet

morning, mourning

none, nun

oar, or

one, won

pair, pear

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

peace piece

plain, plane

poor, pour

pray, prey

principal, principle

profit, prophet

real, reel

right, write

root, route

sail, sale

sea, see

seam, seem

sew, so, sow

sight, site

shore, sure

sole, soul

some sum

son, sun

stair, stare

stationary, stationery

steal, steel

suite, sweet

tail, tale

their, there

to, too, two

toe, tow

waist, waste

wait, weight

way, weigh

weak, week

wear, where

Let’s use a few in sentences:

* Be careful around the figurines because they break easily.

* Press gently on the brake to slow the car down.

* We saw a grizzly bear while vacationing in the mountains.

* I can’t bear this burden any longer.

* The cupboards are bare.

* The poor man only had one cent to his name.

* I love the scent of gardenias.

* Did you send that parcel? Yes I sent it.

* That poem is very dear to me.

* There were seven deer grazing in our pasture.

* I hope my plants don’t die in this heat.

* Rebecca wants to dye her hair purple.

* The recipe calls for two cups of flour.

* She put a single flower in the vase.

* My hair is a mess!

* Have you read the story about the tortoise and the hare?

* Vegetarians do not eat meat.

* Where shall we meet for lunch?

* Let’s go buy a new pair of shoes.

* The fruit contained a banana, an apple, and a pear.

* My son is presently in the military.

* The sun is hidden behind the clouds.

* Katie went to town.

* I want to go to town, too.

* Why don’t the two of us go to town tomorrow?

Some people think homophones are pretty cool and they enjoy learning about them. While it’s fun to explore all the different meanings and spellings of these words, it’s best to concentrate on those that are used more often in writing such as:

Spoiler: Spoiler

ad, add

ate, eight

aunt, ant

be, bee

blew, blue

buy, by, bye

cell, sell

hear, here

hour, our

its, it’s

know, no

meet, meat

one, won

their, there, they’re

theirs, there’s

to, too, two

who’s, whose

your, you’re

Master these and you’ll drastically reduce your chance of using the wrong words in your writing!

Homographs and Homonyms

Homophones are often confused with homographs and homonyms. These terms are similar, but there are some important differences to consider.

Homographs are words which are spelled the same, but have different meanings and are not necessarily pronounced the same. One example is the word bow, which has several meanings pronounced two different ways, such as a weapon for shooting arrows, or to bend at the waist.

Homonyms are words with the same spelling and pronunciation, but different meanings, which means they are simultaneously homographs and homophones. Take for example the word band, meaning a group or a ring.

Native English speakers often grasp the concept of homophones with minimal effort, but students learning English as a second language may need extra practice.