A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same, to a varying extent, as another word but differs totally in meaning. A homophone may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, such as rose (flower) and rose (past tense of “rise”), or differently, such as carat, and carrot, or to, two, and too. The term “homophone” may also apply to units longer or shorter than words, such as phrases, letters, 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 are often used to create puns and to deceive the reader (as in crossword puzzles) or to suggest multiple meanings. 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
English Language 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.
Homophones are a type of homonym. Homonyms, broadly defined, are words which are homographs (words that share the same spelling, regardless of pronunciation) or homophones (words that share the same pronunciation, regardless of spelling), or both.
You can find out more about these types of words and word types/structures in Connotation vs Denotation
Here are 200 homophones for kids to read up on. You can use also use this homophones list for a homophones worksheet
abel — able
accede — exceed
accept — except
addition — edition
all ready — already
ax — acts
axel — axle
axes — axis
aye — eye — I
ayes — eyes
baa — bah
baal — bail
bass — base
baste — based
bate — bait
bated — baited
bawl — ball
been — bin
beer — bier
beet — beat
bell — belle
berry — bury
berth — birth
better — bettor
bib — bibb
bight — bite
bury — berry
bussed — bust
but — butt
buy — by — bye
byte — bight
cache — cash
caddie — caddy
cain — cane
cheap — cheep
check — Czech
cheep — cheap
chews — choose
chic — sheik
click — clique
climb — clime
clique — click
colonel — kernel
coolie — coulee
coop — coupe
cops — copse
coral — choral
cord — cored
core — corps
cored — chord
corps — core
coughers — coffers
coulee — coolie
council — counsel
coup — coo
course — coarse
cousin — cozen
coward — cowered
coy — koi
cozen — cousin
craft — kraft
crape — crepe
crawl — kraal
creak — creek
crepe — crape
crewel — cruel
dense — dents
descent — dissent
dun — done
dye — die
dyeing — dying
fare — fair
fate — fete
faun — fawn
fax — facts
faze — phase
feat — feet
feint — faint
fends — fens
flour — flower
flow — floe
flower — flour
flu — flue — flew
flyer — flier
foaled — fold
fort — forte
forward — foreword
foul — fowl
four — fore — for
fourth — forth
gibe — jibe
gnu — knew — new
gofer — gopher
gored — gourd
gorilla — guerilla
gourd — gored
grade — grayed
graft — graphed
graham — gram
graphed — graft
heroin — heroine
hertz — hurts
hew — hue
hoes — hose
hold — holed
hole — whole
holed — hold
hue — hew
humerus
incite — insight
jam — jamb
jean — gene
jell — gel
jibe — gibe
kernel — colonel
knap — nap
knave — nave
ladder — latter
lade — laid
lain — lane
lays — laze
lea — lee
leach — leech
lead — led
leak — leek
lean — lien
leased — least
led — lead
lee — lea
leech — leach
liar — lier
lichen — liken
lie — lye
lien — lean
lier — liar
lieu — Lou
liken — lichen
lochs — locks
lock — loch
locks — lox
mints — mince
missal — missile
missed — mist
misses — Mrs.
missile — missal
mist — missed
mite — might
moan — mown
moat — mote
mode — mowed
mood — mooed
moose — mousse
morn — mourn
nice — gneiss
Nice — niece
nickers — knickers
niece — Nice
oh — owe
one — won
owe — oh
padded — patted
paean — paeon
pail — pale
pain — pane
pair — pare
pale — pail
parish — perish
real — reel
root — route
rose — rows
rows — rose
rude — rued
rue — roux
rued — rude
troop — troupe
trussed — trust
turn — tern
tutor — tooter
tux — tucks
urn — earn
use — ewes
vale — veil
vane — vein
vary — very
veil — vale
vein — vain
ways — weighs
we — wee
we’ll — wheel
weak — week
wear — where
weave — we’ve
wretch — retch
wring — ring
yew — ewe — you
yews — use
yoke — yolk
you’ll — Yule
your — you’re
yule — you’ll
Here are some more examples of homophones to play around with;
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 peace piece plain, plane poor, pour pray, prey principal, principle profit, prophet
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SOURCES
- 101 English Homophones You Should Know — OTUK (Online …. https://onlineteachersuk.com/english-homophones/
- Homonym – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homonym
- Homophones: the Most Confusing Words in English (a List …. https://www.eslbuzz.com/homophones-the-most-confusing-words-in-english-a-list-with-meanings/
- Homophone – Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound-alike_word
- 5 Examples Of Homonyms In A Sentence. https://localexam.com/search/5-examples-of-homonyms-in-a-sentence
- 101 English Homophones You Should Know — OTUK (Online …. https://onlineteachersuk.com/english-homophones/
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