Homonyms
| Homonyms – some examples |
| The exact pronunciation of words depends on geographical area, social class and other factors, but here is a collection of words usually so close in sound as to be at least confusing. The list is by no means complete. |
| air/heir We have clean air here in Finland. Prince Charles is heir to (will inherit) the British throne. |
| aisle/isle/I’ll Aisles separate blocks of seats in a theatre. Aisles also run between the shelves in a supermarket. Isle is Scottish for island, as in the Isle of Sky. I’ll look for the meats in that aisle over there. |
| aloud/allowed He read the book aloud to his child. It is not allowed to enter this area. |
| a part/apart He read only a part of the book to his child. They have been living apart for years now, although still married. Apart from being a murderer, he really is quite a nice chap  |
| ate/eight He ate eight pears. |
| bear/bare Some US citizens claim the right to bear (carry) arms (weapons). In the summer I like to have bare (uncovered) arms. Bare steel needs to be protected with paint or galvanising. |
| been/bean Have you been to see the new Mr Bean movie? Bean sprouts are becoming very popular. I prefer baked beans on toast. |
| break/brake I’m tired, let’s take a break. Be careful! Don’t break it, it’s made of glass. I have just had the brakes fixed on my car. |
| cash/cache I don’t have much cash with me, would you take a cheque? When I need cash I go to an ATM. A cache is a hidden store of something for later use. Geocaching is a new sport where you find hidden things by GPS. |
| caught/court He caught the thief who was running away. The thief had to go to court, and was sent to prison. I would love to have a tennis court in my garden. |
| cellar/seller I keep old furniture and fine wines in my cellar (basement). The fruit seller worked from a stall in the market. |
| cygnet/signet A cygnet is a young swan. A signet ring has a seal set in it. |
| faze/phase He was completely fazed (confused/shocked) by the news. ABB makes three-phase electric motors. |
| grate/great The old house had an open fireplace,so I lit a fire in the grate (metal grill for this purpose). That was fun! We had a great day. |
| hoarse/horse His voice was hoarse (rough) from shouting. His horse ran away. |
| its/it’s I gave the dog its food. It’s a red car. |
| flu/flew/flue I had the flu last month. I flew to Rome last summer. The smoke from a fireplace travels up through the flue, which is contained inside the chimney stack. |
| lays/laze He lays down in the sun. A bricklayer lays bricks. He has all day to laze around (be lazy or relaxed). |
| leak/leak The ministry leaked the information to the press. A leek is a vegetable of the onion family. |
| meat/meet Our freezer is full of elk meat. It was nice to meet you. |
| moan/mown (Am. mowed) He moaned in pain. The grass was mown (cut) yesterday. The machine is a lawn mower. |
| moose/mousse A moose is an animal similar to an elk. A mousse is a light fluffy dessert. |
| morning/mourning I like to get up early in the morning. Someone in mourning is feeling sadness after someone has died. Mourning is also the process of coming to terms with such a loss. |
| nun/none The nun prayed for the children. The boy asked for money, but his father had none. |
| our/hour Our lunch hour is nearly over. |
| pair/pear/pare He bought a pair of gloves. He ate the pear straight from the tree. He pared away the bark from the stick with a knife (but we ‘peel’ fruit and potatoes etc). |
| pane/pain The boys broke two panes (complete pieces) of glass before the police came. He was in great pain when he broke his leg. |
| paws/pores/pause My dog has huge paws (feet). We sweat through pores in our skin. I put the video on pause when the doorbell rang. |
| peal/peel I heard the peal (particular sound) of church bells. You should peel an orange before you eat it. |
| plane/plain Plane is short for aeroplane or airplane. Fast boats plane over the waves. A plain is a broad flat area of land. I prefer plain simple food, not fancy spicy food. A plain-clothes police officer does not wear a uniform. |
| practise/practice You must practise English every day. (verb) My English practice is going well. (noun) |
| pray/prey The nun prayed for the children. The lion (predator) stalked its prey (carefully followed its lunch). |
| raise/rays/raze They will never raise (lift) the Titanic. The evening sun’s rays shone through the window onto the dusty television screen. To raze a building or a town is to completely destroy it. |
| reign/rein/rain Queen Elizabeth II has reigned (been in power) since 1952. You can steer the horse with the reins. You rein in the horse (make it stop). It looks cloudy, I think it will rain tomorrow. |
| right/rite/write/wright He is right-handed. Everyone has the right to go into the forest and pick berries. A rite is a religious ceremony or ritual. The last rites are given when someone dies. I will write the letter. A playwright writes plays and a wheelwright makes wheels. |
| should’ve Not strictly a homonym, but should’ve is a contraction of should have – NOT should of. |
| sale/sail They have a sale on in that shop. My house is for sale. I must buy a new sail for my yacht. |
| scene/seen The scene (panorama), as seen from the upstairs window, is beautiful. The playwright skillfully set the scene for the murder. Have you seen the new play at the theatre? |
| sight/site The sea is a beautiful sight on a sunny day. a building site (place) – a website - This is the site of an old battle (historic place). |
| so/sew/sow ..and so on = etc What was lunch like? Oh, it was so-so (not good, not bad). We were taught to sew with a needle and thread. In the spring, farmers sow seeds. |
| steak/stake I like to eat steak and onions. He has a large stake (investment/holding) in this company. An oak stake was driven through the vampire’s heart. He staked a claim on the gold mine. |
| steal/steel It is a crime to steal another’s property. Steel is a strong but flexible ferrous metal. |
| sweet/suite Sweet foods are usually bad for the teeth. I just bought a three-piece suite (matching sofa and two chairs). We have just moved into a new office suite (collection of rooms). All our hotel rooms are en-suite (they have private bathrooms). The musical composer has just published a new suite (a collection of movements that go together). |
| talk/torque I’d like to talk to you about something. Diesel engines have great low-end torque. |
| taught/tort We were taught to sew with a needle and thread. Legal term – trespass (going on someone’s land without permission) is not crime in the UK, it is a tort, you have to take private action in the courts (i.e. sue for damages). |
| tea/tee I had a cup of tea. Golf term – the golf ball is placed on the tee (plastic holder) for the first shot of each hole. |
| there/their/they’re The book you are looking for is over there. Their house is that one over there. Do you thing they’re (they are) going to stay there long? |
| Time/thyme I didn’t have time to add the thyme (a herb)to the stew. |
| tire/tyre Little children tire easily. We change to winter tyres (Am. tires) in October. |
| toe/tow We have five toes on each foot. His car was too small to tow a caravan. |
| vane/vain/vein A vane is a blade of a windmill, water or wind turbine. He was so vain that he really believed he was better than others. Blood goes to our limbs through arteries and returns through veins |
| wave/waive He waved (his hand) to her from across the street. A huge wave, caused by an undersea earthquake, is called a tsunami. He waived (gave up) his right to have a lawyer defend him, and decided to defend himself. Let’s waive the formalities and get straight down to business. |
| weak/week He was weakfrom hunger. Last week we were on holiday. |
| Whether/weather/wether(‘Whether’ is similar to ‘if’) Whether the weather is good, or whether the weather is bad, the wether (castrated male sheep) is content on the hillside. |
Sep 23, 2011 @ 17:43:07
I like this sort of stuff Malcolm, could you have had “raze” to the groud with rays and raise
Sep 24, 2011 @ 08:25:25
Hi Godfrey,
Indeed I could, and I shall – thanks!
I thought up another six or so homonyms yesterday, but haven’t had time to update. I have to update the table on my computer first, and upload the whole thing fresh each time. It’s actually easier than making changes online.
Have a nice weekend!
Malcolm.
Oct 22, 2011 @ 13:21:04
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Nov 01, 2011 @ 13:07:54
Thank you Thora!
I wish I had more time to ‘play with words’ – this little bit of free time I have now has been provided as some of my students are on strike. So, nothing is all bad.
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Jan 03, 2012 @ 19:10:58
Hi,
Yes I have, but I haven’t had enough time recently to pay my blog the attention it deserves. My other main hobby is photography, so I intend to bring in much more colour and interest to the main theme – which is, of course, the English language and the services I can offer people to learn it.
Thanks for your feedback
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