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Common Homophones Explained

This document provides examples of commonly confused word pairs in English and their definitions to distinguish between their meanings. It lists over 150 pairs of words such as accept/except, aid/aide, air/heir, aisle/isle, allowed/aloud, altar/alter, allusion/illusion and provides the definition of each to clarify the difference. The purpose is to help clarify words that sound similar but have different meanings.

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67% found this document useful (3 votes)
958 views6 pages

Common Homophones Explained

This document provides examples of commonly confused word pairs in English and their definitions to distinguish between their meanings. It lists over 150 pairs of words such as accept/except, aid/aide, air/heir, aisle/isle, allowed/aloud, altar/alter, allusion/illusion and provides the definition of each to clarify the difference. The purpose is to help clarify words that sound similar but have different meanings.

Uploaded by

aponce1234
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
  • Alphabetically Listed Terms A-B
  • Alphabetically Listed Terms C-F
  • Alphabetically Listed Terms F-H
  • Alphabetically Listed Terms I-P
  • Alphabetically Listed Terms Q-T
  • Alphabetically Listed Terms U-Y

1. accept - take in except - other than 2. ad advertisement add - join, combine 3. advice guidance advise - recommend 4.

4. aid - assist, assistance aide - one who gives assistance 5. ail - to suffer poor health ale - a beverage 6. air - atmosphere heir - one who inherits property err to make a mistake 7. aisle - a passage I'll - contraction of I will isle island 8. allowed - permitted aloud out loud 9. Altar - to lead to the altar Alter - to alter course 10. allusion - an indirect reference illusion - false appearance 11. altar - table in a church alter - to change 12. ant picnic pest aunt relative, as in your moms sister 13. arc - curve ark Noahs boat 14. ate - past tense of eat eight - the number 8 15. bail - to clear water bail - release of a prisoner bale - a large bundle 16. bat - animal but - An argument against something 17. Bald - (hairless) Bawled - (cried aloud) 18. band - a ring, something that binds band - a group banned prohibited 19. base bottom part bass deep or low

20. bare - uncovered bear - large animal bear - support, yield 21. bases - starting points bases - four stations on a baseball field basis - a basic principle 22. be to exist bee buzzing insect 23. beach sandy shore beech type of tree 24. beat - to strike, overcome beat - exhausted beet - a plant with red roots 25. bean - an edible seed. been - the past participle of the verb 'be'. 26. blew - past tense of blow blue - the color 27. bread - baked food item bred produced 28. berth tie up birth to be born 29. board - a flat piece of material such as wood bored - tired of or uninteresting in something 30. bite - nibble byte 8 bits (computer data) 31. berry fruit from a bush bury to put underground 32. boar - pig bore not interesting bore - to drill 33. borough area or district burrow dig through burro small donkey 34. bough - branch bow bend or curtsy 35. buoy - floater boy young man 36. brake stop pedal break smash 37. buy - purchase by - near, through bye goodbye 38. brows - eyebrows browse look around

39. cap - flat hat without a brim cup - bowl-shaped container for drinking from 40. call - Cry out to (someone) caul - The amniotic membrane enclosing a fetus. 41. capital - punishable by death capital - chief city capitol - building where legislature meets 42. ceiling - top of a room sealing - setting, fastening 43. cell - small unit sell - to give up for money 44. cereal breakfast food serial - sequential 45. cent - a penny scent - an odor sent - past tense of send 46. chews - gnaws with teeth choose - to select 47. cite - mention, quote sight - vision site - place 48. Chile country in South America chili bean stew chilly frosty 49. cheap - Low in price cheep - A shrill squeaky cry made by a bird 50. Climactic - (great intensity) Climatic - (weather conditions) 51. coarse - rough course - path, procedure 52. complement - make complete compliment - praise 53. conduct - behavior conduct - to lead 54. council - assembly counsel - advice, to advise 55. currant - a small, dried, seedless grape. current - in progress, happening now. 56. Cut to split in half Cat - animal 57. days - plural of day daze - stun

58. dear - loved one, valued deer - the animal 59. desert - to abandon desert - dry land dessert - after-dinner treat 60. die - expire dye - color 61. discreet - tactful discrete distinct 62. dual - double duel - fight 63. ewe female sheep you - second-person personal pronoun 64. elicit - draw out illicit - illegal 65. eminent - distinguished imminent soon 66. Emigrate from (leave one country) Immigrate to (enter another country) 67. eye sight organ I me 68. fairy elflike creature with wings ferry boat 69. facts - A thing that is indisputably the case. fax - An image of a document sent electronically 70. faze - impact phase stage 71. feat achievement feet plural of foot 72. fair - pleasing, impartial fair - gathering, exhibition fare - fee for transportation 73. find - locate fined - charged (past tense of fine) 74. fir - a pine tree fur - a coat or covering 75. flea - insect flee - to escape 76. flour - milled wheat flower plant 77. flaw - an imperfection or fault in design. floor - the flat thing you walk on inside a building,

78. for - (preposition) fore - front, forward four - the number 4 79. foreword - preface forward - related to direction 80. fan - apparatus with rotating blades fun - Enjoyment, amusement 81. grate - to irritate grate - a frame great - large, superior 82. grease - fat Greece country in Europe 83. Gilt - (gold-plated) Guilt - (did wrong) 84. guys - a man, secure with a line guise - An external form, appearance 85. Gorilla - (large ape) Guerrilla - (military soldier) 86. groan - moan grown matured 87. hail - a type of frozen rain. hale - healthy, hearty. 88. hall - auditorium, dormitory haul - to carry

97. hue - A color or shade hew - Chop or cut (something, esp. wood) hugh - common English name 98. its - (possessive pronoun) it's - it is 99. jam - to force or block jam - jelly jamb - part of a door or window 100. Knead - (working bread dough) Need - (must have) knight - in olden times, a man of noble birth. night - the dark time after a day. know - to understand no negative law - a rule or set of rules. lore - traditional wisdom or knowledge. leach - top remove soluble substances by percolating in a liquid, such as water. leech - a type of blood-sucking worm. leak - lose fluid through an opening or hole. leek - a type of vegetable. lead - the metal lead - to direct led - past tense of lead (directed) lessen - to decrease lesson - an example or unit of instruction load - something to be carried, or the weight

101.

102.

103.

104.

105.

106.

107. 89. hawk - A diurnal bird of prey hock - A dry white wine 90. him - refer to a male perso hymn - A religious song or poem 91. hear - listen here - this place 92. heal - to cure, make better. heel - the lower back part of your foot. 93. higher - taller, more advanced hire - to employ 111. 94. hoarse - rough sounding horse - the animal 95. hole - opening whole entire 96. holey full of holes holy - divine wholly entirely
112.

108. of it.

lode - a deposit of a valuable ore such as magnetite in rocks. 109. loan - to lend, an amount of money given to someone for later repayment. lone - alone, by oneself, unaccompanied
110. lock A mechanism for keeping a door luck - Chance to find or acquire

loot - money or goods obtained illegally. lute - an ancient stringed instrument like a harp
lie - to recline lie - tell an untruth lye - used in making soap

113. made - manufacture, created; related to the verb 'make'. maid - a woman or girl who serves someone else.

114.

Mail - (postal delivery) Male - (masculine person) meat - food meet - to encounter mete - to give out

130.

peace - absence of conflict piece - a portion

115.

131. peak: the absolute top of something, the highest point. peek: a quick and perhaps secret look. 132. peal: the sound of bells ringing. peel: the surface skin of a fruit. plain - treeless land plain - simple, unadorned plane aircraft peal: the sound of bells ringing. peel: the surface skin of a fruit. poor - lacking possessions pore - to read carefully pour - to cause to flow principal - main, most important principal - head of a school principle rule prise: to force something open or apart. prize: a reward given for success or victory. profit - gain prophet - someone who foretells events

116. might - noun(strength, power); verb it is related to "may". mite - a type of very small insect and also a very small particle or amount.

133.

117.

miner - a worker in a mine minor - someone under legal age minor - lesser or smaller missed - past tense of miss mist - a light rain

134.

135. 118.

136. 119. nave - the main central area inside a traditional church building. knave - in past times, a rogue, scoundrel. 137. 120. nor- usually used in a sentence with 'neither'. gnaw - to chew something with your teeth, one - the number 1 won - past tense of win oar - a wooden paddle used to propel a small or - indicating that there is a choice of at least two; ore - rock from which minerals are extracted. awe - fear, but now used to mean wonder. 123. pail - a container pale - not bright or colorful 140.

138.

121.

122. boat.

139. cue: a hint which provides information about what to do next. queue: a line of people waiting, e.g., in a shop, in a bank. rain: water falling in drops from clouds reign: verb and noun, to do with the rule of a monarch over people. raise - lift rays - beams of light raze demolish

141.

124. above. 125.

pause: temporary stop, rest, interval. paws: several of the things I've just defined

142.

real: actual, not imaginary. reel: a roll of something or the item around/within which it is rolled. right: correct. rite: a ceremony, rap - knock rap - hip-hop wrap - cover, conceal role - character, part roll - to move forward roll - a portion of bread

pair - two of something pare - remove, cut back pear - the fruit passed - past form of pass past - a previous time past - (preposition)

143.

144. 126.

145. 127. pain - the sensation of physical hurt, pane - a sheet of glass in a window or door. pot - Touch quickly path - A way or track laid down for walking patience - endurance patients - people under medical care

128.

129.

146. root: the part of the plant which grows underground. route: the choice of roads taken to reach a particular place.

147.

rough: coarse, not smooth; not well behaved. ruff: a type of pleated collar worn in past centuries. sail - fabric used to move a ship sale - the act of selling sauce: used on food to enhance the flavour. source: the origin of something; scene - setting or a part of a play seen - past participle of see

167. golf

tea: a drink tee: the starting place for a hole in a game of

148.

168.

tear: rip, pull apart. tare: several uses involving weight, throw: the act of sending something through throe: a pang or pain arising from labour.

149.

169. the air

150.

170. 151. seam - a line formed by joining two pieces seem - to appear 171. 152. sea: ocean, the water between continents. see: to observe or watch something. 172. 153. shear - to cut sheer - transparent 173. 154. soar - to rise or fly sore hurt some a few sum amount sign: a written message. sine: a mathematical term, used in trigonometry. stair - step stare gaze 177. 158. seed: a small hard fruit, cede: to give over or surrender something. 178. 159. sight: the ability to see. site: the location of something, such as a building site. cite: to quote, to make reference to. sort: a class, group or kind; sought: being looked for. 180. 161. stake - pointed piece of wood steak - a slice of beef 181. 162. steal: to take something illegally. steel: an alloy of iron with carbon. stele: An ancient upright stone slab bearing inscriptions. stationary - unmoving stationery - writing materials 183. 164. tail - rear part tale story tub - A wide, open, deep, tab - A facility in a word-processing program team - group teem - to be present in large quantity 184. 174.

tree - plant three - number time: Oh, look at your clock! thyme: the name of a herb used in cookery. Than - (a comparison) Then - (shows time) their belonging to them there at that place theyre they are threw - past tense of throw through - (preposition) tide - rising and falling of water tied - fastened till - A cash register or drawer teal - A dark greenish-blue color. toe: one of the digits of the foot. tow: to haul something or drag it with a rope.

155.

156.

175.

176. 157.

tuna: a tunny, which is a type of fish. tuner: the part of a radio or TV receiver which tunes in to signals. To - (a preposition) Too - (an adverb) Two - (a number) turn: to change direction tern: a sea-bird, a type of gull. urn: a large vase earn: receive payment for work. erne: another name for a European sea eagle. vain - conceited, fruitless vane - device for showing wind direction vein - a blood vessel, streak, or crack vale: another word for valley. veil: a garment that covers the head and the face. waist - mid-section of the body waste - to spend, wear away

179.

160.

182.

163.

165.

166.

185.

war - battle wore did wear warn - caution worn used we - us wee tiny way - a course or manner weigh - to measure weak - frail, not strong week - seven days weather - atmospheric conditions whether if

186.

187.

188.

189.

190.

191. wear: use an item of clothing to cover part of your body. ware: denotes articles of the same kind of material, where: in what place? 192. weal: a raised mark on the skin wheel: the round thing that keeps your bicycle moving whine - complain wine - an alcoholic drink which - that witch sorcerer wax - A sticky yellowish moldable substance whacks - Strike forcefully with a sharp blow

193.

194.

195.

196. you: not me or them, but you, the person reading this. ewe: a female sheep. yew: a type of tree. 197. your belonging to you youre you are

198.

yore: a long time ago. your: belonging to you. yaw: a particular type of movement of a ship or aeroplane. yolk - The yellow internal part of a bird's egg yoke - A wooden crosspiece yule - period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6 you'll - Contraction of you will

199.

200.

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