Homophones: meaning and examples
Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings, and usually different spellings: “hear” and “here”, “to”, “too” and “two”. When you write down what you hear, they are easy to get wrong even when you heard them perfectly.
What is a homophone?
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but means something different. The name comes from Greek: “homo” (same) and “phone” (sound). Most homophones are spelled differently, like “knight” and “night”.
Homophones and homonyms
Homonyms are words that are spelled and pronounced the same but mean different things: a river “bank” and a “bank” for money. Homophones only need to sound the same. Words that are spelled the same but pronounced differently, like “read” (now) and “read” (past), are homographs.
List of common homophones
- there / their / they’re
- to / too / two
- your / you’re
- its / it’s
- here / hear
- know / no, knew / new
- write / right
- weather / whether
- buy / by / bye
- week / weak, meat / meet, sea / see
- for / four, one / won, eight / ate
- flour / flower, mail / male, pair / pear
- piece / peace, plain / plane, sun / son
- whole / hole, wear / where, which / witch
There, their and they’re
- there: a place, or “there is / there are”: “Put it there.” “There’s a problem.”
- their: belonging to them: “That’s their car.”
- they’re: they are: “They’re late again.”
Your and you’re, its and it’s
- your: belonging to you: “Is this your bag?”
- you’re: you are: “You’re right.”
- its: belonging to it: “The dog wagged its tail.”
- it’s: it is or it has: “It’s cold.” “It’s been a long day.”
- Test: if “you are”, “it is” or “it has” fits, use the apostrophe.
What learners miss most
The most frequent mix-ups in writing are “there / their / they’re”, “your / you’re” and “its / it’s”: the sound was heard correctly, but the wrong word was written. In fast speech, near-homophones like “of / have” and “then / than” join them. In a dictation these count as mistakes, because the meaning changes.
Questions about homophones
What is the meaning of homophone?
A homophone is a word that sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning and usually a different spelling, like “hear” and “here”.
What are some examples of homophones?
there, their and they’re; to, too and two; your and you’re; its and it’s; write and right; see and sea; buy, by and bye; flour and flower.
What is the difference between a homophone and a homonym?
Homophones sound the same but can be spelled differently (hear, here). Homonyms are spelled and pronounced the same but mean different things (a river bank, a bank for money).
Why does a dictation mark my homophone as wrong?
Because the written word means something different. Choosing the right spelling shows you understood the sentence, not only the sound.