English Grammar

List of Homophones

List of Homophones

 

List of homophones :- In this post we will discuss in detail about  List of Homophones.  We seldom need to worry about homophone mistakes because the person you are speaking to understands what you are saying due to the context of the conversation.

 

What are homophones?

A homophone is a word that is pronounced exactly or nearly the same as another word but differs in meaning and is spelled differently. Homophones are the most confusing words in the English language.

 

Homophone definition: In English, A homophone is a linguistic situation in which two words have the same pronunciation but have different spellings and meanings.

 

Homophone examples:-

 

Scene — Seen

See — Sea

Side — Sighed

Soar — Sore

Rode — Road

Sauce — Source

Sole — Soul

Some — Sum

Stationary — Stationery

Steal — Steel

Stile — Style

Sun — Son

Tail — Tale

Sort — Sought

Stare — Stair

 

Homophones started with (A)

Ad —– Add

 

No.-1.We put an ad in the local paper.

No.-2.Do you want to add your name to the list?

 

Ail —– Ale

 

No.-1.Make a kind of grand tour on my own, take the waters and cure what ails me.

No.-2.Deglaze pan with nut-brown ale and reduce liquid by half.

Air —– Heir

 

No.-1.Let’s go out for some fresh air.

No.-2.John was the sole heir to a vast estate.

All —– Awl

 

No.-1.All horses are animals, but not all animals are horses.

No.-2.An awl is an iron instrument used for piercing leather, but the word has been in punning use since time immemorial.

Allowed —– Aloud

 

List of homophones:-

 

No.-1.Smoking is not allowed here.

No.-2.The pain made him cry aloud.

Alms —– Arms

 

No.-1.Parish priests were feeling the pinch through reduced income from alms and tithes.

No.-2.He had a pile of books in his arms.

 

List of Homophones with Useful Examples

Altar —– Alter

 

No.-1.The groom left the bride standing at the altar.

No.-2.I can’t alter the plans.

Ant —– Aunt

 

No.-1.Ants work hard all summer.

No.-2.My aunt lives in Canada.

Arc —– Ark

 

No.-1.The beach swept around in an arc.

No.-2.The ark is vast, designed to float, not sail – and there were no launching problems!

Ate —– Eight

 

No.-1.I ate three hot dogs.

No.-2.My parents died when I was eight.

Auger —– Augur

 

Homophones examples:

 

No.-1.These have parallel sides and an auger along which the excess wood escapes.

No.-2.Conflicts among the various groups do not augur well for the future of the peace talks.

Aural —– Oral

 

No.-1.The sound track gives us the aural before the visual cue; it is as if the thunder arrives before the lightning.

No.-2.Like our oral culture, our society is atomized, disparate and largely obsessed with trivia.

Homophones started with (B)

Baize —– Bays

 

No.-1.At the same time, away from the competitive baize, she was a loyal and warm-hearted personality.

No.-2.He just crouches on the corner at lunchtime and occasionally bays, like a wolf or coyote.

Bald —– Bawled

 

No.-1.He combed his hair and tried to hide his bald patch.

No.-2.If you didn’t, you were bawled out, and that took an awful lot of getting used to.

Ball —– Bawl

 

No.-1.Tom caught the ball with one hand

No.-2.I couldn’t help it, I just started bawling.

Band —– Banned

 

Homophones examples:

 

No.-1.They formed a band when they were still at school.

No.-2.Leaders of the banned party were arrested last night.

Bard —– Barred

 

No.-1.I can be a bard, a philosopher, an actor.

No.-2.The gates are barred, the grass grows long, the paint peels.

Bare —– Bear

 

No.-1.The trees are already bare.

No.-2.I am afraid of bears.

 

List of Homophones with Examples

Baron —– Barren

 

No.-1.Hariri is not the first political baron to have risen without the benefit of family connections.

No.-2.Thousands of years ago the surface was barren desert.

Be —– Bee

 

No.-1.Homophones examples:

 

Be quiet!

No.-1.A bee is buzzing around.

Beach —– Beech

 

No.-1.It’s a nice day for going to the beach.

No.-2.Copses of beech and alder appeared, straggling along the banks with their roots lost in a tangle of briars and bracken.

Bean —– Been

 

No.-1.Tom doesn’t like green beans.

No.-2.I’ve never been to Japan.

Beer —– Bier

 

No.-1.He opened the fridge and got out a can of ice-cold beer.

No.-2.She made an effort to compose her mind to do just that, and kept her eyes firmly on the bier.

Berry —– Bury

 

No.-1.If you are determined to cultivate fruits, then the safest bets are berry bushes and nut trees.

No.-2.We hope to bury any speculation that there was a conspiracy.

Berth —– Birth

 

No.-1.You see them in dedicated lanes, hopefully being given a wide berth by cars.

No.-2.What’s your date of birth?

Billed —– Build

 

List of homophones:-

 

No.-1.You will be billed monthly for the service.

No.-2.They’re going to build on the site of the old power station.

Blue —– Blew

 

No.-1.They failed to put clear blue water between themselves and their competitors.

No.-2.She blew onto her coffee to cool it down.

Bored —– Board

 

No.-1.After a while, I got bored and left.

No.-2.The plan of the new building is displayed on a board at the back of the room.

Braid —– Brayed

 

No.-1.A worn braid feels rough and is best cut away and the line joined by a blood knot.

No.-2.The fisherman brayed laughter, pleased with his joke, and delighted to see the boy had composed himself.

Break —– Brake

 

Illustration of Homophones

No.-1.I need a break.

No.-2.She stopped with a squeal of the brakes.

Brews —– Bruise

 

Homophones examples:

 

No.-1.In the days when most types of beer were dark, wheat brews were seen as being relatively pale and often cloudy.

No.-2.Jenny looked as though she’d been crying, and there was a nasty bruise on her cheek.

Bridal —– Bridle

 

No.-1.She went to House of Design, a new Boston bridal house specializing in couture-quality gowns.

No.-2.The boy walked up to it and pulled its head up with the bridle, leading it out of the trees.

Broach —– Brooch

 

No.-1.He decided not to broach the subject of divorce until his wife had recovered from her illness.

No.-2.Mrs. or Mme Wyatt wore patent-leather shoes and a smart brownish suit with a gold brooch.

Buy —– By / Bye

 

No.-1.I want to buy a new coat.

No.-2.The telephone is by the window.

No.-3.Bye, Dave.

 

Homophones started with (C)

Capital —– Capitol

 

No.-1.The government is eager to attract foreign capital.

No.-2.This same senator also once got lost in a Capitol Hill garden after leaving a conference committee on the House side.

Cellar —– Seller

 

No.-1.We don’t use our coal cellar anymore.

No.-2.She is a flower seller.

Census —– Sense

 

Homophones examples:

 

No.-1.A national census is taken every ten years.

No.-2.He felt an overwhelming sense of loss.

Cereal —– Serial

 

No.-1.Eaten with milk or cream, they made an acceptable breakfast cereal.

No.-2.Their letters of planning went back and forth like installments of a serial.

Chili —– Chilly

 

No.-1.The sauce needs more chili.

No.-2.I was feeling chilly.

Choral —– Coral

 

No.-1.The third and final section of the evening was choral.

No.-2.They spent $ 3 million on environmental measures, he said, and hired biologists to replant coral that would be damaged.

 

Homophones Examples

Cite —– Sight / Site

 

No.-1.He was cited for bravery.

No.-2.Anne’s sight is very good for someone of her age.

No.-3.A site has been chosen for the new school.

Coarse —– Course

 

Homophones examples:

 

No.-1.The coarse sand was hot.

No.-2.Andy’s doing a one-year journalism course.

Complement —– Compliment

 

No.-1.The dark red walls complement the red leather chairs.

No.-2.Being compared to Abba is a great compliment.

Council —– Counsel

 

No.-1.He sent a letter to the council to complain about the noise.

No.-2.The judge asked counsel for the defence to explain.

Homophones started with (D)

Deer —– Dear

 

No.-1.A deer makes tracks in the snow.

No.-2. Congratulations to you my dear brother on all your fine accomplishments in school.

Die —– Dye

 

No.-1.Do you believe in anything enough to die for it?

No.-2.Carbonless paper coated with chemicals and dye which will produce copies without carbon paper.

Discreet —– Discrete

 

No.-1.He assured her that he would be discreet.

No.-2.The change happens in a series of discrete steps.

Doe —– Dough

 

Homophones examples:

 

No.-1.Ezra waited for the doe to open its eyes and look at him.

No.-2.Mix lemon juice and milk; stir into flour mixture until dough leaves side of bowl and forms a ball.

Done —– Dun

 

No.-1.As soon as I am done, I will give you a call.

No.-2.The claret dun nymph is at home in slow, peaty streams.

Draft —– Draught

 

No.-1.This is only the first draft of my speech.

No.-2.A cold draught of air blew in from the open window.

Dual —– Duel

 

No.-1.The piece of furniture serves a dual purpose as a cupboard and as a table.

No.-2.The officer challenged him to a duel.

Homophones started with (E)

Earn —– Urn

 

No.-1.He did all sorts of jobs to earn a living.

No.-2.The soup urn had a lonely look.

 

Homophones List

Ewe —– You

 

No.-1.He’s helping to drive in the ewes for a mass ante natal clinic

No.-2.I have some news for you.

Homophones started with (F)

Farther —– Father

 

No.-1.We decided not to go any farther.

No.-2.I love my father.

Faze —– Phase

 

No.-1.John was embarrassed, but it didn’t faze Mike a bit.

No.-2.The first phase of renovations should be finished by January.

File —– Phial

 

Homophones examples:

 

No.-1.Mendoza read over the file on the murders.

The door irised open and he reached inside, drawing out the tiny phial before the door closed up again.

Find —– Fined

 

No.-1. No.-2.I can’t find the car keys.

No.-2.The company was fined £20 000 for breaching safety regulations.

Fir —– Fur

 

No.-1.You always clear away the soft topsoil till you get a fir base.

No.-2.There was cat fur all over the chair.

Flaw —– Floor

 

No.-1.There is a fundamental flaw in Walton’s argument.

No.-2.We are located on the seventh floor of the building.

Flea —– Flee

 

No.-1.A water flea that is starving in a crowded pond is the victim not of food shortage but of competition.

No.-2.He gathered what money he had just in case Gallagher was forced to flee.

Flew —– Flu/ Flue

 

No.-1.A bird flew by and saw one of the half-eaten calves that I had dug up.

No.-2.Steven’s still in bed with flu.

No.-3.You may prefer central heating, and more controllable ventilation than permanently open flue.

Flex —– Flecks

 

Homophones examples:

 

No.-1.She watched him raise one hand to rub the nape of his neck, then flex his shoulder muscles.

No.-2.Only a few flecks of gray could be seen in his full head of hair.

Flour —– Flower

 

No.-1.Sift the flour and salt into a bowl.

No.-2.What beautiful flowers!

For —– Four

 

No.-1.There’s a letter for you.

No.-2.I choose number Four.

 

Useful Examples of Homophones

Foreword —– Forward

 

No.-1.He was asked if he would consider writing a foreword for her book.

No.-2.They ran forward to welcome her.

Fort —– Fought

 

No.-1.Just the three of you going to be holding the fort tonight.

No.-2.He fought many battles with the early Labor party in Lancaster and discrimination against socialist employees was alleged.

Foul —– Fowl

 

No.-1.He woke up with a foul taste in his mouth.

No.-2.Fish, fowl and meat, most with a decidedly Southwestern treatment, are represented on the menu.

Homophones started with (G)

Gait —– Gate

 

No.-1.He was round and fat, he had an energetic gait, a bright, lively face, and laughing eyes.

No.-2.We went through the gate into the orchard.

Gamble —– Gambol

 

No.-1.Their religion forbids them to drink or gamble.

No.-2.Now, at seventeen, I could gambol in the forbidden delights of Elysium with no one tugging at my hand.

Genes —– Jeans

 

No.-1.The actual number of human genes is still in dispute.

No.-2.Her hair looked dishevelled, as did the sweatshirt and jeans she was wearing.

Gored —– Gourd

 

Homophones examples:

 

No.-1.He was attacked and gored by a bull.

No.-2.I felt hollow, like a dried gourd, a few loose seeds shaking uselessly inside me.

Great —– Grate

 

No.-1.The movie was a great success.

No.-2.She took the two halves of the letter away, tore them in fragments, and burned them in her grate.

Groan —– Grown

 

No.-1.Richard’s jokes make you groan rather than laugh.

No.-2.He had been a grown man with a small but independent income when he had taken Minnie instead of her to wife.

 

Homophones (H)

Hart —– Heart

 

No.-1.Whoever slew a hart or hind was to be blinded.

No.-2.Regular exercise is good for the heart.

Hear —– Here

 

Homophones

 

No.-1.I could hear the sound of traffic.

No.-2.This switch here controls the lights.

Heel —– Heal

 

No.-1.The sergeant clicked his heels and walked out.

No.-2.This will help to heal your cuts and scratches.

Hi —– High

 

Homophones examples:

 

Him —– Hymn

 

No.-1.He took the children with him.

No.-2.The service began with a rousing hymn.

Hoard —– Horde

 

No.-1.They dug up a hoard of Roman coins.

No.-2.The elves defeated a huge horde of goblins.

Hole —– Whole

 

No.-1.The bomb blew a huge hole in the ground.

No.-2.She wasn’t telling the whole truth.

Holy —– Wholly

 

List of homophones:-

 

No.-1.The priest puts some holy water on the child’s head.

No.-2.The report claimed that the disaster was wholly unavoidable.

Hour —– Our

 

No.-1.The interview lasted half an hour.

No.-2.We showed them some of our photos.

Homophones started with (I)

I —– Eye

 

No.-1.I moved to this city six years ago.

No.-2.Oh! I have got something in my eye!

Idle —– Idol

 

No.-1.I cannot afford to leave the land lying idle.

No.-2.She is the idol of countless teenagers.

Incite —– Insight

 

No.-1.Republicans have complained that Democrats are using Social Security scare tactics to incite seniors groups and others to oppose the constitutional amendment.

No.-2.The article gives us a real insight into the causes of the present economic crisis.

Homophones started with (K)

Knead —– Need

 

No.-1.On a lightly floured board, knead the dough for a couple of minutes.

No.-2.You don’t really need a car.

Knew —– New

 

No.-1.I wonder if he knew of the plan?

No.-2.The hardest part of this job is understanding the new technology.

Knight —– Night

 

Homophones examples

 

No.-1.She’s still waiting for a knight in shining armor to come and rescue her.

No.-2.The accident happened on Friday night.

 

Knot —– Not

 

No.-1.Tie the two ropes together with a knot.

No.-2.She did not see him.

Know —– No

 

No.-1.I know people’s handwriting changes as they get older.

No.-2.It was Tony. No, you are wrong. It was Ted.

 

Homophones started with (L)

 

Leak —– Leek

 

No.-1.Water had started to leak into the cellar.

No.-2.For a first course, there is a potato leek soup.

Lessen —– Lesson

 

No.-1.They gave her an injection to lessen the pain.

No.-2.Our first lesson on Tuesdays is French.

Links —– Lynx

 

No.-1.A love of nature links the two poets.

No.-2.They may be eagle-eyed or watch like a lynx.

Loan —– Lone

 

No.-1.I had to take out a loan to buy my car.

No.-2.He was by no means a lone voice criticizing the government.

Loot —– Lute

 

No.-1.He refused to let his army enter and loot the city.

No.-2.Here too he started to write hymns which he would sing to his own accompaniment on a lute.

 

 

 

 

About the author

Rakesh Kumar