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What you will learn:

1. What are homophones?
2. 101 English homophones with examples
3. How to learn homophones in English
4. Quiz: Test your understanding of English homophones

What are homophones?

Homophones are two or more words that sound the same (identical pronunciation), but have different meanings. These words are often spelt differently in English too (e.g. pear vs. pair). The term homophone comes from Greek 'homo-' (meaning: same) and '- phone' (meaning: sound or voice), so the word literally means: 'same sound'.

English 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.

In this guide, we will focus on homophones in British English. Most of these are the same in American English too. However, national and regional accents change the way people pronounce words and sometimes this creates different homophones. For example, these words are homophones in American English, but not in British English: hostel/hostile, balm/bomb, caught/cot, halve/have.

Let's take a look at some homophones!

101 English homophones with examples

In this list of English homophones, you will find simple, intermediate and more advanced level vocabulary. For each pair or set, there are meanings and examples. Some you will know already, but others will certainly be new! Where possible, these homophones have been put into approximate categories to help you organise and learn them.

NUMBER HOMOPHONES

To (preposition): In the direction of a particular location.
I am going to the shop.

It is common for native speakers to use numbers in online chat or SMS messages. For example, you can write 'before' like 'b4' and 'forget' as '4get'. This is because 'for' sounds the same as 'four' (4). Another common example is 'm8' (mate - friend).

FOOD & DRINK HOMOPHONES

Even native speakers get confused by the way words are pronounced vs. written! Here are some examples of commonly confused homophones: compliment/complement, practice/practise, principle/principal, lightning/lightening, insight/incite, miner/minor.

ANIMAL HOMOPHONES

NOTE: The word 'bear' is also a verb that literally means 'to carry a load'. This is not often used in modern English, although you will find it in expressions like 'I'll bear that in mind' (remember) or 'I can't bear it!' (tolerate, put up with).

NOTE: The word 'sole' is also a noun that refers to the underside of a person's foot or shoe, and the word 'soul' can be used as an adjective to describe the musical genre.

NOTE: In technical contexts, the word 'bore' can also mean 'make a hole using a tool'. Therefore, 'borehole' would be an engineering word for a drill hole, and not a hole made by a wild pig!

PRONOUN HOMOPHONES (+ contractions & determiners)

Eye (noun): The pair of organs that allow us to see.
He is blind in one eye.

NOTE: While 'isle' and 'aisle' are always homophones in British English, the contracted form 'I'll' is pronounced differently in many regional accents (isle vs. aal). The same is true for similar contractions like 'you'll' (yule vs. yorl) and 'we'll' (wheel vs. wirl).

NOTE: In many regional accents of British English, 'our' and 'are' will be homophones. For example, in the sentence ' Our (ar) friends are (ar) coming to stay' the words 'our' and 'are' can be pronounced in exactly the same way.

We'll (contraction): Short form of 'we will'.
We'll have to run; otherwise we'll miss the bus!

In English you can say 'it' about a small baby without being impolite. Native speakers often do this if they do not know the gender of the child. In most other languages grammatical gender dictates that separate words must be used for male vs. female babies.

COLOUR HOMOPHONES

FAMILY HOMOPHONES

NOTE: In American English and many UK regional accents, the words 'aunt' and 'ant' are homophones. In Britain, 'ant' (aunt) would be the usual pronunciation in the north of the country.

NATURE HOMOPHONES

Whether the weather is cold
or whether the weather is hot,
we'll weather the weather,
whatever the weather,
whether we like it or not.

VERB HOMOPHONES

Wear (verb/noun): Have clothing on one's body, damage over time through use/friction.
Where (adverb): In, to, or in which place or situation.
I have no idea where the nearest petrol station is.

Here (adverb): In, at, or to this place or position.
We've lived here for most of our lives.

No (exclamation and determiner): A negative response, not any.
No, I don't want to mow the lawn today.

A flea and a fly flew up in a flue.
Said the flea, "Let us fly!"
Said the fly, "Let us flee!"
So they flew through a flaw in the flue.

ADJECTIVE & ADVERB HOMOPHONES

Principle (noun): Fundamental truth or proposition.
You can trust Rob. He's a man of principle.

How to learn homophones in English

There is no secret formula when it comes to learning homophones. Try several different approaches and see what works best for you! To get you started, check out the 5 study tips below:
1) Always learn homophones in context
This is basically a fancy way of saying "in a real sentence or situation". Context helps us understand the intended meaning behind the usage of a word. This becomes even more important when learning homophones because words like pause/paws/pours/pores all have identical pronunciation! You can only work out which meaning is intended by looking at the context.
2) Have a laugh with English homophones!
Many English jokes use homophones to confuse the listener and create puns. You have already seen several jokes in this study guide, but you can find more on Homophonelist.com. At higher levels, exploring English humour can be a really good way of developing your understanding of vocabulary and culture.
3) Use mobile apps anytime, anywhere
The best way to learn vocabulary is to repeat it regularly. Mobile apps offer a quick solution for learning homophones on the move! You can download apps like Homophones Free or go online to play the BBC's homophone game.
4) Write nonsense sentences with homophones
Another good way to learn homophones is to practise them in your writing. Take a set of homophones and write one sentence that includes ALL of them. It does not matter if the sentence is nonsense! The main aim of the exercise is to compare the different meanings of the homophones. For example: I said " bye" to my friend and went to buy a coat in a shop by the river.
5) Play spelling games with homophones
Native speakers often make spelling mistakes because of homophones! This shows the importance of learning the correct meanings AND spellings of words that have the same pronunciation. Try this game: Make flashcards with x1 homophone on each side and the translation in your language in brackets. Ask a friend to choose random cards and read out the homophones and/or translations. Try to write down the correct spelling of the word, and then check to see if you are right!

Quiz: Test your understanding of English homophones

Now that you have been through the homophone list, it is time to test your knowledge! Try each of the exercises in this quiz and then check your answers at the end.

EXERCISE A
Put the follow homophones into the sentences: pause, paws, pours, pores.

Whenever it rains, the water _____ off the roof into the drain.

If you feel nervous during the presentation, then just _____ for a moment.

A facial scrub helps clean the _____ and prevent spots.

Could you please keep your dirty _____ off the biscuits!

EXERCISE B
Write down the correct homophone for each of the jokes.
Q: Why was the mortgage sad?
A: Because it was a loan!

Q: Why will you never starve to death in a desert?
A: Because of all the sandwiches there!

Q: Why does a milking stool only have three legs?
A: Because the cow's got the udder!

EXERCISE C
Choose the correct homophone in each of the following sentences.

Our company's guiding principal/principle is trust.

Its/it's forecast to rain all next week.

If you're going swimming in the sea, be careful of the current/currant!

I've decided to except/accept the new job at Google.

EXERCISE D
Find the errors in the following text and correct the spelling of the homophones.
I went to sea the doctor on Thursday because I thought I'd caught flue. When I arrived, I wasn't shore wear the waiting room was sow I asked at reception. They told me witch doctor to see and ware to go. Their were few patients sew I went straight in. The doctor took a pencil to rite down my symptoms. He said I didn't have flew, but that stress could be the sauce of my headaches. He gave me some aspirin, which soon took affect. I was pleased that my visit had not been in vein.
Answers:
A = pours, pause, pores, paws
B = alone, sand which is there, other (regional pronunciation)
C = principle, it's, current, accept
D = see, flu, sure, where, so, which, where, there, so, write, flu, source, effect, vain

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English can be a confusing language to learn! Have you ever come across two words that sound the same, but have different meanings? These are called homophones. In this detailed guide, you will learn 101 sets of homophones with real native examples. Don't forget to check out our study tips and quiz at the end!

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Link to Another Padlet on Homophones, Homonyms, and Homographs

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Link to Another Padlet on Homophones, Homonyms, and Homographs