Chapter 9.10 Homonyms & Homophones
In the Latin, homonym means “same name.” Homonyms are words that are spelled and pronounced the same but have different meanings. In the Latin, homophone means “same sound.” Homophones sound the same (or similar) but are spelled differently and have different meanings.
Homonyms and homophones cause confusion in the English language and also contribute to the list of “commonly confused words.”
Deer vs. Dear
Commonly Confused Words
Some words in English cause trouble for speakers and writers because these words share a similar pronunciation, meaning, or spelling with another word.
For example, read aloud the following sentences containing the commonly confused words new and knew:
- I liked her new sweater.
- I knew she would wear that sweater today.
These words may sound alike when spoken, but they carry entirely different usages and meanings. New is an adjective that describes the sweater, and knew is the past tense of the verb to know.
Recognizing Commonly Confused Words
New and knew are just two of the words that can be confusing because of their similarities. Familiarize yourself with the list of commonly confused words below. Recognizing these words in your own writing and in other pieces of writing can help you choose the correct word.
The three most confused words are
- its & it’s
- there, their, & they’re
- your & you’re
An abbreviated list of commonly confused words:
Accept, Except
- Accept (verb). Means to take or agree to something offered.
They accepted our proposal for the conference.
- Except (conjunction). Means only or but.
We could fly there except the tickets cost too much.
Affect, Effect
- Affect (verb). Means to create a change.
Hurricane winds affect the amount of rainfall.
- Effect (noun). Means an outcome or result.
The heavy rains will have an effect on the crop growth.
Are, Our
- Are (verb). A conjugated form of the verb to be.
My cousins are all tall and blonde.
- Our (pronoun). Indicates possession, usually follows the pronoun we.
We will bring our cameras to take pictures.
By, Buy
- By (preposition). Means next to.
My glasses are by the bed.
- Buy (verb). Means to purchase.
I will buy new glasses after the doctor’s appointment.
Its, It’s
- Its (pronoun). A form of it that shows possession.
The butterfly flapped its wings.
- It’s (contraction). Joins the words it and is.
It’s the most beautiful butterfly I have ever seen.
Know, No
- Know (verb). Means to understand or possess knowledge.
I know the male peacock sports the brilliant feathers.
- No. Used to make a negative.
I have no time to visit the zoo this weekend.
Loose, Lose
- Loose (adjective). Describes something that is not tight or is detached.
Without a belt, her pants are loose on her waist.
- Lose (verb). Means to forget, to give up, or to fail to earn something.
She will lose even more weight after finishing the marathon training.
Of, Have
- Of (preposition). Means from or about.
I studied maps of the city to know where to rent a new apartment.
- Have (verb). Means to possess something.
I have many friends to help me move.
- Have (linking verb). Used to connect verbs.
I should have helped her with that heavy box.
Quite, Quiet, Quit
- Quite (adverb). Means really or truly.
My work will require quite a lot of concentration.
- Quiet (adjective). Means not loud.
I need a quiet room to complete the assignments.
- Quit (verb). Means to stop or to end.
I will quit when I am hungry for dinner.
Right, Write
- Right (adjective). Means proper or correct.
When bowling, she practices the right form.
- Right (adjective). Also means the opposite of left.
The ball curved to the right and hit the last pin.
- Write (verb). Means to communicate on paper.
After the team members bowl, I will write down their scores.
Set, Sit
- Set (verb). Means to put an item down.
She set the mug on the saucer.
- Set (noun). Means a group of similar objects.
All the mugs and saucers belonged in a set.
- Sit (verb). Means to lower oneself down on a chair or another place
I’ll sit on the sofa while she brews the tea.
Than, Then
- Than (conjunction). Used to connect two or more items when comparing
Registered nurses require less schooling than doctors.
- Then (adverb). Means next or at a specific time.
Doctors first complete medical school and then obtain a residency.
Their, They’re, There
- Their (pronoun). A form of they that shows possession.
The dog walker feeds their dogs everyday at two o’clock.
- They’re (contraction). Joins the words “they” and “are.”
They’re the sweetest dogs in the neighborhood.
- There (adverb). Indicates a particular place.
The dogs’ bowls are over there, next to the pantry.
- There (pronoun). Indicates the presence of something
There are more treats if the dogs behave.
To, Two, Too
- To (preposition). Indicates movement.
Let’s go to the circus.
- To. A word that completes an infinitive verb.
to play, to ride, to watch.
- Two. The number after one. It describes how many.
Two clowns squirted the elephants with water.
- Too (adverb). Means also or very.
The tents were too loud, and we left.
Who’s, Whose
- Who’s (contraction). Joins the words “who” and “is” or “was” or “has.”
Who’s the new student? Who’s met him?
- Whose (pronoun). A form of who that shows possession.
Whose schedule allows them to take the new student on a campus tour?
Your, You’re
- Your (pronoun). A form of you that shows possession.
Your book bag is unzipped.
- You’re (contraction). Joins the words “you” and “are” or “were.”
You’re the girl with the unzipped book bag.
Exercise 9.10.1
On a separate sheet of paper, write the correct word in the following sentences.
- Aiden has to write a cause and (effect / affect) essay for their class.
- I (know / no) how to change a tire, but I will have to (by / buy) a (new / knew) one later.
- Please be (quite / quiet) so Auntie Tyesha can study for her exam.
- Yang has to (right / write) a good resume to find the (right / write) job.
- (It’s / Its) going to snow later today, so (where / wear) warm clothes.
- First, the family will go to the store; (then / than) they will have dinner.
- (Their / There / They’re) family dog ran way over (their / there / they’re) and (their / there / they’re) worried they won’t be able to catch her.
- (You’re / Your) going to regret wearing (you’re / your) favorite shoes when it starts raining.
- Tomas should (of / have) thought about bringing an umbrella.
- They will (accept / except) you into the sorority (accept / except) if you’re unpleasant.
Attributions
4.1: Commonly Confused Words is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Anonymous via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.
Commonly Confused Words is shared under a https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/cc0/ license.