When two or more words sound the same but have different meanings, they are homophones. Some are spelled the same—for example, bear (to carry) and bear (the animal). More often, they’re spelled differently—for example, loot and lute.
Words in transition
A
- Ad vs. add
- Addition vs. edition
- Ads, adds or adze
- Affect vs. effect
- Afterward vs. afterword
- Aid vs. aide
- Ail vs ale
- Air vs heir
- Aisle vs. isle
- Allude vs. elude
- Allusion vs. elusion vs. illusion
- Aloud vs allowed
- Altar vs. alter
- Amend vs. emend
- Ant vs aunt
- Arrant vs. errant
- Ascent vs. assent
- Assure, ensure, insure
- Ate vs eight
- Auger vs. augur
- Aural vs. oral
- Aureole vs oriole
- Axel vs. axle
- Axis vs axes
- Aye vs eye
B
- Bad rap vs. bad wrap
- Bae vs bay
- Bail vs. bale
- Bait vs. bate
- Bald, balled or bawled
- Ball vs bawl
- Band vs banned
- Bard vs barred
- Bare vs. bear
- Bark vs barque
- Baron vs barren
- Base vs bass
- Based vs baste
- Bazaar vs. bizarre
- Beach vs beech
- Beat vs beet
- Beau vs bow
- Beer vs bier
- Bell vs belle
- Berry vs bury
- Better vs bettor
- Beyond the pale
- Bight vs. bite
- Billed vs build
- Bite, byte or bight
- Bloc vs. block
- Bobble vs bauble
- Bolder vs boulder
- Booze vs boos
- Border vs boarder
- Bore, boor, boar
- Borne vs. born
- Borough, burro, burrow
- Bough or bow
- Bowled vs bold
- Boy vs buoy
- Braid vs brayed
- Breach, breech, broach
- Bread vs bred
- Breath vs. breadth (vs. width)
- Breeches vs britches
- Brewed vs brood
- Bridle vs. bridal
- Browse vs brows
- Bulk, balk, baulk
- Bunt vs Bundt
- But vs butt
- Buy, by or bye
- By, bye and buy
C
- Cache vs cash
- Caddie vs. caddy
- Call vs caul
- Callous vs. callus
- Canon vs. cannon
- Cantor vs canter
- Canvas vs. canvass
- Capital vs. capitol
- Carrel vs carol
- Carrot, carat, karat, caret
- Cashmere vs Kashmir
- Cay, quay and key
- Cede and seed
- Ceiling vs sealing
- Cel, cell or sell
- Cellar vs seller
- Cent, scent and sent
- Cereal vs serial
- Cession vs. session
- Chaste vs chased
- Cheap vs cheep
- Chews vs choose
- Chic vs. sheik
- Chili vs. chilly
- Chorale, choral or corral
- Chow vs ciao
- Chute vs. shoot
- Clause vs claws
- Clew vs clue
- Click vs clique
- Clime vs climb
- Coarse vs. course
- Complacent vs. complaisant
- Complement vs. compliment
- Confusables
- Coop, coup or coupe
- Copse vs cops
- Copyright vs. copywrite
- Cord vs. chord
- Correspondence vs correspondents
- Council vs. counsel
- Coups vs coos
- Coward vs cowered
- Creek vs creak
- Crews vs cruise
- Croze vs crows
- Crumby vs. crummy
- Cue vs. queue
- Currant vs current
- Cursor vs curser
D
- Dam vs. damn
- Days vs daze
- Deep-seeded vs. deep-seated
- Deign vs Dane
- Dents vs dense
- Descendant vs. descendent
- Desert vs dessert
- Deviser vs divisor
- Dew, do and due
- Disburse vs. disperse
- Discrete vs. discreet
- Disillusion vs. dissolution
- Dissent vs descent
- Dock vs doc
- Doh, doe or dough
- Dole out vs. doll out
- Don vs dawn
- Douse vs. dowse
- Drier vs. dryer
- Dual vs. duel
- Dyeing vs. dying
E
- Earn vs urn
- Eaves vs eves
- Eek vs. eke
- Elicit vs. illicit
- Eminent vs. immanent vs. imminent
- Ere vs. err
- Ewe, yew or you
- Exalt vs. exult
- Exercise vs. exorcise
- Eyelet vs islet
F
- Fain vs. feign
- Fair vs. fare
- Fairy vs ferry
- Fate vs fete
- Faun vs. fawn
- Fay, fey
- Faze vs. phase
- Feet vs feat
- Few vs phew
- File, phial or faille
- Find vs fined
- Fissure vs fisher
- Flack vs. flak
- Flair vs. flare
- Flecks vs flex
- Flocks vs phlox
- Floe vs flow
- Flu vs. flue
- Flue vs flew
- Foaled vs fold
- Foe vs faux
- Foolproof vs. full-proof
- For, four and fore
- Forbear vs. forebear
- Forego vs. forgo
- Foreword vs. forward
- Forth vs fourth
- Foul vs. fowl
- Free rein vs. free reign
- Freeze vs frieze
- Friable vs fryable
- Friar vs fryer
- Futile vs feudal
G
- Gaff vs. gaffe
- Gaiter vs gator
- Gall vs Gaul
- Gallop vs galop
- Gambol vs. gamble
- Gel vs jell
- Genes vs jeans
- Gild vs. guild
- Glare vs glair
- Gofer vs. gopher
- Gorilla vs. guerrilla
- Grate vs great
- Graze vs grays or greys
- Grieve vs greave
- Grip vs grippe
- Grisly vs. grizzly
- Groan vs grown
- Guessed vs guest
- Guise vs guys
H
- Hail vs. hale
- Hair vs hare
- Hair's breadth (hare's breath)
- Hairy vs. harry
- Hall vs haul
- Halve vs have
- Hangar vs. hanger
- Hardy vs. hearty
- Hart vs heart
- Hawk vs. hock
- Hay vs hey
- He'd vs heed
- Heal vs. heel (and bring to heel)
- Heard vs herd
- Heel, heal and he'll
- Heroin vs. heroine
- Hew vs. hue
- Hi vs high
- Higher vs hire
- Hoar vs whore
- Hoard vs. horde
- Hoarse vs horse
- Holey vs. holy
- Holy vs wholly
- Homophones, homographs, and homonyms
- Hour vs our
- Humus vs. hummus
- Hurdle vs. hurtle
- Hymn vs him
I
- Idle, idol, idyll
- Impassable vs. impassible
- Imperial vs empyreal
- In the throes of
- Incidence vs. incidents
- Incite vs insight
- Inn vs in
- Innate vs enate
J
- Jam vs. jamb
- Jewel vs joule
- Junkie vs. junky
K
- Kernel vs colonel
- Knap vs nap
- Knew vs new
- Knickers vs nickers
- Knight vs night
- Knit vs nit
- Knob vs nob
- Knot, nought, naught or not
- Know vs no
- Koan vs cone
L
- Laid vs lade
- Lain vs lane
- Lair vs layer
- Lamb vs lam
- Laps vs lapse
- Laze vs lase
- Leach vs leech
- Lead vs. lede
- Leak vs leek
- Lean vs lien
- Leased vs least
- Led vs. lead
- Lentil vs lintel
- Lesser or lessor
- Let's vs lets
- Levee vs. levy
- Liar vs lyre
- Licker vs liquor
- Lie or lye
- Lieu vs loo
- Llama vs lama
- Load vs lode
- Loan vs lone
- Loath vs. loathe (vs. loth)
- Loch vs lock
- Locks vs lox
- Loop vs loupe
- Loot vs lute
- Low, lo or lowe
M
- Mach vs mock
- Macintosh, mackintosh, McIntosh
- Made vs maid
- Mail vs male
- Main, mane and Maine
- Maize vs maze
- Make do vs. make due
- Mall vs maul
- Manner vs. manor
- Mantel vs. mantle
- Mare vs mayor
- Mark vs marque
- Marry vs. merry
- Marshal vs. martial
- Martin vs marten
- Mask vs masque
- Me vs mi
- Meat, meet or mete
- Medal, meddle, metal, mettle
- Might vs mite
- Mince vs mints
- Mind vs mined
- Miner vs minor
- Missed vs mist
- Mode vs mowed
- Moose vs mousse
- Morays vs. mores
- More vs moor
- Morning vs mourning
- Mucous vs. mucus
- Muscle vs mussel
N
- Naval vs. navel
- Nay vs neigh
- Need vs knead
- New vs gnu
- Nice vs gneiss
- Nicks vs nix
- Nock vs knock
- Nose vs knows
- Nun vs none
O
- Ode vs owed
- Offal vs awful
- Oh vs owe
- Ombré ombre or hombre
- On the lam
- Oracle vs auricle
- Overbilled vs overbuild
- Overdo vs. overdue
- Oversees vs overseas
P
- Packed vs pact
- Packs vs pax
- Paean, paeon, peon
- Pail vs pale
- Pain vs pane
- Pair vs. pare vs. pear
- Palate, palette, pallet
- Pale in comparison
- Parish vs perish
- Parol vs parole
- Paste vs paced
- Paten vs patten
- Patience vs patients
- Pause vs paws
- Pea vs pee
- Peace of mind, piece of (one's) mind
- Peak vs. peek vs. pique
- Peal vs. peel
- Pearl vs purl
- Pedal vs. peddle vs. petal
- Pendant vs. pendent
- Per vs purr
- Pica vs pika
- Picks, pix or pyx
- Pidgin vs pigeon
- Pie vs pi
- Piece vs peace
- Pistol vs pistil
- Plain vs. plane
- Plait vs plate
- Plantar vs planter
- Playwright vs. playwrite
- Pleural vs plural
- Plum vs. plumb
- Pole vs poll
- Poo vs. pooh
- Poof, pouf or pouffe
- Pore over vs. pour over
- Praise vs preys
- Pray vs. prey
- Premier vs. premiere
- Prescribe vs. proscribe
- Pride vs pried
- Principal vs. principle
- Prize, prise or pries
- Profit vs prophet
- Prophecy vs. prophesy
- Pros vs prose
- Psalter vs salter
- Pupal vs pupil
Q
- Quaff vs coif
- Quarts vs quartz
- Quay
- Quince vs quints
- Quire vs choir
R
- Rack vs. wrack
- Rail vs rale
- Rain, reign and rein
- Raise vs rays
- Raise vs raze
- Rancor vs ranker
- Rappel vs. repel
- Rapt vs. wrapt
- Recede vs reseed
- Red vs read
- Reed vs read
- Reek vs wreak
- Repeal vs repeel
- Resister vs resistor
- Rest vs wrest
- Retch vs. wretch
- Review vs. revue
- Rhyme vs rime
- Ring vs. wring
- Riposte vs repost
- Road vs rode
- Roam vs Rome
- Role vs. roll
- Rood vs rude
- Root vs. route vs. rout
- Rot vs wrought
- Rouse vs rows
- Rows vs rose
- Rude vs rued
- Ruff vs rough
- Rumor vs roomer
- Rung vs wrung
- Rye vs wry
S
- Sac vs sack
- Saccharin vs. saccharine
- Sachet vs sashay
- Sail vs sale
- Savor vs saver
- Sawed vs sod
- Scull vs skull
- Seam vs seem
- Sear vs. seer vs. sere
- Seas, sees or seize
- See vs sea
- Seen vs scene
- Segue vs Segway
- Serf vs surf
- Sew vs. sow
- Shake vs sheikh
- Shear vs. sheer
- Shoe vs shoo
- Shone vs shown
- Shoo-in
- Shutter vs. shudder
- Sic vs. sick
- Side vs sighed
- Sight vs. site
- Sign vs sine
- Signet vs cygnet
- Since, sense and cense
- Sink vs sync
- Site vs cite
- Slay vs sleigh
- Slough vs slew
- Slow vs sloe
- Soar vs sore
- Soared vs sword
- Sole vs soul
- Some vs sum
- Sorted vs sordid
- Speck vs spec
- Spitz vs spits
- Staff vs staph
- Staid vs stayed
- Stair vs stare
- Stake vs steak
- Stationary vs. stationery
- Stent vs stint
- Step vs steppe
- Storey vs. story
- Straight vs. strait
- Strait-laced
- Straitjacket
- Sty vs stye
- Style vs stile
- Succor or succour vs sucker
- Suede vs swayed
- Suite vs sweet
- Summary vs. summery
- Sun vs son
- Sunday vs sundae
- Surge vs serge
- Symbol vs cymbal
T
- Tacks vs tax
- Tail vs. tale
- Taught vs taut
- Taught vs tot
- Taupe vs tope
- Tea vs tee
- Team vs teem
- Tear vs tare
- Tear vs tier
- Teas vs tease
- Tent vs tint
- Tern vs turn
- Than vs. then
- Their, there, they're
- Threw vs. through
- Throes vs throws
- Thyme vs time
- Tic vs. tick
- Tide vs tied
- Tinder vs tender
- Tinsel vs tensile
- Titan vs tighten
- To vs. too
- Toe vs tow
- Tole vs toll
- Ton vs. tonne
- Tor vs tore
- Tough vs tuff
- Troop vs. troupe
- Trussed vs trust
- Trustee vs. trusty
- Turban vs turbine
- Tutor vs Tudor
U
- Undo vs undue
V
- Vain, vein, and vane
- Vale, vail, or veil
- Vary vs very
- Verses vs. versus
- Vice vs. vise
W
- Wack vs. whack
- Waddle vs. wattle
- Wade vs weighed
- Waist vs. waste
- Waive vs. wave
- Waiver vs. waver
- Wander vs. wonder
- Ware, wear and where
- Warn vs worn
- Wart vs wort
- We'd vs weed
- Weak vs week
- Wean vs ween
- Weir vs we're
- Wend vs wind
- Wet vs. whet
- Whacks vs wax
- Whale, wail or wale
- Which vs witch
- While away vs. wile away
- While vs wile
- Whine vs wine
- Whir or whirr vs were
- Whirl vs whorl
- Whiz, whizz, wiz
- Who's vs. whose
- Whoa vs woe
- Wholistic and holistic
- Whoop vs. whup
- Wit vs. whit
- Wither vs. whither
- Won vs one
- Wont
- Wood vs would
- Word and whirred
- World vs whirled
- Worst vs wurst
- Wrath vs rath
- Wreck vs reck
- Wrote vs rote
Y
- Y'all vs yawl
- Yore vs your or you’re
- Your vs. you're
what about key vs quay
Don’t forget “manner” vs. “manor”.
here and hear
weather and wether
One vs Won (I won the race) vs (I’m the one)
Farther vs Father (How much farther do we have to go?) vs (Father, are we there yet?)
Lion vs Line vs Lying (Lying is not exactly the same however when pronounced quickly, it can be Lyin’)
(The lion sat on the sand.) vs (The line in the sand was drawn.) vs (They’re lying(lyin’) to you!)
Wait vs Weight (Please wait while we check your records) vs (Please fill in your current weight for our records)
Weighed vs Wade (I then weighed myself on the scale) vs (Watch me wade in the pool)
Way vs Weigh (Way to go Billy!) vs (Bill go weigh yourself!)
Everyday vs Every Day (She wears everyday shoes) vs (Every day she puts on a pair of shoes)
Through (Thru) vs Threw (Go through the door and turn left) vs (He threw the door open)
And how can you miss the largest internet grammar mistake and pet peeve of the masses…
Your vs You’re (Your page is missing Your vs You’re) vs (You’re a fool for not including Your vs You’re)
gay vs gay (no homo-phone intended)
Would that be gay vs gai?
Or would it be gay vs gaaaaaaaay :D
Funny!
If you do Karate you will know this: Is Gedan (pronounced gay-dah’n) a downwardly low location or is it a homosexual mobster?
1: Eminent, immanent and imminent are not homophones.
2: It is best to not use words when one is unsure of their meaning.
3: When many illiterate people such as politicians misuse a word continually, the rest of us should mock them, not bring it into common usage or change the meaning of the word for their comfort. (ie: bushisms)
The ones my American friends are always confusing are not here~!
Break/Brake
Buy/By
Wear/Where
…and those are the ones I remembered off the top of my head…
Also wears vs wares
What about vale, vail, and veil?
prays vs praise
ton vs tonne
board vs bored
win/when, cite/site/sight, sine/sign, lay/lei, see/sea/cee, no/know, none/nun, lie/lye, steel/steal, billed/build, bowled/bold, bough/bow
Thanks for setting up this site. I love this stuff.
“Canon” vs. “cannon.” I see this one all the time!