10/26/2016 Homophones: the Most Confusing Words in English (a List with Meanings)

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Homophones: the Most Confusing Words in English (a List with Meanings)

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30 January, 2014

When youre learning English (/learn-english-in-oxford), it can sometimes feel that this challenging language is out to get
you.

When you look at the number of homophones, its not dif cult to see why so many
You should also read students get caught out.

But what exactly is a homophone, I hear you ask? Youre about to nd out as we take you
25 Ways to Get Better at English Fast
through the meaning of homophony and the word-based conundrums they cause. Dont
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worry though; well introduce you to some of the most common ones so that you know to
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From (/articles/bizarre-english-idioms-meaning-
origins.html)

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What is a homophone?

The word homophone is used to describe a word that sounds the same as another word, but that has a different meaning. It comes from the Greek words
homo, meaning same, and phone, meaning voice. The two (or more) words may be spelled differently, but just to make life dif cult, they can also be
spelled the same. The potential for confusion for native and non-native speakers alike is, unfortunately, great.

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10/26/2016 Homophones: the Most Confusing Words in English (a List with Meanings)

Just to confuse you a little more (last time, promise), there are several words that we use to refer to different types of homophone.

Homophone all words and phrases that sound the same but have different meanings

Homograph words that sound and are spelled the same but have different meanings

Homonym words that have the same spelling but a different meaning

Heterograph words that sound the same, but are spelled differently and have different meanings

Multinym words that sound the same but have more than two different meanings and spellings

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On the subject of multinyms, it may surprise you to learn that in English, there is one instance of a multinym with no fewer than seven variations, all
sounding the same but meaning different things. Theres also one instance of six variants, two of ve, 24 of four and 88 of three. Some of the variants are
archaic words that arent used anymore, so you neednt concern yourself with them.

Common examples of homophones

Below, we introduce you to some of the most common homophones those that youre likely to meet with in either day-to-day conversation or in your
academic work. There are too many to include all of them, but these examples should at least help you with some of them and stand as a warning that the
English language has plenty of pitfalls for you to be aware of!

To, two, too

Lots of native English-speakers get confused about this one. Luckily, though, these three words have
very different uses, and the examples below should help you remember them.

To used in the in nitive form of a verb, such as to walk, and also to mean towards.

Too this means as well or also; for example, me too.

Two this is the number; for example, two days ago.

There, their, theyre

There are two dogs here, which is not too many dogs.
Again, even native English-speakers get this one wrong, so dont beat yourself up if youre
struggling with it!

There this refers to a place that is not here; for instance, over there. It can also be used to state something, such as There is an argument to
suggest, or (in a slightly old-fashioned way) to comfort someone: There there, it will be alright.

Their this indicates possession: something belonging to them. For example, we could use their boat.

Theyre this is a shortening of they are. For example, Theyre going to be here at 12pm.

Your/youre
This has to be one of the most commonly confused aspects of the English language, and the fact
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10/26/2016 Homophones: the Most Confusing Words in English (a List with Meanings)
This has to be one of the most commonly confused aspects of the English language, and the fact
that so many people get it wrong is a pet hate of every grammar purist in the UK. If you can master
the difference, youll be doing better than a lot of Brits!

Your this is the second person possessive form, indicating something belonging to you. For
example, This is your decision.

Youre short for you are, as in Youre amazing.

Bonus: Yore youre not very likely to come across this one, but its an old-fashioned way of
referring to a time long ago. For example, In the days of yore means a similar thing to In olden
times.
If I say your cat, it doesnt mean you are cat.

By/buy/bye
Another one on the long list of commonly confused words, these three are easily differentiated with
some examples.

By this preposition refers to something beside, near or through. For example, Theres an ice cream van over there by that tree.

Buy this is a verb meaning to purchase something. For instance, lets go and buy a car.

Bye short for goodbye, this is an expression used to bid someone farewell. Real grammar sticklers would probably insist on using an apostrophe at the
beginning to indicate the absence of the word good that is, bye but this is old-fashioned, so you dont need to include one.

Stationary/stationery
One letter makes a big difference with these two, completely altering the meaning.

Stationary this word is used to describe something that is motionless (not moving). For example,
the cars were stationary in the traf c jam.

Stationery pens, pencils and other things you write with or on, for use in the of ce or when
studying.

Compliment/complement
The adjective forms of these two words add an extra layer of complexity for you to contend with.
This stationery is very appealing. It probably wont be
stationary for long.
Compliment this is a nice thing you say to someone to atter them, for example, You look nice
today. The adjective of this is complimentary, which has two meanings. It can refer to something
expressing praise such as He was most complimentary, saying how pretty I looked. But just to
add to the confusion, complimentary can also mean free of charge. For example, the airline provided complimentary drinks for those delayed.

Complement this is something that goes well with something else. For example, the dress complemented the colour of her hair. The adjective form is
complementary, meaning things that go together, used as follows: The two of them provided complementary skills; he was good at writing, while she
was good at sales.

Brake/break
Same letters, different order and that makes all the difference!

Brake this spelling refers to the brakes on a car or other vehicle, and in a wider sense to slowing
down. For example, He applied the brakes to slow the car down.

Break confusingly, this spelling this has several meanings.

As a verb, to break means to separate something into parts. For example, Im going to break
this chocolate bar into three so we can share.

As a noun, it can be used to signify a pause or stop, such as a break in the schedule, or you
We had to take a break from driving because the brakes
can take a break, meaning have some time off.
broke.

You can also use the word to describe the consequences of the verb when you break
something, it is broken and the site of the separation can be referred to as the break. For
instance, He broke his leg, but the break is mending.

Coarse/course
If youve been browsing our website, youll probably know at least one of these meanings! Here are
all the possible de nitions.

Course this has many meanings.

A course is what we offer here at Oxford Royale Academy a programme of educational study.

Of course means naturally. For example, Would you like a chocolate? Of course!

It can also mean direction; for instance, an unexpected course of events describes events
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10/26/2016 Homophones: the Most Confusing Words in English (a List with Meanings)
unfolding in an unanticipated direction. You could also say, I dont know what course of action to Walls, of course, can be very coarse.
take, or The plane took a northerly course.

In sport, it describes an area of land or water set aside for the purpose of a particular activity,
such as a golf course, water skiing course or cross country course.

Another context in which you might hear this word is to describe parts of a meal. For instance, the main course is the most substantial part of the
meal.

Less often heard is the use of this word to describe hunting with dogs, such as hare coursing.

As a verb, to course refers to the movement of liquid, such as water coursing through a channel.

Coarse this word is used to describe things that are rough or crude. This could be rough in texture as in sandpaper is very coarse or to describe
language, such as His humour was very coarse.

Here/hear
Youll nd a cunning way to remember the difference between these two under the de nition for hear below.

Here this refers to something being in ones current location for example, There is a strange smell here. You can also use it when introducing
something, such as Here is something I know youll like.

Hear this means to detect a sound. If it helps you remember it, consider the fact that the word hear contains the word ear! You can also say Hear,
hear to indicate that you agree with someone. This bizarre phrase is a shortened form of a 17th century phrase used in Parliament, Hear him, hear him.

Peace/piece
John Lennon famously sang Give peace a chance. Make sure you dont upset Beatles fans by
getting the spelling right!

Peace this is the absence of war, as referred to by Lennon in 1969. The word also refers more
generally to a feeling of contentment, for example The woods were very peaceful.

Piece spelled this way, the word means a unit or portion of something, such as a piece of cake.
To say your piece means to state your opinion about something, while giving someone a piece of
your mind means to tell them usually in anger exactly what you think of a situation.

Whole/hole The dove of peace carries a piece of tree.

Two words with almost entirely opposite meanings. The W is silent, because the English language
likes to confuse us with apparently unnecessary silent letters.

Whole this means complete or entire used as in the whole story.

Hole a hole indicates a lack of something, as in an opening. For example, the hole in a ring doughnut is the missing bit in the middle, while a Black
Hole is an invisible area of space that appears to have nothing in it, because its gravity prevents even light from escaping.

Stare/stair
These identical-sounding words both derive from Old English words with Germanic origins.

Stare the verb to stare refers to the act of gazing intently at something. As a noun, it refers to
the look itself for example a long, cold stare.

Stair this refers to a single step, or one of a number of steps, used to connect two different levels,
with variants including staircase (the complete set of steps), stairway (the steps and their
surrounding walls), stairwell (the shaft occupied by the staircase), downstairs (the bottom level)
and upstairs (the upper level).

Know/no These stairs are beautiful; feel free to stare.

As this example illustrates, its amazing how much difference it makes to put unlikely letters at the
beginning and end of a word.

Know to know means to be aware of something; for example, I know he is afraid. The K at the beginning is one of a number of instances in the
English language of a silent K, so its pronounced in exactly the same way as no even though if you take the K off, you have the word now, which is
pronounced in a way that rhymes it with how. Just another example of unexpected exceptions to English language rules!

No the opposite of yes, used to indicate the negative. Bizarrely, no. with a full stop after it is also used to abbreviate the word number. For
example, No. of pages: 150.

Seven meanings sounding like raise

To nish, this is the seven-variant multinym we mentioned earlier. Dont worry youre not likely to
come across many of these, but we thought you might like to see it to give you an idea of just how
complex the English language can be!

Raise to lift something up

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