Basic Homophones, Words with Similar Sounds, Different Spellings and Different Meanings Explained

These are everyday words we use in our conversations, chats and official writings like (Papers, Essays, Projects, Seminars, Dissertations.) And because we often misplace these spellings, I have done a collation of these common Homophones. Most homophone sets have two words, but some have three or four. For each set of words, I’ll include a short definition and an example of the words in use:

1. one, won
one (noun): The number after zero and before two.
As in 1.

won (verb): “Won” is the simple past and past participle form of the verb “to win.”
Prisca won #50000 in her lottery game.

2. wait, weight
to wait (verb): This means to stay in one place or to anticipate something.
I had to wait in the rain for 20 minutes.

weight (noun): This word indicates how heavy something is.
I have lost a lot of weight.

3. wear, where,were
to wear (verb): To have clothing or accessories on your body.
I hate to wear tight pants

where (interrogative): A question word used to ask for a location.
Where are you?

were: past subjunctive of be. Where were you?

4. son, sun
son (noun): A male child.
He has four sons.

sun (noun): The star at the center of our solar system. It’s that big yellow thing in the sky during the day.
Don’t look directly at the sun, or you’ll damage your eyes. You may even lose your eyesight.

5. sight, site
sight (noun): This is the sense that you use when you see or look.
Blind people have no sight.

site (noun): This is a synonym for “place.” The most common modern use is in the word “website.”
Building site and website

“to cite,” which means “to reference.”
As in academic papers that have citations of other books.

6. their, there, they’re
their (pronoun): The possessive pronoun for the subject “they.” It shows ownership.
Their classroom is dirty.

there (adverb): Remember the word “here” above? This is basically the opposite of that. “There” can refer to any place where you are not at.
Are you there?

they’re (contraction): This is a contraction of the phrase “they are.”
All the students passed their exams, so they’re very happy.

7. ate, eight
ate (verb): This is the Past tense of the verb “to eat.”
I ate Rice.

eight (noun): The number after seven and before nine.
Paul arrived at 8 pm.

8. bare, bear
bare (adjective): If something is bare, it means that it’s not covered or not decorated.
Stop walking around on bare feet.

bear (noun): A large mammal.
I have a Teddy Bear

Bear (verb): To endure especially difficult situations
She could not bear the sarcasm

Bear (verb): To give birth

9. buy, by, bye, bi
to buy (verb): A synonym of “to purchase.”
Please buy me Lunch.

by (preposition): Commonly used to mean “next to” or “near” when describing a location. It can also indicate who created something.
I live by Nebo Crescent

bye (exclamation): This is a shortening of “goodbye.”
I’ve got to run, so bye! See you soon!

Bi(noun): Meaning two.
As in Bisexual.

10. cell, sell
cell (noun): A cell is a small area or room, usually in a prison. A cell can also be one of the smallest divisions of a living organism.
Paul spent 10 days in his cell.

to sell (verb): To exchange a product or service for money. Like “buy,”
We would like to sell our house.

11. dew, do, due
dew (noun): Dew is the name for small drops of water that accumulate (gather) on plants and other objects outside during the night.
When I went outside early in the morning, the dew on the grass made my shoes wet.

to do (verb): This common verb is used to indicate an action. It can also be an auxiliary verb.
What do you usually do on Sunday nights?

due (adjective): This is used to indicate the deadline (final day) that something can happen. It’s also used to indicate when a baby will probably be born.
The research is due for submission on the 20th of June, 2019.
My friend is pregnant. Her baby is due in October

12. eye, I, aye
eye (noun): The part of your body that you use to see.
My eyes hurt when I read. I think I need a pair of glasses.

I (pronoun): A first person singular subject pronoun.
I really hope you know what this word means.

Aye:This is an old fashioned way of saying yes.

13. fairy, ferry
fairy (noun): A mythical creature that can often do magic.
As in fairy tales and mystical Tooth fairy.

ferry (noun): A ferry is a boat that moves passengers and vehicles across water. It’s used for long distances or places where there are no bridges.
You ride on a ferry

14 flour, flower
flour (noun): This is the main ingredient in bread. It’s a powder made from ground grains.
I made bread from corn flour.

flower (noun): The decorative, colourful part of a plant.
Buy her a flower.

15. for, four
for (preposition): This preposition is usually used to indicate a person who receives something, or to indicate a purpose.
What is this for?

four (noun): The number after three and before five.
As in 4

16. hear, here
to hear (verb): This is the action that you do with your ears. The sense is called “hearing.”
I can’t hear your voice.

here (adverb): “Here” indicates the place where you are at any moment. It’s the opposite of “there,” basically.
Come here.

17. hour, our
hour (noun): A period of time that lasts 60 minutes.
It’s about six hours drive.

our (pronoun): This is the possessive pronoun form of “we.”
We should study for our exams.

18. know, no
to know (verb): To have knowledge or understanding about something.
Fernando knows how to speak Latin.

no (determiner): This indicates a negation or something that’s not true.
I said No to his advances/

19. knight, night
knight (noun): A man given a special honor (or rank) by a king or queen. Their title is usually “Sir.”

night (noun): The period of time when it’s dark and most people sleep.
I prefer to read at night.

20. mail, male
(to) mail (verb or noun): This is a collective noun for letters and packages. As a verb, this means to send something to somebody.
I haven’t gotten the mail yet today.

male (adjective or noun): An adjective (or noun) indicating that something is masculine or has masculine reproductive organs.

21. meat, meet
meat (noun): Edible flesh from an animal.
Vegetarians don’t eat meat.

to meet (verb): When you are introduced to a person for the first time. It can also refer to later meetings.
I’m excited to travel to Brasil so I can meet some new people!

22. pair, pear
pair (noun): A set of two things that go together.
Most of these examples of homophone sets are pairs of words, but some are groups of three or four words.

pear (noun): A delicious fruit.
I wanted to buy pears for my fruit salad.

23. right, write
right (adjective): This can mean either a synonym of “correct” or the opposite of “left.”
As in turn right

to write (verb): The action of making words or marks to represent ideas.
to write a book.

Rite: As in Funeral rites

24. sight, site
sight (noun): This is the sense that you use when you see or look.
Blind people have no sight.

site (noun): This is a synonym for “place.” The most common modern use is in the word “website.”
A Building site and website

“to cite,” which means “to reference.”
As in academic papers that have citations of other books.