Speaking the English language can be quite tough, especially for newer students, but words known as homophones make it especially tough to listen and understand native speakers. What is a homophone?
A homophone is a group of two or more words,
Having the same pronunciation,
BUT
Having different meanings and spellings.
While studying for this post, I found a list of over 2000 homophones! In this post, I will only share a few select homophones in the A-C section.
Ad – Add
Ad (noun) – Short for an advertisement.
Add (verb) – A math term, meaning addiction (+).
Adieu – Ado
Adieu (exclamation/noun) – “Goodbye”
Ado (noun) – Trouble of Difficulty.
Aisle – I’ll – Isle
Aisle (noun) – A passage between a row of seats or shelves.
I’ll (noun + verb) – Short for “I will”.
Isle (noun) – An island.
Ant – Aunt
Ant (noun) – A small insect.
Aunt (noun) – The sister of your father or mother.
Ate – Eight
Ate (verb) – Past tense of “Eat”.
Eight (cardinal number) – 8.
Band – Banned
Band (noun) – A thin loop of material used to put around something.
Band (verb) – To surround something in the form of a ring.
Band (noun) – A musical group.
Banned (verb) – Being blocked from something.
Beach – Beech
Beach (noun) – A rocky or sandy shore.
Beech (noun) – A large type of tree.
Beat – Beet
Beat (verb) – To hit/defeat.
Beet (noun) – A type of red vegetable.
Been – Bin
Been (verb) – Past tense of “Be”.
Bin (noun) – A container for storing a specific type of object.
Bell – Belle
Bell (noun) – A musical instrument that is shaped like a hollow cup.
Belle (noun) – A beautiful girl/woman.
Board – Bored
Board (noun) – A long and thin piece of wood.
Bored (verb) – Having nothing of interest to do.
Brake – Break
Brake (noun) – The part of a moving vehicle that slows/stops it.
Break (verb) – To destroy or separate.
Buy – By – Bye
Buy (verb) – To obtain something by paying for it.
By (preposition) – Identifying the author/performer.
Bye (exclamation) – Short for “Goodbye”.
Cell – Sell
Cell (noun) – A small room for a prisoner or monk.
Cell (noun) – The smallest unit of an organism.
Sell (verb) – To exchange something for money.
Cense – Cents – Scents – Sense
Cense (verb) – To perfume something.
Cents (noun) – Money worth one hundredth (1/100) of a dollar.
Scents (noun) – A distinctive pleasant smell.
Sense (noun) – A part of the body which notices environmental changes.
Chili – Chilly
Chili (noun) – A small spicy type of vegetable.
Chilly (adjective) – Cold.
Chord – Cord
Chord (noun) – A group of three or more notes sounded together.
Cord (noun) – A flexible string/rope made from several twisted strands.
Close – Clothes
Close (verb) – To cover an opening.
Close (adjective) – A short width/length away.
Close (adverb) – To be very near someone/something.
Clothes (noun) – Items worn to cover the body.
Council – Counsel
Council (noun) – A group of people formally made up who meet regularly.
Counsel (noun) – Advice.
Counsel (verb) – To give advice.
Creak – Creek
Creak (verb) – To make a harsh, high-pitched sound.
Creak (noun) – A jarring scraping/squeaking sound.
Creek (noun) – A stream/brook, or small part of a river.
Cymbal – Symbol
Cymbal (noun) – Musical instruments that look like plates,
which make ringing/clashing sounds.
Symbol (noun) – A thing that represents or stands for something else.
