Homophones are words that sound exactly the same but have different meanings and spellings. For Spanish speakers, these can be especially tricky because you might hear a word perfectly but write or understand it incorrectly.
This guide covers the 50 most common English homophones, organized by difficulty and frequency of use.
The Big Three: Most Commonly Confused
These three homophone sets cause more confusion than any others in English:
Their / There / They're
All three are pronounced exactly the same: /ðɛr/
Your / You're
Both pronounced: /jɔːr/ or /jʊr/
To / Too / Two
All three pronounced: /tuː/
Possession vs. Contraction Homophones
English has several pairs where a possessive sounds like a contraction:
Its / It's
Who's / Whose
Common Verb/Noun Homophones
Know / No
Write / Right / Rite
See / Sea
Hear / Here
Buy / By / Bye
Time-Related Homophones
Hour / Our
Wait / Weight
Week / Weak
Body and Clothing Homophones
Wear / Where / Ware
Hair / Hare
Heel / Heal / He'll
Food and Nature Homophones
Meet / Meat
Flour / Flower
Son / Sun
Pear / Pair / Pare
Action Homophones
Break / Brake
Threw / Through
Rode / Road / Rowed
Quick Reference: 20 More Homophones
| Words | Pronunciation | Meanings |
|---|---|---|
| peace / piece | /piːs/ | calm state / a part |
| would / wood | /wʊd/ | conditional verb / tree material |
| new / knew / gnu | /nuː/ | not old / past of know / African animal |
| night / knight | /naɪt/ | dark hours / medieval warrior |
| ate / eight | /eɪt/ | past of eat / number 8 |
| one / won | /wʌn/ | number 1 / past of win |
| tail / tale | /teɪl/ | animal appendage / story |
| sale / sail | /seɪl/ | discount event / boat cloth |
| plain / plane | /pleɪn/ | simple / aircraft |
| main / mane | /meɪn/ | primary / horse's hair |
| steal / steel | /stiːl/ | to take illegally / metal |
| real / reel | /riːl/ | genuine / spool for thread |
| waist / waste | /weɪst/ | body part / garbage |
| board / bored | /bɔːrd/ | wooden plank / uninterested |
| soar / sore | /sɔːr/ | fly high / painful |
| dear / deer | /dɪr/ | beloved / forest animal |
| scent / sent / cent | /sɛnt/ | smell / past of send / penny |
| throne / thrown | /θroʊn/ | royal seat / past participle of throw |
| whole / hole | /hoʊl/ | complete / opening |
| aloud / allowed | /əˈlaʊd/ | out loud / permitted |
Tips for Spanish Speakers
- Context is everything: Since homophones sound identical, use sentence context to determine meaning
- Contractions always have apostrophes: If it can be expanded to two words (they're = they are), it needs an apostrophe
- Possessives before nouns: Words like "their," "your," "its" (no apostrophe) come before nouns
- Practice with sentences: Read sentences aloud to build automatic recognition
Practice Exercise
Read these sentences aloud and notice how the homophones are used differently:
- They're going to their house. I'll meet them there.
- You're sure this is your book?
- I have two things to tell you too.
- It's amazing how the dog wags its tail.
- I know there's no way to finish in one hour since it's our first time.
Understanding homophones is essential for both listening comprehension and writing. Practice regularly and always pay attention to context!