Homonyms are words that sound the same but are spelled differently, and mean different things. There are more than hundreds of pairs of homonyms in the English Language. In this blog we will go over pairs of homonyms, and examples of when the correct time to use each word is.
- Buy by bye
- Buy- to purchase something.
- Example: Will you buy cookies when you are at the store?
- By- in proximity to, or in direction of
- Example: The grocery store is by the church
- Bye- leaving, an abbreviation of ‘goodbye’
- Example: It is always hard to say bye to a loved one.
- Cent scent sent
-Cent- a form of money
- Example: The pack of gum costs 60 cents.
-Scent- a smell
- The food had a delicious scent
-Sent- To give a message
- She sent me the homework over E-mail.
- Knew new
-Knew – to have knowledge or information
- Example: I knew that it was the Cookie Monster who stole the cookies all along.
-New – not old
- Example: I just bought a new car.
- Poor pore pour
– Poor- having little money
- Example: I can’t go to the movies because I am poor.
-Pore- a small opening on your skin, or surface of a plant/rock
- Example: I have a skin pore on my face.
-Pour- to fill a cup with liquid,
- Example: I poured myself a nice glass of wine.
- Sew So Sow
-Sew – To fix something by using a needle and thread
- Example: My shirt ripped so I had to sew it.
-So- degree that is suggested or stated
- Example: I had to finish my homework in the morning so I could go out later.
-Sow- to plant seeds in the ground
- Example: The vegtables had just been sown.
- There Their They’re
-There- A location or place
- Example: There is a grocery store north of the park.
-Their- belonging to someone, possessive
- Example: The clock belonged to their grandmother.
-They’re – Contraction of they are
- Example: They’re going to beach in the afternoon.
- See Sea
-See- to use your vision
- Example: I can see the plane above my head.
-Sea- body of water
- Example: Columbus sailed the seas in 1942.
- Threw through
-Threw- Past of throw
- Example: The pitcher threw the ball to his opponent.
-Through- From beginning to the end, from in to out
- Example: We walked through the tunnel.
- To too two
-To- used to indicate a noun
- Example: We went to the movies.
-Too- synonym for also, or to indicate excessiveness
- Example: I ate too many slices of pizza for dinner.
- Example: I like dinosaurs too.
-Two- A number.
- Can I have two dollars please?
- Were We’re Where
-Were- Quality of being
- Example: They were wealthy
-We’re – Contraction of we are
- Example: We’re on our way to the movies.
-Where- place
- Example: I don’t know where my keys are.
- Are Our
-Are- present tense of “to be”
- Example: We are going to the club tonight.
-Our- relating or belonging to us
- Example: Our father loves us very much.
- Who’s Whose
-Who’s – contraction of who is
- Example: Who’s going out tonight?
-Whose- possessive form of who
- Example: Whose shoes are these?