When two or more words sound the same but have different meanings, they are homophones. Some are spelled the same—for example, bear (to carry) and bear (the animal). More often, they’re spelled differently—for example, loot and lute.
Below is a full list of our posts dealing with homophones.
A
- Addition vs. edition
- Affect vs. effect
- Afterward vs. afterword
- Aid vs. aide
- Aisle vs. isle
- Allude vs. elude
- Allusion, elusion, and illusion
- Altar vs. alter
- Amend vs. emend
- Arrant vs. errant
- Ascent vs. assent
- Auger vs. augur
- Axel vs. axle
B
- Bad rap vs. bad wrap
- Bait vs. bate
- Bare vs. bear
- Bazaar vs. bizarre
- Beyond the pale
- Bight vs. bite
- Bloc vs. block
- Borne vs. born
- Breach, breech, broach
- Breath and breadth
- Bridle vs. bridal
- Bulk, balk, and baulk
C
- Caddie vs. caddy
- Callous vs. callus
- Canon vs. cannon
- Canvas vs. canvass
- Capitol vs. capital
- Carrot, carat, karat, caret
- Cession vs. session
- Chic vs. sheik
- Complacent vs. complaisant
- Complement vs. compliment
- Copyright vs. copywrite
- Cord vs. chord
- Council vs. counsel
- Cue vs. queue
D
- Dam vs. damn
- Deep-seeded vs. deep-seated
- Descendant vs. descendent
- Disburse vs. disperse
- Discrete vs. discreet
- Disillusion, dissolution
- Dole out vs. doll out
- Douse vs. dowse
- Drier vs. dryer
- Dual vs. duel
- Dyeing vs. dying
E
- Eek vs. eke
- Elicit vs. illicit
- Ensure, insure, assure
- Ere vs. err
- Exalt vs. exult
- Exercise vs. exorcise
F
- Fair vs. fare
- Faze vs. phase
- Fey and fay
- Flack vs. flak
- Flair vs. flare
- Foolproof vs. full-proof
- Forbear vs. forebear
- Forego vs. forgo
- Foreword vs. forward
- Free rein vs. free reign
G
- Gaff vs. gaffe
- Gild vs. guild
- Gorilla vs. guerrilla
- Grisly vs. grizzly
H
- Hail vs. hale
- Hair's breadth
- Hangar vs. hanger
- Hardy vs. hearty
- Heroin vs. heroine
- Hew vs. hue
- Hoard vs. horde
- Humus vs. hummus
- Hurdle vs. hurtle
I
- Idle, idol, idyll
- Immanent, imminent, and eminent
- Impassable vs. impassible
- In the throes of
J
- Jam vs. jamb
- Junkie vs. junky
L
- Lead vs. lede
- Led vs. lead
- Levee vs. levy
- Loath, loathe, loth
M
- Make do vs. make due
- Mantel vs. mantle
- Marshal vs. martial
- Medal, metal, mettle
- Morays vs. mores
- Mucous vs. mucus
N
- Naval vs. navel
P
- Paean, paeon, peon
- Palate, palette, pallet
- Peace of mind vs. piece of [one's] mind
- Peak, peek, pique
- Peal vs. peel
- Pedal, peddle, and petal
- Pendant vs. pendent
- Plain vs. plane
- Playwright or playwrite?
- Plum vs. plumb
- Pore over vs. pour over
- Pray vs. prey
- Premier vs. premiere
- Prescribe vs. proscribe
- Principle vs. principal
- Prophecy vs. prophesy
R
- Rack vs. wrack
- Rappel vs. repel
- Rapt vs. wrapt
- Retch vs. wretch
- Ring vs. wring
- Role vs. roll
- Root vs. route
S
- Saccharin vs. saccharine
- Sew vs. sow
- Shoo-in
- Sic vs. sick
- Sight vs. site
- Stationary vs. stationery
- Storey vs. story
- Straight vs. strait
- Strait-laced or straight-laced?
- Straitjacket
T
- Tail vs. tale
- Than vs. then
- Their, there, they're
- Tic vs. tick
- To vs. too
- Troop vs. troupe
- Trustee vs. trusty
V
- Vain, vein, and vane
- Verses vs. versus
- Vice vs. vise
W
- Wack vs. whack
- Waddle vs. wattle
- Waive vs. wave
- Waiver vs. waver
- Wander vs. wonder
- Wet vs. whet
- While away or wile away?
- Who's vs. whose
- Whoop, whup
- Wit vs. whit
- Wont
Y
- Your vs. you're