Homophones: Big List of 180 Homophones with Examples (2023)

Homophones List! A useful list of homophones in English. Learn examples of homophones – confusing words that sound the same but have different meanings, with ESL infographics.

Homophones List

Homophones definition: In the English language, homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings.

There are a lot of homophones in English. Below is a commonly confused homophones list with example sentences for ESL teachers and English students.

List of Homophones with Examples.

ACCEPT vs EXCEPT

• This restaurant does notacceptchecks.
• This shop is open all daysexceptMonday.

COMPLIMENT vs COMPLEMENT

• Your friend gave me a nicecomplimentyesterday.
• The dressing is an expectedcomplementof salad.

AFFECT vs EFFECT

• The cold weather has reallyaffectedher health.
• Did the noise have aneffecton your sleep?

ELICIT vs ILLICIT

• They were able toelicitthe support of the public.
• Illicitdiamond exports are said to be worth over $200 million.

ITS vs IT’S

• A car is no good withoutitswheels.
• “Do you know where my purse is?” – “It’son the table”.

PRINCIPAL vs PRINCIPLE

• Theprincipalis a very busy woman.
• Thisprincipleapplies to all kinds of selling.

STATIONARY vs STATIONERY

• The traffic got slower and slower until it wasstationary.
• In order to compose my letter, I will need somestationery.

THEN vs THAN

• Finish your homework andthenwe will go out for dinner.
• It’s warmer in Floridathanin North Dakota.

THERE THEIR THEY’RE

• Therewill be a party tomorrow.
• This istheirroom and that is ours.
• Ifthey’reready, we can go.

THREW vs THROUGH

• Hethrewthe ball to me, and I caught it.
• The sunlight comingthroughthe window woke me up.

TO TOO TWO

• She stood up and walkedtothe window.
• I atetooquickly and got hiccoughs.
• There is a gulf between thetwocities.

YOUR vs YOU’RE

• You need to readjustyourattitude.
• You’rethe best friend I have ever had.

BORN vs BORNE

• James wasbornto be a great composer.
• The sound of music wasbornealong on the wind.

BREAK vs BRAKE

• Please don’t touch the vase or else it willbreak.
• She pressed her foot down sharply on thebrakepedal.

PLAIN vs PLANE

• The problem is quiteplainto us.
• He went to New York byplane.

WHOSE vs WHO’S

• She’s an artistwhosework I really admire.
• This is my brother,who’san accountant.

BARE vs BEAR

• Don’t walk around outside in yourbarefeet.
• I can’t bearhaving cats in the house.

WEATHER vs WHETHER

• Did you have goodweatheron your trip?
• Maurice asked mewhetherI needed any help.

PAST vs PASSED

• She’s very cagey about herpastlife.
• My examination was a cinch and Ipassedeasily.

DISCREET vs DISCRETE

• He is verydiscreetin giving his opinions.
• The pizza came as eightdiscreteslices.

CAPITAL vs CAPITOL

• Washington is thecapitalof the United States.
• They marched in procession to thecapitolbuilding.

LED vs LEAD

• The receptionistledthe way to the boardroom.
• The road willleadyou back to the garden.

COUNCIL vs COUNSEL

• Members of thecouncilare elected annually.
• I wouldcounselyou to say nothing about the affair.

CUE vs QUEUE

• They all took theircuefrom their leader.
• We stood in aqueuefor half an hour.

APART vs A PART

• Their birthdays are only three daysapart.
• I’m happy to have beenapartof yourlife.

MAYBE vs MAY BE

• Maybeyou’ll have better luck next time.
• Theymaybein for some bad weather.

THYME vs TIME

• I saw saxifrages and wildthymeand others that were unfamiliar to me.
• There is notimelike the present.

ALTOGETHER vs ALL TOGETHER

• I don’taltogether agree with you.
• Can you put your booksall togetherin this box?

ADVICE vs ADVISE

• I really need to get some basic financialadvice.
• I stronglyadviseyou not to do this.

PREMIER vs PREMIERE

• He is doing a second year aspremier.
• Lots of celebrities were at the filmpremiere.

AID vs AIDE

• Vitamin D is necessary toaidthe absorption of calcium from food.
• Theaidereported to Daley that he was a perfect choice.

LETS vs LET’S

• Max lets the door swing open.
• Let’s all get together over Christmas.

PAIR vs PEAR

• Thispair of shoes fit me well.
• Thepearis a delicious fruit and I like it very much.

PEACE vs PIECE

• Why can’t they live together inpeace?
• Can you manage anotherpieceof cake?

PROFIT vs PROPHET

• Our dailyprofitis usually around $500.
• Mohammed is theprophetof the Muslims.

SAUCE vs SOURCE

• Pour thesauceover the pasta and serve immediately.
• Your local library will be a usefulsourceof information.

REAL vs REEL

• Don’t call me unless it is a realemergency.
• The baby raveled thereelof thread up.

SIGHT vs SITE

• It was love at firstsight.
• I picked a shelteredsitefor the tent.

RIGHT vs WRITE

• None of the answers areright.
• She plans towriteher memoirs.

AISLE vs ISLE

• You can check out ataisleeight.
• He is from the Isleof Man in the Irish Sea.

SHORE vs SURE

• He was standing on theshore.
• I’m sureyou can do an excellent job next time.

SOLE vs SOUL

• I’ve got a hole in thesoleof my shoe.
• Punctuality is thesoulof business.

FOUR vs FOR

• This lesson is divided intofourunits.
• Don’t climb a tree to lookforfish.

EIGHT vs ATE

• I workeighthours a day.
• Sheatea small lunch before the meeting.

CEREAL vs SERIAL

• I have a bowl ofcerealevery morning.
• Each computer has aserialnumber on it.

MEAT vs MEET

• She cut themeatinto small pieces.
• If there is if, I hope I don’tmeetyou.

MAIZE vs MAZE

• The villagers grow coffee andmaizeto sell in the market.
• I was led through amazeof corridors.

SON vs SUN

• Theirsonwill start college in September.
• Thesundisappeared behind heavy clouds.

HAIR vs HARE

• His blackhairgleamed in the sun.
• Theharecrouches low on the ground.

STEAL vs STEEL

• He tried to strangle a border policeman andstealhis gun.
• Guitar strings nowadays are made fromsteelor nylon.

CENT vs SCENT

• I am sure that he will pay back everycenthe owes you.
• Thescentof the flowers was wafted to us by the breeze.

HEAL vs HEEL

• This kind of ointment willhealthe scald.
• I put a moleskin patch on myheel.

ACCEDE vs EXCEED

• Will youaccedeto her request?
• Working hours must notexceed42 hours a week.

ADDITION vs EDITION

• Ann will be a very usefuladditionto our team.
• The firsteditionwas published in 1998.

SWEET vs SUITE

• Too muchsweetfood is bad for your teeth.
• She has asuiteof rooms in the hotel.

ALL READY vs ALREADY

• I wasall readyto leave when the phone rang.
• She hadalreadygone when I arrived.

GAGE vs GAUGE

• Whatgageof wire do you require?
• The petrolgaugeis still on full.

NONE vs NUN

• Noneof us was going to the party.
• I decide to become anun.

MARRY vs MERRY

• I am going tomarryJohn.
• I wish you aMerryChristmas.

FARE vs FAIR

• When do they start paying fullfare?
• Fairwords will not fill the belly.

KNOW vs NO

• Let meknowwhen they come.
• Noman can do two things at once.

DEER vs DEAR

• The hunter hit at adeerwith his gun.
• She was a verydearfriend.

BEER vs BIER

• Where can I buy somebeer?
• He began to wail like a man at abier.

WAIT vs WEIGHT

• Let’swait until the rain stops.
• It is about 76 kilos inweight.

BEET vs BEAT

• The demonstration plant is currently usingbeetsugar.
• I will love you with every beatof my heart.

LEEK vs LEAK

• Do you also like to eatleek?
• The boat had a smallleak.

WEAR vs WHERE

• Iwearblue-tinted glasses on sunny days.
• Whereare you going on your honeymoon?

BELL vs BELLE

• Thebellhas rung for a long time.
• You were thebelle of the ball.

CELL vs SELL

• He was left to sober up in a policecell.
• Theysellall kinds of things.

SOME vs SUM

• I havesomework to do this evening.
• He donated a largesumof money to the orphanage.

BERRY vs BURY

• This kind of jam is made ofberry.
• She had learned to buryher feelings.

KNIGHT vs NIGHT

• He was made an honoraryknight.
• Now I shall go to sleep. Goodnight.

VARY vs VERY

• Test scoresvary from school to school.
• I’mveryoptimistic about our chances of success.

I vs EYE

• Idon’ t want to go home in the dark.
• The eyeis the organ of sight.

FAIRY vs FERRY

• He likes to listen tofairystories.
• He went over the river byferryboat.

WEAK vs WEEK

• She is stillweakafter her illness.
• We’re having an oral test thisweek.

SCENE vs SEEN

• I can hardly imagine such ascene.
• Karen had seldomseenhim so angry.

BUY BY BYE

• What do you want tobuy?
• She sent the letterbyairmail.
• Bye, see you tomorrow.

FLOUR vs FLOWER

• He added someflourto thicken the soup.
• A singleflowerdoes not make a spring.

WE’LL vs WHEEL

• We’llgo there by air.
• He spun thewheelof his bicycle.

SINK vs SYNCH

• She filled thesinkwith hot water.
• Do you want to synchto protected actuals?

TALE vs TAIL

• Is there anyone who can tell a fairytale?
• Don’t toy with the cat’stail.

SLAY vs SLEIGH

• Those old movies stillslayme!
• They traveled across the snow in a sleigh.

STEAK vs STAKE

• The main dish is steak.
• He set thestakein the ground.

VEIN vs VAIN

• The team has hit a rich veinof form recently.
• She’s just avain, foolish woman.

RED vs READ

• She was wearing aredhat.
• She listened closely while hereadthe letter.

LESSEN vs LESSON

• We invest broadly tolessenthe risk.
• He illustrates thelessonwith a picture.

TROOP vs TROUPE

• Thetrooptrotted the hills and valleys.
• Thetroupeproduced a new play last night.

TUBA vs TUBER

• He taught himself to play thetuba.
• The potato is atuberplant.

STALK vs STORK

• Two flowers usually develop on eachstalk.
• Thestorkis starting to move.

CHECK vs CZECH

• Let mecheckyour blood pressure.
• The River Elbe flows through theCzechRepublic.

DRAFT vs DRAUGHT

• I read the firstdraftand thought it was very good.
• This beer is not available on draught.

CLIQUE vs CLICK

• Our golf club is run by a very unfriendly clique.
• Click on the icon to open the file.

COLONEL vs KERNEL

• Thecolonelparaded his troops.
• The nutshell includes thekernel.

ROOMER vs RUMOR

• So I thought maybe I’d take in aroomer.
• Therumorrocked the whole city.

ROLE vs ROLL

• Money played an importantrolein his life.
• She was chomping on a breadroll.

BLUE vs BLEW

• The sky wasblueand clean.
• A cold windblew from the northwest.

FATHER vs FARTHER

• Fatherneeds a new electronic shaver.
• How muchfartheris it to the airport?

SEA vs SEE

• She never swims in thesea.
• Could you come andseeme tomorrow?

GRATE vs GREAT

• There were red coals in thegrate.
• I have agreataffection for New York.

HEAR vs HERE

• I canhearvoices through the wall.
• Is there a post office nearhere?

BAND vs BANNED

• She’s a singer with aband.
• Smoking isbannedin the building.

BEAN vs BEEN

• Addbeansprouts and cook another half minute.
• He’sbeenworking hard all day.

CORAL vs CHORAL

• She was wearing acoralnecklace.
• The third and final section of the evening waschoral.

WHOLE vs HOLE

• I spent thewholeday cleaning.
• There was a hugeholein the road.

TIDE vs TIED

• These rocks are awash at hightide.
• Hetieda scarf around his neck.

ROOT vs ROUTE

• We have to get to therootof the problem.
• What’s the bestrouteto Cambridge?

WALL vs WAUL

• He fixed a picture to thewall.
• Waul, what a tragic world!

ALOUD vs ALLOWED

• He read his sister’s letteraloud.
• I allowedthe children to dip their bread into the soup.

PALATE vs PALLET

• The new flavor pleased his palate.
• She trips and falls down on to thepallet.

HOUR vs OUR

• He left the house over anhourago.
• He isourcoach in football.

NIECE vs NICE

• He has a prettyniece.
• The girl bought anicehandbag.

BARON vs BARREN

• TheBaronlived in a castle.
• The land isbarrenon the east coast.

CORE vs CORPS

• He’s a politician to the core.
• The transportcorpsis ancillary to the infantry.

BREAD vs BRED

• I had three pieces ofbreadfor breakfast this morning.
• Ian was born andbredin Gloucester.

WINE vs WHINE

• Thewinehas a peculiar taste.
• She spoke with awhine.

IDLE vs IDOL

• She’s a great one foridle gossip.
• He has been myidolsince I was a child.

WOOD vs WOULD

• Wooddoes not sink in water.
• Wouldyou mind if I went with you?

WHICH vs WITCH

• Whichone do you like better?
• Thewitchdisappeared in a puff of smoke.

HI vs HIGH

• Hi, Kelly. How are you?
• The standard of her work ishigh.

LONE vs LOAN

• He was shot by alonegunman.
• I had to take out aloanto buy my car.

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