Grammar & Composition
Grammar & Composition
📖 6 mins read

Homonyms, homophones, and homographs are words that look alike, sound alike, or both, but retain entirely separate meanings. Use the native "Copy Entry" actions below to instantly grab terms for study or reference.

Words Starting with A - B

accept / except
  • accept: take in
  • except: other than
ad / add
  • ad: advertisement
  • add: join, combine
advice / advise
  • advice: guidance
  • advise: recommend
aid / aide
  • aid: assist, assistance
  • aide: one who gives assistance
ail / ale
  • ail: to suffer poor health
  • ale: a beverage
air / heir
  • air: atmosphere
  • heir: one who inherits property
aisle / I'll / isle
  • aisle: a passage
  • I'll: contraction of I will
  • isle: island
allusion / illusion
  • allusion: an indirect reference
  • illusion: false appearance
altar / alter
  • altar: table in a church
  • alter: to change
ate / eight
  • ate: past tense of eat
  • eight: the number 8
bail / bale
  • bail: to clear water / release of a prisoner
  • bale: a large bundle
band / banned
  • band: a ring, something that binds / a group
  • banned: prohibited
bare / bear
  • bare: uncovered
  • bear: large animal / support, yield
bases / basis
  • bases: starting points / four stations on a baseball field
  • basis: a basic principle
beat / beet
  • beat: to strike, overcome / exhausted
  • beet: a plant with red roots
blew / blue
  • blew: past tense of blow
  • blue: the color
bread / bred
  • bread: baked food item
  • bred: produced
buy / by / bye
  • buy: purchase
  • by: near, through
  • bye: goodbye

Words Starting with C - E

capital / capitol
  • capital: punishable by death / chief city
  • capitol: building where legislature meets
ceiling / sealing
  • ceiling: top of a room
  • sealing: setting, fastening
cell / sell
  • cell: small unit
  • sell: to give up for money
cent / scent / sent
  • cent: a penny
  • scent: an odor
  • sent: past tense of send
chews / choose
  • chews: gnaws with teeth
  • choose: to select
cite / sight / site
  • cite: mention, quote
  • sight: vision
  • site: place
coarse / course
  • coarse: rough
  • course: path, procedure
complement / compliment
  • complement: make complete
  • compliment: praise
conduct
  • conduct: behavior
  • conduct: to lead
council / counsel
  • council: assembly
  • counsel: advice, to advise
days / daze
  • days: plural of day
  • daze: stun
dear / deer
  • dear: loved one, valued
  • deer: the animal
desert / dessert
  • desert: to abandon / dry land
  • dessert: after-dinner treat
die / dye
  • die: expire
  • dye: color
discreet / discrete
  • discreet: tactful
  • discrete: distinct
dual / duel
  • dual: double
  • duel: fight
elicit / illicit
  • elicit: draw out
  • illicit: illegal
eminent / imminent
  • eminent: distinguished
  • imminent: soon

Words Starting with F - L

fair / fare
  • fair: pleasing, impartial / gathering, exhibition
  • fare: fee for transportation
find / fined
  • find: locate
  • fined: charged (past tense of fine)
fir / fur
  • fir: a pine tree
  • fur: a coat or covering
flea / flee
  • flea: insect
  • flee: to escape
flour / flower
  • flour: milled wheat
  • flower: plant
for / fore / four
  • for: (preposition)
  • fore: front, forward
  • four: the number 4
foreword / forward
  • foreword: preface
  • forward: related to direction
grate / great
  • grate: to irritate / a frame
  • great: large, superior
groan / grown
  • groan: moan
  • grown: matured
hall / haul
  • hall: auditorium, dormitory
  • haul: to carry
hear / here
  • hear: listen
  • here: this place
higher / hire
  • higher: taller, more advanced
  • hire: to employ
hoarse / horse
  • hoarse: rough sounding
  • horse: the animal
its / it's
  • its: (possessive pronoun)
  • it's: it is
jam / jamb
  • jam: to force or block / jelly
  • jamb: part of a door or window
know / no
  • know: to understand
  • no: negative
lead / led
  • lead: the metal / to direct
  • led: past tense of lead (directed)
lessen / lesson
  • lessen: to decrease
  • lesson: an example or unit of instruction
lie / lye
  • lie: to recline / tell an untruth
  • lye: used in making soap

Words Starting with M - R

meat / meet / mete
  • meat: food
  • meet: to encounter
  • mete: to give out
miner / minor
  • miner: a worker in a mine
  • minor: someone under legal age / lesser or smaller
missed / mist
  • missed: past tense of miss
  • mist: a light rain
one / won
  • one: the number 1
  • won: past tense of win
pail / pale
  • pail: a container
  • pale: not bright or colorful
pair / pare / pear
  • pair: two of something
  • pare: remove, cut back
  • pear: the fruit
passed / past
  • passed: past form of pass
  • past: a previous time / (preposition)
patience / patients
  • patience: endurance
  • patients: people under medical care
peace / piece
  • peace: absence of conflict
  • piece: a portion
plain / plane
  • plain: treeless land / simple, unadorned
  • plane: aircraft
poor / pore / pour
  • poor: lacking possessions
  • pore: to read carefully
  • pour: to cause to flow
principal / principle
  • principal: main, most important / head of a school
  • principle: rule
profit / prophet
  • profit: gain
  • prophet: someone who foretells events
raise / rays / raze
  • raise: lift
  • rays: beams of light
  • raze: demolish
rap / wrap
  • rap: knock / hip-hop
  • wrap: cover, conceal
role / roll
  • role: character, part
  • roll: to move forward / a portion of bread

Words Starting with S - W

sail / sale
  • sail: fabric used to move a ship
  • sale: the act of selling
scene / seen
  • scene: setting or a part of a play
  • seen: past participle of see
seam / seem
  • seam: a line formed by joining two pieces
  • seem: to appear
shear / sheer
  • shear: to cut
  • sheer: transparent
soar / sore
  • soar: to rise or fly
  • sore: hurt
stair / stare
  • stair: step
  • stare: gaze
stake / steak
  • stake: pointed piece of wood
  • steak: a slice of beef
stationary / stationery
  • stationary: unmoving
  • stationery: writing materials
tail / tale
  • tail: rear part
  • tale: story
team / teem
  • team: group
  • teem: to be present in large quantity
threw / through
  • threw: past tense of throw
  • through: (preposition)
tide / tied
  • tide: rising and falling of water
  • tied: fastened
vain / vane / vein
  • vain: conceited, fruitless
  • vane: device for showing wind direction
  • vein: a blood vessel, streak, or crack
waist / waste
  • waist: mid-section of the body
  • waste: to spend, wear away
way / weigh
  • way: a course or manner
  • weigh: to measure
weak / week
  • weak: frail, not strong
  • week: seven days
weather / whether
  • weather: atmospheric conditions
  • whether: if
whine / wine
  • whine: complain
  • wine: an alcoholic drink
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