The Writing Center
Homonyms
HOMONYM: One of two or more words having the same sound and often the same spelling but different meanings. Examples: quail (cower), and quail (bird) fair (appearance), fair (county fair), and fair (reasonable).
HOMOPHONE: One of two or more words pronounced the same but different in meaning, origin, and sometimes spelling. Examples: cite, sight, and site; sea and see; your and you're; bow and bough.
HOMOGRAPH: One of two or more words spelled alike but different in origin, meaning, and sometimes pronunciation. Examples: bow of a ship, a bow and arrow, and a bow (deference/manners).
HETERONYM: One of two or more words that are spelled the same but that differ in pronunciation and meaning. Examples: bass (voice) and bass (fish); polish (shine) and Polish (from Poland); tear (rip) and tear (from eye).
Some excellent sites:
English Homophones
Word Study Skills: Homophones
Homographs
The Heteronym Homepage
Shades of Meaning
One-trick Words
Alan Cooper's Homonyms
Self-study Homonym Quizzes
Homonym Game
Professor Darling's Notorious Confusables Confusing Word Pairs
accede: stick to agreement
exceed: surpass |
accept: receive
except: exclude |
adapt: adjust
adept: proficient |
adverse: opposed
averse: not interested |
affect: change, influence
effect: (v) to bring about (n) result, impression |
all right: all right
alright: outdated usage |
allude: refer to indirectly
elude: avoid |
altar: place of worship
alter: to change |
appraise: value
apprise: inform, notify |
capital:seat of government; money
capitol: building where legislative body meets |
complement:something that completes (noun); to complete (verb).
compliment: a flattering remark (noun); to praise (verb) |
continual: happens frequently in time: close succession
continuous: uninterrupted |
emigration: moving from a country
immigration: moving to a country |
eminent: outstanding, revered
imminent: threatening to happen soon |
everyday: The everyday (ordinary) routine of working
every day: Call me every day (each day) this week. |
farther: refers to actual distance
further: refers to figurative distance |
imply: speaker implies (suggests)
infer: hearer infers (perceives) |
floe: large sheet of floating ice
flow: move, run freely, circulate |
lay: to set down, to place or put an item down
lie: to recline |
pray: to ask for by prayer or supplication
prey: animal hunted or caught for food; victim |
principal: first in authority; main participant; amount of a debt less interest
principle: basic truth or assumption |
raise: to cause to lift or to lift something
rise: to ascend, move upward, or get up |
real: adjective (real sugar)
really: adverb (really wishing for...) |
set: to place something somewhere
sit: to be in a position of rest or to be seated |
stationary: not moving: fixed
stationery: writing material: letterhead, envelopes, etc. |
suit: a set of clothes; legal action
suite: number of items making up a set, series, or sequence |
waiver: the giving up of a claim
waver: to hesitate; also tremble or quaver |
Confusing Word Triplets
| ensure: to make sure or certain; guarantee; to protect |
insure: to take out or issue insurance; to pay or be paid money in the case of loss |
assure: convince, make sure of something, to give confidence; to declare or promise confidently |
| to: in the direction of; toward |
too: in addition; as well, also |
two: more than one; less than three |
| their: belonging to; possessive of "they" |
there: at, or in that place |
they're: combination of "they are" |
Top of Page
|
