There's an old joke that begins, “What's black and white and read all over?” The answer is, of course, the newspaper. One of the reasons this joke works so well is because it uses a homophone. This silly joke just doesn't have the same punch when it's written as it does when it is spoken, because the savvy speller knows right away that read refers to an action and not a color. This is not the case when the joke is told aloud to a group of friends! When you hear the joke told out loud, the listeners assume that the read is red, the color. This joke is a good example of the power of homophones in our language. Words that sound the same can definitely have different meanings!

Don't Be Tricked

Homophones are particularly tricky words. They can fool even the most careful spellers! They fool computer spell-checkers all the time, because the computer is only looking for words that are spelled wrong, not words that are used wrong in sentences. It is worth your time to look over the work carefully before you let anyone else read it. Obviously, it is important to be able to recognize which words are homophones and be on the lookout for them.

Pretest

Let's see what you already know. There are some homophones in these sentences that are used in completely wrong ways. Can you spot the mistakes?

My ant is write-handed. She eight two many hot dogs and past home plate.

Know the Meaning

While it is not always necessary to know the definition of every word you need to spell, with homophones, knowing the definition is really important. Using the wrong word will create a glaring mistake and can even create some crazy, mixed-up sentences that might sound okay but read far differently! Here are some common homophones and their basic meanings.

Hundreds of Homophones

There are hundreds of homophones in English. Can you match the correct ones here? Look out; there will be some left over because they don't all fit.

ate	the past tense of eat
eight	a number between seven and nine
foul	a mistake in a sports game; for example, the batter hits a
foul ball
fowl	another name for poultry or chicken
to	a preposition
two	a number between one and three
too	another word for also
deer	a forest animal, like Bambi
dear	a greeting at the beginning of a letter; also a pet name for
someone
pail	a container; Jack and Jill ran up the hill to fetch one
pale	a faded color
sail	to float in a boat
sale	a time when stores drop their prices, like the day after
Thanksgiving

pause	to stop for a moment
paws	hands and feet of some animals (the singular form is paw)
hoarse	to lose your voice, or when your voice becomes scratchy and
faint
horse	the animal
mail	something you receive in your post office box, like a letter
male	a man or boy, the opposite of a female
cereal	grains that you can mix with milk and eat in the morning
serial	a chain of events or stories that are linked togethe
there	an adverb, meaning a location
their	a possessive pronoun
they're	a contraction for they are
steal	to take without asking or paying
steel	a strong metal
ring	a piece of jewelry, usually made of metal, that you wear on a finger
wring	to squeeze out; you might wring a cloth or towel to
remove extra water
flee	to run away quickly; a robber might flee the scene of a crime
flea	a tiny insect that likes dogs and cats; your pet might have a
flea collar
great	something really good is great
grate	to shave, such as to grate cheese in the kitchen; also a
frame with bars that's used to block an opening, such as a
sewer grate
know	to understand
no	to refuse
hare	an animal similar to a rabbit
hair	something on the top of your head
read	the past tense of read; it means you have already looked over
the written symbols and understood them
red	a bright primary color, popular for Valentine's Day
die	the opposite of live
dye	to color or stain fabrics
ant	a small insect
aunt	the sister of your mom or dad
marry	to wed
Mary	a girl's name
merry	to be joyful or to have a good time
hear	to listen
here	to be in the place you are located
blew	the past tense of blow, like you blew out your birthday
candles
blue	a primary color; the color of the sky on a sunny day
flour	a powder made from wheat that you bake with
flower	a blooming plant, such as a rose or a daisy
arc	a curved line
ark	a large boat
prey	dinner for a predator
pray	something you might do before a meal or at church
by	to be next to something
buy	to purchase something, such as gum at the drugstore
bye	a short way of telling someone goodbye
cent	a penny
sent	past tense of send
scent	a smell
fare	how much a bus or cab driver charges for a ride
fair	beautiful or balanced; it is also another word for a
carnival or outside market
are	a linking verb
our	a possessive pronoun, showing ownership