What is a homophone?
Quick answer
A homophone is a word that sounds the same as another word but has a different meaning, and often a different spelling. Classic examples are to / too / two, there / their / they’re and see / sea. The term comes from Greek homo (“same”) and phone (“sound”).
Everyday homophones
| Homophones | Meanings |
|---|---|
| to / too / two | Direction / also / the number 2 |
| there / their / they’re | A place / belonging to them / they are |
| your / you’re | Belonging to you / you are |
| its / it’s | Belonging to it / it is |
| knight / night | Armored soldier / time after dark |
| flower / flour | Plant / ground grain |
| bare / bear | Uncovered / the animal |
| weather / whether | Climate / if |
Spell checkers often miss homophone errors because each word is spelled correctly. Reading a sentence aloud doesn’t help either, since the mistake sounds right; checking the meaning of each word is the only reliable fix.
Homophone vs homonym vs homograph
| Term | Same sound? | Same spelling? | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homophone | ✓ | Not necessarily | pair / pear |
| Homograph | Not necessarily | ✓ | lead (metal) / lead (guide) |
| Homonym | ✓ | ✓ | bat (animal) / bat (sports) |
Some writers use “homonym” loosely for any of these.
Homophones depend on accent
Whether two words sound the same can depend on where you live. In many American accents, “cot” and “caught” sound identical; in much of Britain they don’t. In some British accents, “saw” and “sore” are homophones.
Homophones in jokes
Puns often rely on homophones:
- “I’m reading a book about anti-gravity. It’s impossible to put down.”
- “Why did the bread break up? It felt kneaded.”
Ever wonder why some names seem misspelled? See how to pronounce names. For another tricky pair, read who vs whom.
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