Homophones are interesting words. They sound the same, have different meanings and can be spelled differently.
From wickipedia .. “A homophone is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. A homophone may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example rose and rose, or spelled differently, as in rain, reign, and rein.
So why am I writing about them, you ask. Well I find it interesting that there are so many homophones (6,000 from what I read) and am curious about how difficult it is for those whose English is a second language to learn when to use the particular spelling of the word. Hell, people with English as their first language have a tough time using the correct spelling.
Through research I’ve found a list of the most commonly confused homophones. This particular list was in an article from a few years back so it may be dated but after reading it the order makes sense to me. The first 10:
affect/effect
than/then
which/witch
here/hear
are/our
buy/by
accept/expect
weather/whether
there/their/they’re
to/too/two
Honestly, for whatever reason, I’ve never had an issue with homophones. I’m lucky. How about you?
Until the next time.
Yes. Your dad was adorable…his personality was infectious with joy and mischief!
I've alway enjoyed reading and suspect that this helps to eventually figure out these annoying, double-meaning words.