Homophones and Near Homophones

What Are Homophones?

A homophone is a word that sounds like another word but has a different meaning. For example, “mail” and “male” sound the same. But they have different meanings and spelling.

“Mail” is the letters and packages the postal service delivers. What “male” describes is a man or boy. This mix-up can sometimes create misunderstandings in everyday life.

Sounds Alike, But Different Meanings

As mentioned, homophones usually come in pairs or groups. They share the same pronunciation but differ in spelling and meaning.

Let’s go through a couple of examples of homophones.

Why do homophones exist? Why not just have unique sounding words for everything? It happens because English borrows from many languages. This has led to words that sound alike but evolved differently.

Unfortunately, homophones can be a challenge for English language learners. Mixing up “there,” “their,” and “they’re” is a common mistake. While they sound the same, “there” refers to a place, “their” indicates possession, and “they’re” is a contraction for “they are.”

Examples of Homophones

Here are some examples of common homophones:

Let’s go through the meaning of each homophone:

• Accept and Except: “Accept” means to receive or agree to something. For example, “I accept your offer.” On the other hand, “Except” means excluding something. Like saying, “Everyone went except for me.”
• Grate and Great: “Grate” means to shred something into small pieces, like grating cheese. “Great” means something very good.
• Ball and Bawl: “Ball” is a round object that we use in games like a soccer ball. “Bawl” means to cry loudly.
• Flour and Flower: “Flour” is the powder used in baking. But “Flower” is the colorful part of a plant.
• Peace and Piece: “Peace” means “without conflict”, and “Piece” means a part of something.
• Cereal and Serial: “Cereal” is the food we eat for breakfast. “Serial” relates to something occurring in a series.

As you can see, words can sound the same but have entirely different spellings and meanings.

How Are Homophones Different From Near Homophones

As mentioned already, near homophones sound almost the same but are different in meaning. Here are some examples of near homophones:

• Loose and Lose: “Loose” describes something not tight or contained, while “Lose” means to misplace something or not win.
• Til and Teal: “Til” is a short form of “until”, but “Teal” is a blue-green color. “Till” can also mean preparing soil for planting.
• Lock and Log: “Lock” is a device for securing a door. “Log” is a piece of wood that we throw into the bonfire.
• Duck and Dug: “Duck” is a type of waterfowl known for quacking. But “Dug” is the past tense of the verb “dig”.

These examples show how near homophones can be just a breath apart in sound but miles apart in meaning.

Conclusion

Homophones and near homophones will keep listeners on their toes. Homophones have matching pronunciations. But near homophones have a noticeable difference in sound.

Remember that context is king. Pay attention to when and how we use homophones. This is how you’ll be able to know which one makes the most sense.