Homophones, Homographs and Homonyms: Examples
The difference between homophones, homographs and homonyms, with easy examples like to, too and two, their, there and they're, and bat and bat.
By Polarzinho ·
I asked for a pear and got a pair of socks. Fine, I was not that hungry anyway. Words that sound or look the same but mean different things are everywhere in English.
Here are the three types, homophones, homographs and homonyms, with the pairs that trip people up the most.
Homophones: same sound, different spelling
- To, too and two.
- Their, there and they're.
- Your and you're.
- Flower and flour.
- Sea and see.
- Knight and night.
- Bear and bare.
- Hear and here.
- Eight and ate.
- Right and write.
- Pair and pear.
- Week and weak.
Homographs: same spelling, different sound
- Tear (from crying) and tear (to rip).
- Bow (a ribbon) and bow (to bend forward).
- Lead (a metal) and lead (to guide).
- Wind (moving air) and wind (to turn).
- Read (now) and read (yesterday).
- Live (to be alive) and live (happening now).
Homonyms: same spelling and same sound
- Bat (an animal) and bat (for baseball).
- Bank (of a river) and bank (for money).
- Bark (of a dog) and bark (of a tree).
- Ring (on your finger) and ring (of a phone).
- Park (a place) and park (a car).
Practice with word games
In Letter River every clue points to one exact word. A homophone can fool you: the clue tells you which meaning it wants.
FAQ
What is the difference between homophones and homonyms?
Homophones sound the same but are spelled differently. Homonyms are spelled and pronounced the same.
Are to, too and two homophones?
Yes. They sound the same and mean different things.
What is a homograph?
A word spelled the same as another but often pronounced differently, like tear and tear.
Your turn
Fill in: (Their/There/They're) going to leave (their/there/they're) bikes over (their/there/they're).