HOMOPHONES

Words that sound the same but mean completely different things.

Homophones

It is important to pick the correct spelling so people know exactly what you mean in your writing.

Here are some useful ways to remember the different meanings and spellings of some common homophones.

Dear is the first word to write in a letter to every auntie.

A deer is an animal.

Dear Deer

Desert Dessert

A desert is full of sand. The word desert has one S.

But a dessert is a cake full of sweet stuff, with two Ss. Think of it as a second helping!

Flower Flour

It takes an hour to grind the flour.

Flowers bloom in spring.

Hear Here

You hear with your ears.

Here is where you are.

Knew New

I knew the answer to that question.

My mom bought me a new pair of sneakers.

Pair Pear

A pair spelled like this means that you have two matching items, such as a pair of shoes.

A pear is a fruit that is delicious to eat.

Ring Wring

People wear rings on their fingers.

Wring with a W means to twist the water out of a wet cloth.

Brake/ Break

If you’re in a rush, don’t forget to brake when you take a corner on your bike.

If you accidently break a window it’s best to: Blame Really Energetic Angry Kangaroos!

Brake Break

Allowed/Aloud

When you say something

aloud, you will know how it is spelled by remembering you it out loud.

However, when you are allowed to do something, you have permission to do it.

Aloud Allowed

Buy/By/Bye

To sort out the differences between these three words, just memorize this sentence.

Example: I always say bye-bye when I pass by on

the way to the store to buy something.

Their/There/They’re

Their means that something belongs to them. The E must come first. This common word breaks the I before E spelling rule.

There is a place. It’s here with a T in front. You go from here to there.

They’re is a shorter way of saying they are. The apostrophe in the middle tells you that a letter has been left out.

Accept/Except

When you accept a gift, you can remember it is spelled with the letters ac because you acquire something new. That’s great-except if the gift makes you angry!

Say this to yourself as a reminder: I will accept anything, except excuses!