List of 30 most common homophone words
I eight five packets of biscuit yesterday.
Yeah, I did.
Or is it?
I ‘ate’ five packets of biscuit.
English pronunciations are quite weird sometimes, isn’t it?
Hey everyone out there,
Welcome back to your home ‘Your English Vocabulary’- The place for every English learner who has struggled a lot with their English skills and wants to improve their spoken English and vocabulary.
What are homophones?
Homophones are the words that have exactly the same pronunciation but different meaning. The root of the word ‘Homo’ means ‘same’, while ‘phone’ means sound. Be it a non-native or native, people get confused with these homophones because of the same pronunciation; so you see, you are not alone. There is no doubt ‘practice makes a man perfect’, and the same goes with learning homophones. They are not that easy, but with a regular practice and proper learning, it will be a piece of cake for you.
Homophones vs Homonyms?
I completely get it when a non-native can’t differentiate between homophones and homonyms. The fact is, even natives make mistake and think homophones and homonyms are same. Breaking down the word ‘homonym’, we get ‘homo’ that means ‘same’, and ‘nym’ that means ‘name’.
So basically, Homonyms are the words that have the same spelling but different meanings.
Let’s see some of the examples of homonyms for a better understanding:
- Pole (meaning 1): either of the two locations at the opposite ends of the earth’s axis.
- Pole (meaning 2): a long, thin rounded piece of wood or metal, used as a support
- Bark (meaning 1): the sharp, sudden cry of a dog, fox, or seal
- Bark (meaning 2): the tough protective outer covering of the trunk.
30 Most Common Homophone Words With Sentences
There are hundreds like them and it may be possible you know a few of them, or almost all of them. I tried to cover the most common homophones so that even a beginner can understand. Make sure you practice them off by heart and sooner they will become your active vocabulary. So without a further ado, let’s get down to the business:
Accept (verb): consent to receive or undertake.
Example: I accepted his proposal for the meeting this weekend.
Except (Preposition): not including, other than.
Example: Everyone came to my birthday party, except Ben.
Advice (noun): guidance or recommendation about what someone should do.
Example: You should always follow his advice if you want to improve in your game.
Advise (verb): recommend that someone should do something.
Example: He advised his brother not to be in the bad company of rogues.
Ate (verb): The past form of ‘eat’.
Example: I ate my lunch after I came from school.
Eight (noun): The number between seven and nine.
Example: There are eight rooms in our house.
Bare (adjective): not clothed or covered.
Example: He bared his chest to show his scar.
Bear (noun): a large, heavy mammal with thick fur and very soft tail.
Example: I saw a black bear in the zoo yesterday.
Desert (noun): a waterless area of land with little or no vegetation typically covered with sand.
Example: Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world.
Dessert (noun): the sweet course eaten at the end of the meal.
Example: I don’t think a meal is complete without a dessert.
Deer (noun): a hoofed animal, the male of which usually has antlers.
Example: I saw a deer on a roadside while dropping Joe to school.
Dear (Adjective): regarded with deep affection
Example: “God bless you my dear son”, said the church father.
Die (verb): to stop living.
Example: His uncle died in a car accident.
Dye (noun): natural or synthetic substance used to color something.
Example: He bought a dye for just 50 cents.
Band (noun): a flat, thin strip or loop of material used as a fastener or as decoration.
Example: John gave Emma a friendship band on her birthday.
Banned (verb): past form of the ban.
Example: Alcohol has been banned for some days in some of the cities due to the increasing number of accidents.
By (preposition): indicating the person or thing performing an action or the means of achieving something.
Example: He came to my house by bus.
Buy (verb): obtain something in exchange for payment.
Example: I will buy a car this month because I am exhausted with my old bike.
Fair (adjective): treating people equally.
Example: That was definitely not a fair competition to give an extra chance to his brother.
Fare (noun): the money a passenger on public transport has to pay.
Example: The fare for this concert is too high to afford.
Haul (verb): To pull or drag something with effort.
Example: He hauled his bike out of the shed.
Hall (noun): the room or space just inside the front entrance of a house.
Example: The students were ordered to assemble in the hall so that admit cards could be distributed.
Higher (adjective): the comparative degree of high.
Example: The prices of these products go higher every day.
Hire (verb): pay to be allowed to use something for an agreed period.
Example: He is hired for a year as an accountant in a multi-national company.
Its (possessive determiner): belonging to or associated with a thing previously mentioned or easily identified.
Example: The Company has doubled its profits and sales in the previous six months.
It’s (contraction): it is or it has.
Example: It’s my choice whether I take up his offer or not.
Know (verb): be aware of something through observation, inquiry or information.
Example: I don’t know if he will accept your proposal or not.
No (noun): The opposite of ‘yes’.
Example: This will be a no from the judges on the panel.
Won (verb): past and past participle of win.
Example: Though it was a tough competition, we won the match.
One (noun): The lowest cardinal number.
Example: I have only one piece of the suit now.
How many of them were new to you?
A Few? Or almost all?
We will keep adding more of them somewhere in the future so that you never get confused about their meaning and usage. Make sure you stick around and improve your English vocabulary by learning these homophones off by heart so that you never make any mistake down the line.
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Till then, take care and?