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What are homophones?

Do want to learn more about the american english sounds? You’ve come to the right place. In this guide, we discuss everything you need to know, starting with the basics.

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A homophone is a word that has the same pronunciation as another word but has different spelling and meaning

What is English Homophones words?

A homophone is a word that has the same pronunciation as another word but has different spelling and meaning. For example, ‘one’ and ‘won’ are pronounced the same (/wʌn/ in the IPA) but the have different spelling and different meanings.

English Homophone Examples With Short Vowels

/i:/

  • be – bee /biː/
  • key – quay /kiː/
  • sea – see /siː/
  • seas– sees – seize /siːz/
  • seam – seem /siːm/
  • beat – beet /biːt/
  • bean – been /biːn/
  • feet – feat /fi:t/
  • be – bee /biː/
  • key – quay /kiː/
  • sea – see /siː/
  • seas– sees – seize /siːz/
  • seam – seem /siːm/
  • beat – beet /biːt/
  • bean – been /biːn/
  • feet – feat /fi:t/
  • meat – meet /miːt/
  • creak – creek /kriːk/
  • weak – week /wiːk/
  • peak – peek /pi:k/
  • read – reed /riːd/
  • steal – steel /stiːl/
  • heal – heel /hi:l/
  • scene – seen /siːn/
  • teas – tease /tiːz/
  • piece – peace /piːs/
  • ceiling -sealing /ˈsiː.lɪŋ/
  • sweet – suite /swiːt/
  • genes – jeans /dʒiːnz/
  • cereal – serial /ˈsi:.ri.jəl/

/ɔː/

  • awe – oar – or /ɔː/
  • your – you’re /jɔː/
  • for – four /fɔː/
  • saw – sore – soar /sɔː/
  • paw – pour – poor /pɔː/
  • shore – sure /ʃɔː/
  • raw – roar /rɔː/
  • bored – board /bɔːd/
  • sort – sought /sɔːt/
  • caught – court /kɔːt/
  • hall – haul /hɔːl/
  • sauce – source /sɔːs/
  • horse – hoarse /hɔːs/
  • pause – paws /pɔːz/
  • morning-mourning /ˈmɔː.nɪŋ/

/u:/

  • to – too – two /tuː/
  • you – U – ewe /juː/
  • cue – queue /kju:/
  • threw – through /θruː/
  • knew – new /njuː/
  • flew – flu /fluː/
  • blew – blue /bluː/
  • chews – choose /tʃuːz/
  • crews – cruise /kruːz/
  • root – route (UK Aus) /ruːt/
  • moose–mousse /muːs/

/ɜː/

  • heard – herd /hɜːd/

/a:/

  • passed – past /pɑːst/
  • aren’t–aunt (UK Aus) /ɑːnt/
  • draft – draught /dra:ft/

English Homophone Examples With Diphthong Vowels

/eɪ/

  • ate – eight /eɪt/
  • way – weigh – whey /weɪ/
  • pray – prey /preɪ/
  • wait – weight /weɪt/
  • waist – waste /weɪst/
  • great – grate /greɪt/
  • made – maid /meɪd/
  • break – brake /breɪk/
  • steak – stake /steɪk/
  • rain – reign /reɪn/
  • plain – plane /pleɪn/
  • vein – vain – vane /veɪn/
  • pain – pane /peɪn/
  • base – bass /beɪs/
  • phase – faze /feɪz/
  • raise – rays /reɪz/
  • faint – feint /feɪnt/
  • sail – sale /seɪl/
  • mail – male /meɪl/
  • tail – tale /teɪl/
  • bail – bale /beɪl/
  • wail – whale /weɪl/

/aɪ/

  • die – dye /daɪ/
  • high – hi /haɪ/
  • buy – by – bye /baɪ/
  • bite – byte – bight /baɪt/
  • night – knight /naɪt/
  • right – write /raɪt/
  • sight – site /saɪt/
  • tide – tied /taɪd/
  • side – sighed /saɪd/
  • mind – mined /maɪnd/
  • find – fined /faɪnd/
  • I’ll – aisle – isle /aɪl/
  • idle – idol /ˈaɪ.dəl/
  • higher – hire /ˈhaɪ.jə/

/aʊ/

  • bow (v) – bough /baʊ/
  • foul – fowl /faʊl/
  • allowed – aloud /əˈlaʊd/
  • flower – flour /ˈflaʊ.wə/

/oʊ/

  • know – no /noʊ/
  • toe – tow /toʊ/
  • so – sow (verb) – sew /soʊ/
  • soul – sole /soʊl/
  • rose – rows /roʊz/
  • knows – nose /noʊz/
  • roll – role /roʊl/
  • whole – hole /hoʊl/
  • holy – wholly – holy /ˈhoʊ.li/
  • loan – lone /loʊn/
  • thrown – throne /θroʊn/
  • road – rode /roʊd/
  • wrote – rote /roʊt/
  • grown – groan /groʊn/

/eə/

  • air – heir /eə/
  • pair – pear /peər/
  • hair – hare /heə/
  • fair – fare /feə/
  • stair – stare /steə/
  • bare -bear /beə/
  • there – they’re – their /ðeə/
  • where – we’re – wear /weə/
  • mare – mayor /meə/

/ɪə/

  • hear – here /hɪə/
  • tear (n) – tier /tɪə/
  • dear – deer /dɪə/

/ɔɪ/

  • boy – buoy /bɔɪ/
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What are Homographs?