Homophones — Definition, Types, and Examples
What is a homophone?
A homophone is a word that sounds the same as another word but is spelled differently and does not have the same meaning. They are categorized into five main types based on their spelling, definition, and pronunciation.
There are five main types of homophones – heterograph, heteronym, homograph, oronym, and synophone.
Homophones are considered a subcategory of homonyms, which are words with different meanings that either sound the same or are spelled the same.
Types of homophones
Homophones are categorized into heterographs, heteronyms, homographs, oronyms, and synophones:
| Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Heterograph | • Different spelling
• Different meanings • May or may not be pronounced the same |
• Pause
• Paws |
| Heteronym | • Same spelling
• Different meanings • Different pronunciation |
• Wind – movement of air
• Wind – twist and turn |
| Homograph | • Same spelling
• Different meanings • May or may not be pronounced the same |
• Present (gift) vs. present (introduce)
• Bear (animal) vs. bear (carry) |
| Oronym | • Different spelling
• Different meanings • Similar sound |
• Ice cream
• I scream |
| Synophone | • Different spelling
• Different meaning • Almost sound the same |
• Ensure
• Insure |
Homophone examples
The following list identifies some of the most common homophones:
| Homophones | Definitions |
|---|---|
| Aisle and isle | Space between rows; small island or peninsula |
| Eye and I | Body part used for seeing; singular first-person pronoun |
| Bare and bear | Not covered; carry or support/large mammal |
| Be and bee | To exist; flying insect |
| Brake and break | Device used for slowing down; separate into pieces |
| Buy and by | To make a purchase; how something is done/moving past someone or something |
| Cell and sell | Small room/smallest structure of organisms; to cause the purchase of something |
| Cent and scent | Unit of money; a typically pleasant smell |
| Dear and deer | Regarded with affection; a hoofed, grazing animal |
| Flour and flower | Product made from wheat; brightly colored part of a plant |
| For and four | Who/what something relates to; one more than three/one less than five |
| Hear and here | To perceive sound; in, at, or to a certain point |
| Hole and whole | Hollow place in a solid body; something in its entirety |
| Know and no | To understand; a negative response |
| Meat and meet | Flesh of an animal; to join together |
| One and won | Lowest whole number; to achieve through effort |
| Peace and piece | State of security/order; a portion of something |
| Right and write | Correct; form letters, words, or sentences on a surface |
| Sea and see | Portion of the ocean that is partly surrounded by land; perceive with the eyes |
| Son and sun | Boy/man in relation to his parents; the star around which the Earth orbits |
| There, their, and they’re | In, at, or to a place or position; belonging to multiple people; they are |
| To, too, and two | Used in the infinitive form of a verb (to jump); also; greater than one/less than three |
| Weak and week | Not strong; period of seven days |
| Your and you’re | Belonging to the person being addressed; you are |
Homophonic sentences
The following sentences incorporate each of the major types of homophones:
Heterograph
My son wanted to stay out until the sun went down.
The wind blew away his blue hat.
He rode his bike down the newly paved road.
Heteronym
After fishing for bass, he went to the music store to pick up his bass.
She wanted to record the record-setting race.
If you tear that band-aid off, a tear will run down his face.
Homograph
He tried to bat the bat down with the bat.
Can you kick this can farther than your brother?
She left the town after taking a left-hand turn off Main St.
Oronym
For example, let’s look at the egg sample.
I need to find four candles and fix the fork handles.
Don’t put your two lips on the tulips.
Synophone
We hope the final effect of our study does not affect our results.
The city ensured that all employees were insured.
They wanted to take the chair and ladder, but the latter wouldn’t fit in the truck.