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Homophones: Words That Sound the Same

In one line: Homophones are words that sound the same when you say them but have different meanings, and they are usually spelt differently, like 'night' and 'knight'.

Why it works

When you speak, nobody can hear which homophone you mean, but when you write, the spelling tells the reader. If you write 'I ate a pair' instead of 'I ate a pear', your reader pictures two of something instead of a fruit! Choosing the right homophone makes your writing clear. Spellcheckers often miss these mistakes, because the wrong word is still a real word.

Think of it like: Homophones are like two children in a class who both have the name 'Sam'. When the teacher calls 'Sam!', you cannot tell which one she means just by listening. But on a name label, one is written 'Sam' and the other 'Samantha', so on paper you know exactly who is who. Homophones work the same way: they sound alike, but the written spelling shows which one you mean. (Where this breaks: The analogy breaks because the two Sams are real people who can explain themselves, while a homophone only has its spelling and the rest of the sentence to show its meaning. Also, homophones can come in groups of three or more (to, too, two), and a few homophones are spelt exactly the same (a 'bear' the animal and to 'bear' a heavy load).)

Worked example

Fill in the gaps with 'there', 'their' or 'they're': '___ going to put ___ coats over ___.'

  1. Read the whole sentence first so you know what it is trying to say.
  2. Gap 1: try saying 'they are' instead. 'They are going to put...' makes sense, so use the short form 'They're' (the apostrophe shows the missing letter 'a').
  3. Gap 2: the coats belong to the people. 'Their' shows that something belongs to them, so use 'their'.
  4. Gap 3: this tells us a place. 'There' means a place, and it has the word 'here' hidden inside it, which is also a place, so use 'there'.
  5. Read the finished sentence aloud and check each word makes sense.

Answer: They're going to put their coats over there.

Common mistakes

  • Writing 'there' when you mean something belongs to people, so remember that 'their' shows ownership and 'there' (with 'here' inside it) shows a place.
  • Writing 'to' when you mean 'also' or 'more than enough', so remember 'too' has an extra 'o', just like it means extra.
  • Thinking homophones must be spelt the same, so remember the test is how the words sound, not how they look.
  • Trusting a spellchecker to find homophone mix-ups, so always reread your work and ask whether each word has the right meaning.

Try it · 1 of 3

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Choose the correct word: 'I have ___ cats and one dog.'

Questions parents ask

What year do kids learn about homophones?

In the UK, children usually start learning homophones in Year 2 and meet trickier pairs like 'accept/except' in Years 3 to 6. In Australia they are commonly taught from around Years 2 to 4, and in the US children meet them from about Grade 2, with words like 'to, too, two' and 'there, their' expected to be used correctly by Grade 4.

How can I help my child with homophones at home?

Focus on a few pairs at a time, especially ones your child mixes up in their own writing. Make silly picture cards (a 'bear' wearing nothing is 'bare') or play a game where you say a sentence and your child writes the right spelling. Short, regular practice works better than long lists.

What is the difference between homophones, homographs and homonyms?

Homophones sound the same but have different meanings, like 'flour' and 'flower'. Homographs are spelt the same but have different meanings and sometimes different sounds, like 'lead' (a metal) and 'lead' (to show the way). 'Homonym' is often used for words that are spelt and said the same but mean different things, like 'bat', though people use the term in slightly different ways.

Why does my child spell 'their' and 'there' wrong even though they know both words?

This is very common, even for adults, because the brain picks the word by sound when writing quickly. Teach a simple check: if 'they are' fits, write 'they're'; if it is about belonging, write 'their'; if it is a place, write 'there'. Encourage your child to reread their work slowly to catch these slips.