Homographs
A List of Easily Confused Words Homonyms, homophones, and homographs are words that are easily confused because they look alike or sound alike (or both) but have different meanings. These charts--which list some of the most common homonyms, homophones, and homographs--should help you to recognize the differences between many commonly confused words.
accept - take in ad - advertisement advice - guidance aid - assist, assistance ail - to suffer poor health air - atmosphere aisle - a passage allusion - an indirect reference altar - table in a church ate - past tense of eat bail - to clear water band - a ring, something that binds bare - uncovered bases - starting points beat - to strike, overcome blew - past tense of blow bread - baked food item buy - purchase meat - food miner - a worker in a mine missed - past tense of miss one - the number 1 pail - a container pair - two of something passed - past form of pass patience - endurance peace - absence of conflict plain - treeless land poor - lacking possessions principal - main, most important profit - gain raise - lift rap - knock role - character, part except - other than add - join, combine advise - recommend aide - one who gives assistance ale - a beverage heir - one who inherits property I'll - contraction of I will illusion - false appearance alter - to change eight - the number 8 bail - release of a prisoner band - a group bear - large animal beat - exhausted blue - the color bred - produced by - near, through meet - to encounter minor - someone under legal age mist - a light rain won - past tense of win pale - not bright or colorful pare - remove, cut back past - a previous time patients - people under medical care piece - a portion plain - simple, unadorned pore - to read carefully principal - head of a school prophet - someone who foretells events rays - beams of light rap - hip-hop roll - to move forward raze - demolish wrap - cover, conceal roll - a portion of bread plane - aircraft pour - to cause to flow principle - rule pear - the fruit past - (preposition) bye - goodbye mete - to give out minor - lesser or smaller bale - a large bundle banned - prohibited bear - support, yield beet - a plant with red roots isle - island
bases - four stations on a baseball field basis - a basic principle
fair - pleasing, impartial find - locate fir - a pine tree flea - insect flour - milled wheat for - (preposition) foreword - preface grate - to irritate groan - moan hall - auditorium, dormitory hear - listen higher - taller, more advanced hoarse - rough sounding its - (possessive pronoun) jam - to force or block know - to understand lead - the metal lessen - to decrease lie - to recline sail - fabric used to move a ship scene - setting or a part of a play seam - a line formed by joining two pieces shear - to cut soar - to rise or fly stair - step stake - pointed piece of wood stationary - unmoving tail - rear part team - group threw - past tense of throw tide - rising and falling of water vain - conceited, fruitless waist - mid-section of the body way - a course or manner weak - frail, not strong weather - atmospheric conditions whine - complain
fair - gathering, exhibition fined - charged (past tense of fine) fur - a coat or covering flee - to escape flower - plant fore - front, forward forward - related to direction grate - a frame grown - matured haul - to carry here - this place hire - to employ horse - the animal it's - it is jam - jelly no - negative lead - to direct lesson - an example or unit of instruction lie - tell an untruth sale - the act of selling seen - past participle of see seem - to appear sheer - transparent sore - hurt stare - gaze steak - a slice of beef stationery - writing materials tale - story teem - to be present in large quantity through - (preposition) tied - fastened vane - device for showing wind direction waste - to spend, wear away weigh - to measure week - seven days whether - if wine - an alcoholic drink
fare - fee for transportation
four - the number 4 great - large, superior
jamb - part of a door or window led - past tense of lead(directed)
lye - used in making soap
vein - a blood vessel, streak, or crack
