Before you read on, you should check out the first part of this article Homophones That Every English Speaker Should Know (Part 1). Let’s take a quick recap. Homophones are those words that sound similar to one another but have different meanings and spellings.
There are so many such homophones that we use in our routine lives, that we wanted to introduce some more of them for you. Let’s jump right into them along with examples to understand and use them correctly.
Board V/s Bored
Just misspelling this word with or without the letter ‘e’ can change the entire meaning of this sentence. A board is what we write upon or is a group of people who are part of an organization. Whereas ‘bored’ means to be uninterested. For example, “No matter how bored you are, you will have to attend the meeting called by the board of directors.
Peal V/s Peel
We use these homophones words almost every day, yet a mistake in their usage is likely. ‘Peal’ means the sound of ringing bells, whereas ‘peel’ indicates the removal of a layer. For example, “Visitor could hear a loud peal of ringing bells when they entered the Church.” The second example, “Please peel the potatoes before you leave them in the oven for baking.”
Desert V/s Dessert
So familiar, and yet so confusing at times, right? A desert is a place that is covered with sand, but dessert means a sweet dish that we have after a meal. For example, “It was so hot when we visit the desert that we had to have two cold desserts to cool off.”
Alms V/s Arms
We all know that an arm is a part of our body. Alms, on the other hand, means charity. For example, “We saw many beggars on the road who had broken arms and legs. We stopped by to distribute alms amongst them.”
Allowed V/s Aloud
Not many people know these two words as homophones, but while using them, confusion is a possibility. To give someone permission for something is allowed, but speaking in a loud volume means aloud. For example, “You are not allowed to speak aloud when inside the library
Throne V/s Thrown
While ‘throne’ means the special place assigned to an important person like a king, thrown means to force or propel something in a particular direction. For example, “The king’s son is the rightful heir of this throne. Anyone who tries to fight this will be thrown outside this kingdom!”
Earn V/s Urn
This might be one of the new homophones pairs that you can learn about today. Earn, as many of you already know, means to obtain something in return for hard work. Whereas urn means a tall vase, usually used to store ashes. For example, “You will have to earn some money to buy that tall metal urn for your house.” People now sell urns with taps as a modern version to store tea/coffee too.
Lesson V/s Lessen
One might not imagine seeing these words in the homophones list, but a lot of us grown-ups still make mistakes when using them. A lesson is something that teaches us something, lessen means to reduce something. For example, “I have learned my lesson from this drastic episode. Henceforth, I will lessen the amount of time I spend on social media.”
Maize V/s Maze
Here’s another pair of lesser-used homophones words which changes meaning with the addition or subtraction of the letter ‘i.’ Maize is otherwise called corn which many of us relish. But, ‘maze’ is a puzzle that one can solve. For example, “Finish eating your roasted maize quickly. I want to participate in the human maze contest starting in ten minutes.”
Made V/s Maid
It is incredible how even four-letter words can jumble the spellings and meanings and yet sound the same. A ‘maid’ is a female domestic helper but ‘made’ means to create or assemble something. For example, “The maid made sure that she put everything back in place after cleaning.
Phase V/s Faze
We use the word ‘phase’ many times to speak about a particular period. Let us know about its homophones pair, faze, which means to disturb someone. For example, “ This is just that phase of my life when nothing fazes me. I am at peace with myself.” Isn’t know about homophones also a great way to enhance your vocabulary?
Laps V/s Lapse
‘Laps’ means one entire circuit or circle created for a race. ‘Lapse’ with an addition of the letter ‘e’ in the end changes the meaning of this similar sounding word to failure, mistake or decline. For example, “Your benefit to race against the best of runners in the world will lapse if you do not give your all today. You have to complete four laps in record time to fulfill this dream.”
We hope that this lesson on homophones words has cleared up many fundamental spelling confusions. Stay connected to our website to learn about many more such intriguing topics.
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