List of Commonly Confused

Homonyms
This is a list of commonly confused homonyms, including both homophones — words with the
same pronunciation — and homographs — words with the same spelling.

1. accept: tolerate
except: everything but
2. add: put together with
ad: short for "advertisement"
3. allowed: permitted
aloud: audibly
4. allot: to distribute, allocate
a lot: much; many (a lot of)
5. allusion: indirect reference
elusion: evasion
elution: separation by washing
illusion: a distortion of sensory perception
6. bare: as a verb, to expose, to remove cover; as a noun, naked, exposed; very little (bare
necessities)
bear: as a noun, a large mammal (e.g. American Black Bear); as a verb, to carry
something ("to bear arms"), to endure ("I can't bear it"), or to give birth to (bear fruit)
7. boy: a male adolescent or child; an exclamation "oh boy"
buoy: (noun) a floating marker in the sea; (verb, often "buoy up") to keep afloat, to
sustain or encourage (the soldiers were buoyed up by letters from home) (pronounced
boy in the UK, but in the US is either homophonous with "boy" or pronounced with two
syllables to rhyme with "chewy")
bhoy: a house servant for families in India (borrowed from the English word "boy")
8. bow: (rhymes with 'cow'): The front section of a ship or boat; a gesture made by bending
forward at the waist
bough: (rhymes with 'cow') A tree branch, especially a large or main branch.
bow: (rhymes with 'go'): A weapon made of a curved stick whose ends are connected by a
string, used for shooting arrows; a type of knot with two loops
9. brake the practise of stopping, halting or slowing down.
break a short rest or the method of snapping, splitting or damaging something through the
use of force.
10. bridal: pertaining to a bride (bridal gown, bridal suite)
bridle: (noun) part of a horse's tack around its neck and head; (verb) to appear offended or
proud
11. capital: punishable by death (capital crime); upper-case letter; the principal town or city
(Paris is the capital of France); wealth, money (capital gains tax), as an exclamation:
"excellent"
Capitol: the home of the Congress of the United States and some other legislatures

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 12. carry: to move while supporting
Carrie: a woman's name, pet form of Caroline, French feminine form of Carolus,
Charles, from the Germanic name Karl, which was derived from a Germanic word which
meant "man". Also, name of first published Stephen King novel.
Kerry: a surname, from the name of the Irish county County Kerry, which means "Ciar's
people" in Irish.
13. caught: past tense of "catch"
cot: a small, collapsible bed. Predominantly in North America, see cot-caught merger.
14. choir: a choral singing group
quire: sometimes a variant spelling of "choir", but more commonly a term for a quantity
of sheets of paper, or a part of a church housing the altar and, frequently, the choir stalls
15. chord: group of musical notes; anything that can be "struck" (It struck a sensitive chord)
cord: rope; long electrical line; vertebral column
cored: having the inside cut out, like an apple
cawed: past tense of "to caw" - to make a raucous noise
16. choux (pronounced as shoe): plural of chou, as used in choux pastry
shoe: footwear
shoo: exclamation used for scaring things away
17. content: noun. something contained in a package
content: noun. or adj. satisfied, happy
18. compliment: a praising or flattering remark given to someone; to give such a remark
complement: something that completes something else; to complete (something)
19. cue: a rod or stick used to play the game billiards or pool
queue: a line of people waiting
20. descent: a downwards path
dissent: disagreement
21. discreet: means tactful or diplomatic
discrete: means separate or distinct
22. do: conduct or carry out something
do (to rhyme with doe) / doh: the first note of the solfege scale
doe: a female deer; also female of various other species (by extension)
d'oh!: an annoyed grunt
dough: a moistened mass of flour used to make bread; slang term for money
23. dyeing: artificially coloring
dying: passing away
24. effect: ramification: cause and effect; sound effect (as a noun); bring about (effect
change) (as a verb)
affect: have an effect on; pretentiously display (affect a British accent); emotion (in
psychology and psychiatry).
25. elicit: to call forth, draw out, or provoke (a reaction, for example)
illicit: not sanctioned by custom or law; unlawful
26. ensure: to make certain, to guarantee
insure: to purchase financial protection, as in an insurance policy.
assure: to assuage the concern of another person.
27. fa / fah: the fourth note of the solfege scale
far: distant (In non-rhotic dialects, these are homonyms.)

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 28. fairy: imaginary small person with special powers (often homophonous with "ferry" in
the US)
ferry: boat for carrying people or vehicles short distances on water
29. faze: to temporarily stop or shock (It didn't even faze them)
phase: a stage through which one goes
30. flaw: defect (homonymous with floor in non-rhotic dialects)
floor: a level; lower surface of a room; the area of a legilsative building members speak
from, so "to take/hold the floor"; to knock to the ground; to confound someone
flor: a yeasty growth that forms on sherry after fermentation.
31. formerly: in the past
formally: in a formal way
(These are not homonyms to most speakers of English, but are homonyms in some non-
rhotic dialects, including "Received Pronunciation".)
32. gnaw: to bite or chew on persistently
nor: negates the last member of a series of negated items
33. gorilla: the largest of the great apes.
guerrilla: a small combat group.
34. hair: an outgrowth of the epidermis in mammals (e.g. human facial hair); similar
structures on plants
hare: (noun) a swift, long-eared mammal which, along with rabbits, forms the family
Leporidae; (verb) to dash or sprint ("I hared around the kitchen")
Herr: the title meaning "Mr." for a man from Germany or Austria
35. hay: grass cut and dried for animal feed
hay: the choke of an artichoke
hey: an exclamation used to draw attention, "Hey! Over here!"; a greeting
hey or hay: a weaving figure in English country dance, morris dance and contra dance
heigh: in the phrase "heigh-ho" expressing weariness or disappointment
36. heir: one who inherits
air: the mixture of gases present in a planet's atmosphere
37. here: this place (opposed to there)
hear: sense with the ears; also in the phrase "Hear! Hear!" for strong agreement
38. high: opposite of low; elevated, far above the ground; under the influence of drugs
hi: a greeting; shortened from "high" as part of hi-fi or el-hi
hie: to speed or hurry somewhere, "hie thee to France"
hi or heigh: part of the phrase "hi-ho" in the song "Hi Ho Silver Lining", or "heigh-ho" in
the movie lyric "heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it's off to work we go"
jai: as in jai alai
39. hoard: to accumulate and store up as much of something as one can
horde: large group of warriors, mob
hoared: old, mouldy, fusty
whored: past tense of "to whore" - to act as a prostitute
hawed: past tense of haw - equivocate
40. imminent: soon to occur
immanent: existing only in the mind, or acting in the material world
(Some speakers (perhaps 10%) of USA-English also pronounce eminent like these two.)

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 41. its: belonging to it (analogous to my, your, his, her, our, their)
it's: contraction for "it is" (analogous to I'm, you're, he's, she's, we're, they're) or "it has"
(analogous to I've, you've, he's, she's, we've, they've)
42. key: instrument used to open locks; a guide to symbols, especially on maps; the essential
element "the key to his success"; a range of musical notes "try it in a lower key"; a button
or lever on piano or computer keyboards
key: a low island or sandbank, the Florida Keys
quay: pronounced as key in the UK, as key, kay or kway in the US; a wharf, a structure
built out into water for the ease of loading and unloading vessels
cay: a West Indian word for an island, as in the novel The Cay
ki: another name for the Hawaiian plant ti
43. lam: US slang: "on the lam" means "on the run"
lamb: a young sheep
44. lama: priest (for example the Dalai Lama)
llama: camelid mammal
45. law: legal rule
lore: old story often not written down
la: the sixth note of the solfege scale
46. lead: pronounced to rhyme with "seed", to guide or serve as the head of
lead: pronounced to rhyme with "head", a heavy metal
led: the past tense of "lead"
leed: a copper kettle; a cauldron
47. leek: a vegetable of the onion family which is the national emblem of Wales
leak: a hole which allows a gas or liquid to escape; confidential information sent to
journalists to expose some issue (the leak came from within the White House itself);
slang for urination
Leek: places in England and the Netherlands
48. lock: a mechanical device for securing doors or canals; also the act of using such a device
(verb); a tuft of human hair
Lok: alternative name for Loki, the Norse god of mischief
Locke: the surname of early liberal philosopher John Locke
49. mail: items sent through the postal service; armor
male: opposite of female
50. mantle (disambiguation): one of the layers of the Earth; a cloak (by metaphorical
extension, special position or role held)
mantel: over the fireplace
51. marry: to wed
merry: happy
Mary: a woman's name, from Maria, probably a variation of the Hebrew name Miriam,
meaning "sea of bitterness"
52. medal: an award to be strung around the neck
meddle: stick one's nose into others' affairs
metal: shiny, malleable element or alloy like silver, gold, iron, zinc, tin, copper, bronze or
brass
mettle: toughness, guts

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 Note that the first two of these are only homonyms of the second two in North American
English.
53. me: personal pronoun
me: a concept in Sumerian mythology
me / mi: the third note of the solfege scale
54. morning: the time between midnight and midday
mourning: period of grieving after the death of a relative, friend or public figure, clothing
worn at this time (e.g. mourning dove)
55. muscle: one of the parts of the body used to move
mussel: a bivalve popular as seafood
56. past: time before now (past, present and future); beyond; after the hour (three past nine =
9:03); former (in her past life)
passed: past tense of "to pass"
57. parse: to break down into component parts (e.g. for analysis)
pars: the acts of scoring a par in golf; also plural of "par"
parrs: plural of "parr" - a young salmonid fish
58. piece: portion
peace: opposite of war; quietness (peace of mind) or silence (speak now or forever keep
your peace)
59. pi: the ratio of the diameter and circumfrance of a circle (also the 16th letter in the greek
alphabet)
pie: a baked food having a filling of fruit, meat, pudding, etc., prepared in a pastry-lined
pan or dish and often topped with a pastry crust
60. peak: tip, height, to reach its highest point, a mountain
peke: a breed of dog
peek: to take a brief look, usually through a thin aperture (sneak peek)
pique: fit of anger; to incite (pique one's interest)
61. paw: a mammal's foot
poor: impoverished; also, to be pitied (Poor Peter!), also bad (poor quality)
pore: a hole in the skin; to go over with great focus (pore over)
pour: to run out (said of liquid); to rain heavily
par: common level; equality
62. principal: can be a noun or an adjective, a person of primary importance
principle: a noun: it cannot be an adjective, a fundamental rule or law
63. rack: a long, open container with a rectangular frame (spice rack); one's upper body; to
torture (verb) or an instrument of torture (noun)
wrack: to destroy, a shipwreck, commonly found in the phrase "to go to wrack and ruin"
Note: In British English, only the first spelling should be used in the phrase "to rack
one's brains"; in American English the second spelling is also acceptable in this context;
the meaning of "rack" in this phrase is related to the rack as an instrument of torture
64. rain: water falling from the sky
reign: to rule; hold the position as monarch
rein: the strip used to control a horse; anything that restrains; to restrain anything by
pulling in its irrational exuberance (pull the reins in on)
Rayne: a city in Louisiana

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 65. raise: to increase
raze: to destroy, to obliterate: "the town was razed to the ground by the fire"
rays: beams of light or energy (sun's rays, X-rays, gamma rays, etc.); cartilaginous fishes
Reyes: as in Point Reyes
66. ray: a beam of light
ray: a type of fish
ray / re: the second note of the solfege scale
Re / Ra(h): an Egyptian god.
rah: a short form of "hurrah"
67. reek: to stink
wreak: to bring about (wreak havoc)
reak: a rush (plant), or a prank
68. rest: sit down without doing anything active; the remainder
wrest: to struggle to extricate something (wrest it out of his hands)
69. retch: to vomit
wretch: a person in a miserable condition; a person of bad character
70. right: the direction opposite to left; correct; something a person must have his/her choice
to do respected (the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness); straight or directly
(went right to his heart)
write: to put down in letters; send a letter to (Write me soon!)
rite: ritual, ceremony (rites of passage)
wright: connected with other words to mean someone who constructs (playwright,
scenewright, wheelwright)
71. ring: piece of jewelry; make a sound like a bell or telephone, or tinnitus in the ears;
anything shaped like a circle or torus (like the rings in a bathtub); sound familiarly like
(that rings of fascism)
wring: strangle (wring his neck), squeeze and twist (wring the water out of laundry)
72. root: part of a plant, usually beneath the ground
route: path of travel, Standard English pronunciation
73. rout: chaotic or disorderly retreat
route: path of travel, American English pronunciation
74. row (rhymes with "go"): to pull a boat through the water with oars
row (rhymes with "cow"): a fuss or a fight
roe: fish eggs (such as caviar); a deer (the roebuck)
Roe: pseudonym used in court cases for women having or seeking abortions (most
famously in Roe v. Wade)
rho: letter of the Greek alphabet equivalent to R
Ro: a constructed language based on categorization
75. seem: appear to
seam: a join; a line of stitches that holds two pieces together
76. shear: trim, remove; strain
sheer: absolute, very steep; swerve
77. sight: vision
site: place, grounds; place in cyberspace
cite: quote or make a reference to; write a ticket

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 78. so: likewise; therefore; to such a degree
so or soh: the fifth note of the solfege scale
sow (pronounced as so): to scatter seeds
sew (pronounced as so): join together or stitch
sew (pronounced as sue): to drain (as the root of sewage)
Sioux (pronounced as sue): Native American tribe
sou (pronounced as sue): a French five-centime coin; any small amount of money
sous (pronounced as sue): French for "under", often used as a prefix such as in sous-chef
- a sub-chef
sue: to prosecute or petition for
xu (pronounced as sue): a Vietnamese monetary unit, 1/100 of a dong
sow (to rhyme with cow): a female pig
79. some: a few
sum: what you get when you add numbers; short for summarize (sum up)
80. soul: spirit; mellow African-American music style
sole: single and only; the surface of the bottom of the foot; flat fish like flounder, petrale
or halibut
Seoul: the capital of South Korea
Sol: the solar system we live in
81. stake a wooden implement used in woodcraft or the in popular culture, the abolition of a
vampire.
steak a large chunk of meat commonly eaten across Britain.
82. stationery: office supplies
stationary: as not mobile
83. tail: appendage of most mammals
tale: a story
84. tea: a tree and the drink produced from its leaves
tee: a support for the ball in golf
ti / te: the seventh note of the solfege scale
ti: a Polynesian tree similar to the taro
see also the disambiguation page TI
85. tear (rhymes with fear): a drop of fluid which falls from the eyes when weeping or crying
tear (rhymes with fare): rip; to run extremely fast, jolt, bolt, dart
tare: dry measure of grains; payment in wheat; adjustment to a weighing device
tier: layer or level
86. their: belonging to them
there: that place (opposed to here); denotes existence of something
they're: contraction for "they are"
87. theirs: belonging to them
there's: contraction for "there is" or "there has"
88. therefore: thus, ergo (I think therefore I am)
therefor: for the aforementioned thing or purpose; for that (similar to thereof, thereby,
therefrom, thereagainst, etc.)
89. to: towards or headed for; in order to; used before the infinitive of verbs
too: also; excessively
two: the number 2

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 tui: the parson bird
tout: French word meaning "all", as in mange-tout
90. vary: make a change in; undergo change
very: adverbial intensifier
91. waste: to use up for something pointless; sewage (toxic waste)
waist: the line that goes across the middle of your body
92. weather: the meteorological conditions; to survive some wear and tear
whether: if something is so or not
wether: a male sheep (The bellwether was the ram who led the herd, and carried a bell
around his neck to signal the front of the herd coming.)
93. wet: to dampen; damp
whet: to sharpen (a knife, one's appetite)
94. which: similar to 'what', as in "which one?"
witch: one who practices witchcraft; green lady dressed in black who rides a broomstick
95. while: during a period of time
wile: deceitful cunning
96. whore: a prostitute
horror: intense fear
hoar: white with age
97. whose: belonging to whom
who's: contraction for "who is" or "who has"
hoos: plural of hoo, a small hill or promontory (as in Sutton Hoo)
98. yolk: the yellow part of an egg
yoke: wooden fastener on working animals such as oxen or horses
99. your: belonging to you (analogous to my, his, her, its, our, their)
you're: contraction for "you are" (analogous to I'm, he's, she's, it's, we're, they're)
yore: time long ago, a bygone age ("the days of yore")
yaw: swerve (usually of a ship or a spacecraft)

Adapted from http://www.answers.com/topic/list-of-commonly-confused-homonyms

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