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Homophones: Words with similar sounds but different meanings

Homophones
Words that sound alike or nearly alike but have different meanings
accept
except
advice
advise

affect
effect

all ready already

allude
elude
allusion
illusion
amoral
immoral

anteantiare
our

beside
besides

choose
chose

complement

Accept means to receive. Except means to exclude.

e.g. Everyone except Joaquin accepted her apology.
Advice is a noun (which rhymes with ice) and advise is a verb (which
rhymes with lies).
e.g. I need your advice.
I advise you to bring bottled water.
Affect is a verb which means to influence. Effect is a noun which means
the outcome or result. When used as a verb, effect means to produce
a result.
e.g. The injury wont affect her performance.
The song had a calming effect on the baby.
The medicine effected a complete recovery.
All ready means completely prepared or that everyone or everything is
prepared. Already means before the time specified.
e.g. We were all ready for the results.
I ate already.
Allude means to refer indirectly or casually. Elude means to avoid or
escape.
e.g. Writers often allude to Shakespeare.
The bandits continue to elude the police.
An allusion is an indirect or casual reference. An illusion is false idea or
image.
Amoral means either not subject to or lacking moral distinctions. For
instance, logic or pure mathematics can be seen as amoral. Immoral
means violating conscience or public morality: plagiarism and other kinds
of cheating are immoral. Note that ethical is the term to use when
referring to practices in professions.
Ante is a prefix meaning before or in front of. Anti is a prefix meaning
hostile to or against.
e.g. anteroom, antecedent
antiwar, antipathy
Are is the form of to be used with you, we, and they. Our is a
possessive pronoun that means belonging to us.
e.g. Our dogs are fast.

Beside is a preposition that means next to. As a preposition, besides

means in addition to or other than; as an adverb, besides means
also or moreover.
e.g. The notepad was beside the telephone.
They offer many flavours besides vanilla.
Im want to go to sleep; besides, its late.
Choose means to select and rhymes with booze. Chose is the pasttense form of this verb and rhymes with suppose.
e.g. Yesterday I chose pasta but today I choose rice.
Complement means to complete and compliment means to express
praise. Complimentary is an adjective that means free of charge.

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Homophones: Words with similar sounds but different meanings

e.g. They complimented her on the sash that complemented her

dress.

compliment

conscience
conscientious
conscious
decent
descent
dissent
desert
dessert
discreet
discrete
elicit
illicit
faze
phase
have
of
off
human
humane

immanent
imminent
eminent

its
its

lose
loose
may be
maybe
nauseous
nauseated
persecute
prosecute
precede

Conscience (a noun) is the recognition of right and wrong.

Conscientious is an adjective that means careful or thorough.
Conscious (adj.) means awake or aware.
e.g. Sharon was conscious that Martys conscience was
troubled, but she conscientiously avoided asking him about it.
Decent is an adjective that connotes propriety or respectability.
Descent refers to a plunge downwards or to ancestry. Dissent means
disagreement.
As a verb, desert means to abandon; as a noun, desert refers to a
barren place. Dessert is the last course of a meal.
Discreet means tactful or prudent and can connote secrecy.
Discrete means distinct or separate.
The verb elicit means to draw forth. The adjective illicit means
illegal.
Faze, meaning to worry or disconcert is a slang term that you
shouldnt use in formal essays. Phase has a number of specialised
scientific meanings, but tends to refer to a stage in a process.
Of is often mistaken for the sound of have in compound verb tenses.
e.g. they must have been, would have been
Do not use of after off in phrases like: They walked off the field,
jumped off the bed, etc.
Human can be a noun referring to a person and is preferred to man or
mankind because it is inclusive. As an adjective, human refers to the
qualities of the human race. Humane is an adjective that refers to
kindness, benevolence, sympathy, or civilisation.
Eminent means distinguished. Imminent means about to happen.
Immanent means pervading or existing within.
e.g. He was an eminent scholar.
The exam period is imminent.
The rooms immanent tension made her anxious.
Its is a possessive pronoun, meaning belonging to it. Its is a
contraction, meaning it is. Avoid using contractions in formal essays.
e.g. The dog scratched its ear.
Its a lovely day.
Lose is a verb that rhymes with news. Loose is chiefly an adjective
and rhymes with moose.
e.g. Dont lose your mittens.
My winter clothes are loose.
May be is a verb phrase. Maybe is an adjective.
e.g. You may be right.
Maybe you are right.
Nauseous means producing nausea and nauseated means enduring
nausea.
e.g. The nauseous smell of garbage left me feeling nauseated.
Persecute means to harass, maltreat, or oppress. Prosecute can mean
to carry out or to take legal action against.
To precede is to go ahead of. To proceed is to go forward.

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Homophones: Words with similar sounds but different meanings

proceed
predominant
predominate

principal
principle

respectable
respectful
respective
than
then
their
there
theyre

though
thorough threw
through

to
too
two
whos
whose
youre
your

Predominant means superior in power, effectiveness, number, or

degree. Predominate means to be in control, to prevail or to be
superior.
e.g. She was the predominant competitor.
She predominated over the meeting.
As an adjective, principal means chief or primary. As a noun,
principal means the chief official and may also mean the capital.
The noun principle means a fundamental truth.

Respectable means deserving of respect. Respectful means showing

respect. Respective means relating to each and connotes relativity.
e.g. 70% is a respectable grade.
Each daughter was respectful to her respective mother.
Than is used to make comparisons whereas then refers to a point in
time.
Their is the possessive form of they. There means in that place.
Theyre means they are: since it is a contraction, it should not be
used in formal essays.
e.g. Theyre waiting for their tickets over there.
Though means however or despite the fact. Thorough means
completely done. Threw is the past tense of to throw. Through
indicates movement from one side to another.
e.g. They ate though they werent hungry.
She made thorough revisions to her draft.
He threw a ball.
She searched through the house for her socks.
To is a preposition. Too is an adverb meaning excessively and two is
a number.
e.g. It was too late in the evening to watch two movies.
As a contraction, whos (an abbreviated form of who is) should not
appear in formal essays. Whose indicates possession: Whose book is
this?
Youre is another contraction, meaning you are. Your means
belonging to you.
e.g. Youre showing your fear.

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