Blogging Tips

Homonyms are words in the English language that sound the same, but have different meanings. When writing, these nasty little mix ups can cause unwanted confusion to readers about what you really intended to say. Many writers can navigate through the most common homonyms, such as there, their, and they’re, but there are other homonyms that make writing tricky.

Below I have included a few homonyms with their meanings that may be a stumbling block for you as a writer, or commonly confuse readers if used improperly. In quotation marks are an example of how the word can be used.

• Accept: to agree or to receive. “I will accept this bountiful gift.”
• Except: but, exclude. “I would love you except you smell really bad.”
• Adverse: unfavorable, unfortunate (used when talking about things, but not people). “The adverse climate makes me suffer.”
• Averse: to be repulsed or having repugnance (used when talking about people, but not things). “She is averse to the whole situation.”
• Advice: (noun) recommendation. “Her advice is welcoming.”
• Advise: (verb) the act of giving a recommendation. “She will advise me against it.”
• Affect: (verb) to influence or pretend. “Your love must affect your heart.”
• Effect: (noun) an influence or result. “The effect of the ice age was disastrous.”
• Effect: (verb) to bring about. “Money had an effect on her attitude.”
• Aisle: a passageway. “The aisle is covered in flowers.”
• Isle: a small island. “There is an isle off the cost of California.”
• Allowed: to give permission. “She is allowed to come over.”
• Aloud: spoken. “He gave his speech aloud to the crowd.”
• Altar: religious pedestal. “The altar is big and brown.”
• Alter: to change. “We have to alter that dress.”
• Allude: indirect reference. “She alluded to her sexual history.”
• Elude: escape from or avoid capture. “We eluded the guards.”
• Allusion: indirect reference. “She made an allusion to the textbook.”
• Illusion: trick of the eye. “He made illusions with his magic.”
• Ascent: to rise. “The ascent to the top is far.”
• Assent: to agree. “We sent our assent to the doctor.”
• Ball: a sphere. “Throw me the ball.”
• Bawl: to cry. “She bawled her eyes out.”
• Bare: naked, unconcealed. “He bared his soul to me.”
• Bear: the animal. “The bear is hungry for crackers.”
• Base: bottom. “Hold the vase by the base.”
• Bass: an instrument or a fish. “He can play the bass like a wild man, but can not catch a bass from the lake.”
• Bases: headquarters. “Our bases are all over the world.”
• Basis: foundation or belief. “We are founded on the basis of good will towards all men.”
• Beat: to pound, or strike violently. “We beat the drum wildly.”
• Beet: a plant you can eat. “Please don’t feed us beets anymore this week.”
• Bite: to use your teeth. “I took a huge bite out of my sandwich.”
• Byte: computer term for information. “How many bytes of data can a CD hold?”
• Billed: charged a fee. “She billed me for 400 dollars.”
• Build: to construct or create. “We will build a mountain with our ideas.”
• Boarder: someone who pays for room and food. “Our boarder was very loud last night.”
• Border: boundary. “There is a border between the United States and Mexico, in case you forgot.”
• Brake: to stop. “Please brake when you see a red light.”
• Break: make into many pieces. “I’m going to break my foot on this curb if you don’t quit it!”
• Bread: food. “Pass the bread, I’m starving.”
• Bred: raised, past tense of breed. “These dogs were bred by a mad man.”
• But: except. “I would love to, but I can’t.”
• Butt: your bottom or to ram. “Get your butt out of my face!”
• Buy: to purchase. “I’m going to buy some waffles.”
• By: next to. “Go stand by your brother.”
• Bye: see you later. “I love you, bye.”
• Cannon: mounted gun. “Don’t fire the cannon in the house!”
• Canon: rule, commandment. “English has precise canons to follow.”
• Carat: unit of weight in gemstones. “How many carats is that ruby?”
• Caret: a proofreading mark to show insertion. “My paper is littered with carets indicating corrections.”
• Carrot: the vegetable you eat. “Carrots are orange and tasty.”
• Karat: unit for measuring gold. “This ring is 14 karat gold.”
• Cent: a penny. “I will not waste another cent on you.”
• Scent: a smell. “His scent was alluring.”
• Sent: to send. “She sent the package on Monday.”
• Cereal: breakfast food. “I want to eat sweat cereal today.”
• Serial: a series. “That is a serial number on the box.”
• Cite: to quote from. “Make sure you cite your source in your research paper.”
• Sight: to see. “The sight before me is beautiful.”
• Site: a location. “Go to the site on Apple Street to see for yourself.”
• Click: a sound. “The mouse makes a ‘click’ noise.”
• Clique: a group. “Cheerleaders are a clique at school.”
• Close: to shut or nearby. “Close the door.” or “Are you close to the house yet?”
• Clothes: apparel. “I go clothes shopping frequently.”
• Coarse: rough. “His hands are coarse and hard feeling.”
• Course: a class. “I’m enrolled in one course.”

Look for my next installment of spelling mix ups that will continue common homonym errors.