Homophones List: 400+ Common Homophones in English for ESL Learners!

Homophones List! A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. This lesson provides a list of common homophones in English for students who want to master their English.

Common Homophones List

A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. Below is a list of homophones you should notice:

  • accede — exceed
  • accept — except
  • addition — edition
  • adds — adz — ads
  • affect — effect
  • affected — effected
  • ale — ail
  • all ready — already
  • all together — altogether
  • all ways — always
  • all — awl
  • ant — aunt
  • apatite — appetite
  • apprise — apprize
  • arc — ark
  • ariel — aerial
  • ark — arc
  • arrant — errant
  • ascent — assent
  • assistance — assistants
  • ate — eight
  • atom — Adam
  • ax — acts
  • axel — axle
  • axes — axis
  • aye — eye — I
  • ayes — eyes
  • baa — bah
  • baal — bail — bale
  • bait — bate
  • baited — bated
  • bald — balled — bawled
  • bale — baal — bail
  • ball — bawl
  • balled — bawled — bald
  • basal — basil
  • base — bass
  • based — baste
  • bases — basis
  • basil — basal
  • basis — bases
  • bask — basque
  • bass — base
  • baste — based
  • bate — bait
  • bated — baited
  • bawl — ball
  • been — bin
  • beer — bier
  • beet — beat
  • bell — belle
  • berry — bury
  • berth — birth
  • better — bettor
  • bib — bibb
  • bight — bite — byte
  • billed — build
  • bin — been
  • bird — burred
  • birth — berth
  • bite — byte — bight
  • bizarre — bazaar
  • blew — blue
  • bloc — block
  • bolder — boulder
  • bomb — bombe — balm
  • bootie — booty
  • border — boarder
  • bore — boar
  • bored — board
  • born — borne
  • borough — burro — burrow
  • bough — bow
  • bouillon — bullion
  • braid — brayed
  • braise — brays
  • brake — break
  • brayed — braid
  • brays — braise
  • breach — breech
  • bread — bred
  • break — brake
  • bred — bread
  • breech — breach
  • brewed — brood
  • brews — bruise
  • bridal — bridle
  • broach — brooch
  • burro — burrow — borough
  • bury — berry
  • bussed — bust
  • but — butt
  • buy — by — bye
  • byte — bight — bite
  • cache — cash
  • caddie — caddy
  • Cain — cane
  • calendar — calender
  • caster — castor
  • cause — caws
  • cedar — seeder
  • cede — seed
  • ceiling — sealing
  • cell — sell
  • cellar — seller
  • censor — sensor
  • cent — scent — sent
  • cents — scents — sense
  • cereal — serial
  • Ceres — series
  • cession — session
  • chance — chants
  • chased — chaste
  • chauffeur — shofar
  • cheap — cheep
  • check — Czech
  • cheep — cheap
  • chews — choose
  • chic — sheik
  • Chile — chilly — chili
  • choir — quire
  • choose — chews
  • choral — coral
  • chord — cord — cored
  • chute — shoot
  • cite — sight — site
  • cited — sided — sighted
  • clack — claque
  • clamber — clammer — clamor
  • claque — clack
  • clause — claws
  • clew — clue
  • click — clique
  • climb — clime
  • clique — click
  • close — clothes — cloze
  • clue — clew
  • coal — cole
  • coarse — course
  • coarser — courser
  • coat — cote
  • coax — cokes
  • coffers — coughers
  • cokes — coax
  • cole — coal
  • collard — collared
  • colonel — kernel
  • coolie — coulee
  • coop — coupe
  • cops — copse
  • coral — choral
  • cord — cored — chord
  • core — corps
  • cored — chord — cord
  • corps — core
  • coughers — coffers
  • coulee — coolie
  • council — counsel
  • coup — coo
  • course — coarse
  • courser — coarser
  • cousin — cozen
  • coward — cowered
  • cozen — cousin
  • craft — kraft
  • crape — crepe
  • crawl — kraal
  • creak — creek
  • crepe — crape
  • crewel — cruel
  • crews — cruise
  • cruel — crewel
  • cruise — crews
  • dam — damn
  • Dane — deign
  • days — daze
  • dear — deer
  • defused — diffused
  • deign — Dane
  • dense — dents
  • descent — dissent
  • desert (abandon) — dessert
  • dew — do — due
  • die — dye
  • diffused — defused
  • disburse — disperse
  • discreet — discrete
  • disperse — disburse
  • dissent — descent
  • duct — ducked
  • ducts — ducks
  • due — dew — do
  • duel — dual
  • dun — done
  • dye — die
  • dyeing — dying
  • edition — addition
  • educe — adduce
  • eek — eke
  • effect — affect
  • effected — affected
  • effects — affects
  • eight — ate
  • eke — eek
  • elicit — illicit
  • elude — allude
  • errant — arrant
  • eve — eave
  • ewe — you — yew
  • ewes — yews — use
  • exceed — accede
  • except — accept
  • facts — fax
  • faint — feint
  • fair — fare
  • fairy — ferry
  • fare — fair
  • fate — fete
  • faun — fawn
  • fax — facts
  • faze — phase
  • feat — feet
  • feint — faint
  • fends — fens
  • ferry — fairy
  • fete — fate
  • few — phew
  • fiancé — fiancée
  • flair — flare
  • flea — flee
  • flew — flu — flue
  • flier — flyer
  • flocks — phlox
  • floe — flow
  • flour — flower
  • flow — floe
  • flower — flour
  • flu — flue — flew
  • flyer — flier
  • foaled — fold
  • fort — forte
  • forth — fourth
  • forward — foreword
  • foul — fowl
  • four — fore — for
  • fourth — forth
  • fowl — foul
  • franc — frankfur — fir
  • gaff — gaffe
  • Gail — gale
  • gait — gate
  • gale — Gail
  • gamble — gambol
  • gel — jell
  • gene — jean
  • gibe — jibe
  • gnu — knew — new
  • gofer — gopher
  • gored — gourd
  • gorilla — guerilla
  • gourd — gored
  • grade — grayed
  • graft — graphed
  • hail — hale
  • hair — hare
  • hale — hail
  • hall — haul
  • halve — have
  • handmade — handmaid
  • handsome — hansom
  • hangar — hanger
  • hay — hey
  • hays — haze
  • he’d — heed
  • he’ll — heal — heel
  • hear — here
  • heard — herd
  • heart — hart
  • heroin — heroine
  • hertz — hurts
  • hew — hue — Hugh
  • hey — hay
  • hi — high
  • higher — hire
  • him — hymn
  • hire — higher
  • ho — hoe
  • hoard — horde
  • hoarse — horse
  • hoe — ho
  • hoes — hose
  • hold — holed
  • hole — whole
  • holed — hold
  • hour — our
  • hue — Hugh — hew
  • humerus — humorous
  • hurts — hertz
  • hymn — him
  • I — aye — eye
  • I’ll — aisle — isle
  • I’d — eyed
  • idle — idol — idyll
  • illicit — elicit
  • illusion — allusion
  • illusive — allusive — elusive
  • incite — insight
  • inn — in
  • innocence — innocents
  • knap — nap
  • knave — nave
  • ladder — latter
  • lade — laid
  • lain — lane
  • lays — laze — leis
  • lea — lee
  • leach — leech
  • lead — led
  • leak — leek
  • lean — lien
  • leased — least
  • led — lead
  • lee — lea
  • leech — leach
  • liar — lier — lyre
  • madder — matter
  • made — maid
  • mail — male
  • main — mane — Maine
  • maize — maze
  • medal — metal — mettle —
    meddle
  • meet — mete — meat
  • merry — Mary — marry
  • metal — mettle — meddle —
    medal
  • mete — meat — meet
  • meteor — meatier
  • mints — mince
  • missal — missile
  • missed — mist
  • misses — Mrs.
  • missile — missal
  • mist — missed
  • mite — might
  • moan — mown
  • moat — mote
  • mode — mowed
  • mood — mooed
  • moose — mousse
  • morn — mourn
  • morning — mourning
  • mote — moat
  • mourn — morn
  • mourning — morning
  • mousse — moose
  • mowed — mode
  • mown — moan
  • Mrs. — misses
  • mucous — mucus
  • mule — mewl
  • muscle — mussel
  • mustard — mustered
  • nap — knap
  • naval — navel
  • nave — knave
  • navel — naval
  • nay — neigh
  • need — knead — kneed
  • neigh — nay
  • new — gnu — knew
  • nice — gneiss
  • Nice — niece
  • pain — pane
  • pair — pare — pear
  • palate — palette — pallet
  • pale — pail
  • parish — perish
  • parlay — parley
  • passed — past
  • paste — paced
  • patience — patients
  • patted — padded
  • pea — pee
  • peace — piece
  • peak — peek — pique
  • peal — peel
  • pie — pi
  • piece — peace
  • pier — peer
  • pigeon — pidgin
  • Pilate — pilot
  • pique — peak — peek
  • pistil — pistol
  • plum — plumb
  • read — red
  • read — reed
  • real — reel
  • red — read
  • reed — read
  • reek — wreak
  • reel — real
  • reign — rein — rain
  • residence — residents
  • seam — seem
  • sear — seer — sere
  • seas — sees — seize
  • see — sea
  • seed — cede
  • sighed — side
  • sighs — size
  • sight — site — cite
  • sighted — cited — sided
  • stayed — staid
  • steak — stake
  • steal — steel
  • theirs — there’s
  • there — they’re — their
  • there’s — theirs
  • they’re — their — there
  • weighs — ways
  • weight — wait
  • we’ll — wheel
  • were — whir
  • wet — whet
  • wether — weather — whether
  • your — you’re

Learn more with an extensive list of homonyms in English with example sentences. 

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torrie
torrie
4 years ago

the honophone

balls
balls
2 years ago
Reply to  torrie

Your gay

Chris Whitham
Chris Whitham
4 years ago

Foreword and forward are not homophones.
Forward is pronounced /ˈfɔːwəd/
Foreword is pronounced /ˈfɔːˌwɜːd/ (Collins English Dictionary, and Cambridge Dictionary)
OR
/ˈfɔr wərd/ and /ˈfɔrˌwɜrd/ (Websters American Dictionary)
The vowel-sound and stress on the second syllable are different.

Kathleen
Kathleen
4 years ago

You’re your yore

Raul Espino
Raul Espino
4 years ago

uwu

Vuong Nguyen
Vuong Nguyen
4 years ago

the list is quite comprehensive. thanks for your great collection.

emilio
emilio
4 years ago
homophones are pretty difficulty to know what word what

susan
susan
3 years ago

is so easy to use it works like a charm I use it for teaching

AMILCAR
AMILCAR
3 years ago

MUY MALO

DESEARIA QUE NO EXISTIERA ESTE SITIO WEB

brandy
brandy
3 years ago

there is no u

julio
julio
2 years ago
Reply to  brandy

yes there is

Dylan Robertson
Dylan Robertson
3 years ago

cool

Alisha
Alisha
2 years ago

Cool

Chris Winter
Chris Winter
2 years ago

I just noticed you missed a pair: “rack” and “wrack”.

hamdan
hamdan
2 years ago

hi
it was help full
thank you

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