Homonyms are
- words that are pronounced similarly but mean different things
- words that are spelled the same
- words that are pronounced similarly.
Accede—verb—to agree or consent Ex: I accede to your request for help. | Exceed—verb—to go over an expected limit Ex: If you exceed the speed limit, you may get a speeding ticket. | |
Accept—verb—to receive Ex: I would like to accept this award recognizing my community service. | Except—preposition—not including, but Ex: Everyone was invited to the party except me. | |
Advise—verb—to counsel or give advice Ex: I advise you to choose a career that you will enjoy. | Advice—noun—a suggestion or opinion Ex: His advice was appreciated for being both wise and useful. | |
Affect—verb—to influence Ex: The long dark winter affects her mood, leading to seasonal depression. | Effect—noun—the result Ex: The effect of her strict exercise routine was visible, and she gladly bought new clothes in a smaller size. | |
Adverse—adjective—unfavorable, harmful Ex: The medication had an adverse effect, making it difficult to concentrate. | Averse—adjective—unwilling or hostile Ex: His averse attitude towards the proposal became evident when he voted against it in the session. | |
All ready—phrase—two words meaning that everyone in the group is ready. Ex: We are all ready to leave for work. | Already—adverb—by this time Ex: When we arrived at the concert, the first band had already begun to play. | |
All right—adjective—satisfactory or acceptable Ex: Though it wasn’t the best meal ever, she said that dinner was all right. | All right—adverb—performed in a satisfactory manner Ex: He was confident that he did all right on his exam today. | All right—exclamation—indicated agreement or acceptance Ex: All right, I will go on a date with you! Note: All right is an informal word in any usage. The variant spelling Alright is very informal to the point of slang. Neither is appropriate for academic writing. |
Altar—noun—ceremonial structure for worship Ex: The couple stood near the altar when they were married. | Alter—verb—to change Ex: He altered the results of the test so that he appeared to have passed. | |
Appraise—verb—to estimate value or worth Ex: He appraised the jewelry at close to a million dollars. | Apprise—verb—to inform Ex: The employee apprised the manager of the situation with the upset customer. | |
Ascent—noun—rise or going up Ex: The ascent to the top of the hill left her breathless. | Assent—verb—to agree Ex: He assented to her request, agreeing to adjust the agreement as needed. | Assent—noun—agreement Ex: He nodded to indicate his assent to her proposal. |
Assure—verb—to promise Ex: I assure you that he will be on time to his appointment. | Ensure—verb—to make certain Ex: In order to ensure his timely arrival to school, I walked my son to class. | Insure—verb—to protect against loss Ex: There are many companies willing to insure your car against damage. |
Capital—noun—money / wealth or the location of the government buildings Ex: The governor had a lot of capital invested in his house in the capital city of Albany, New York. | Capitol—noun—the building that houses the government Ex: The capitol building contained a museum and a gift shop as well as the government offices. | |
Cereal—noun—breakfast food Ex: I enjoy eating cereal for breakfast. | Serial—adjective—arranged in number order or sequence Ex: In order to replace the broken part, she needed the serial number for the washing machine. | |
Cite—verb—to quote Ex: You must always cite your sources when doing research. | Site—noun—location Ex: The site of the new building was near a busy highway. | Sight—noun—a view or to see Ex: The blind man had lost his sight in an accident. |
Coarse—adjective—rough texture Ex: His hands were coarse from a lifetime of working outdoors. | Course—noun—a path or route Ex: The course for the race took the runners right through the middle of town. | |
Course—noun—a part of a meal Ex: The second course included a salad. | Course—noun—a step in a process Ex: The course of treatment, though effective in the long term, made him quite sick in the present time. | Course—noun—a class in a formal setting Ex: He enrolled in a chemistry course during his first semester. |
Complement—noun—the thing that completes or makes up a whole or the thing that seems to go with something else Ex: Her shoes complemented her outfit since they were both the same color. | Compliment—verb—to praise or flatter Ex: She accepted the compliment with grace. | |
Conscience—noun—inner voice that advises about moral right and wrong Ex: If she had listened to her conscience, she probably would not be in trouble. | Conscious—adjective—awake or aware, deliberate Ex: Though he had suffered a blow to the head, he was conscious enough to get a good look at his attacker. He made a conscious effort to remember the face. | |
Council—noun—governing body Ex: The council decided to close the road for the duration of the construction. | Counsel—verb—to give advice Ex: He counselled her to think carefully about her actions. | Counsel—noun—advice Ex: She considered the counsel of her teacher carefully. |
Desert—verb—to abandon or flee Ex: He deserted his wife when she needed him the most. | Desert—noun—a dry, often sandy, location Ex: He made sure to bring plenty of water for his journey across the desert. | Dessert—noun—sweet food Ex: Though she was full from her meal, she still ordered dessert. |
Device—noun—invention or mechanism Ex: The device that allowed her to change the channels on the television had dead batteries. | Devise—verb—to create or design Ex: He devised a plan for their escape from the dungeon. | |
Disburse—verb—to pay out money Ex: He disbursed the payment to the workers every Friday. | Disperse—verb—to scatter over a large area Ex: She dispersed the grass seed across the entire front yard. | |
Elicit—verb—to evoke or draw out Ex: Her speech was designed to elicit an emotional response from the audience. | Illicit—adjective—against laws, rules, or custom Ex: His illicit activities led to his eventual arrest, judgment, and prison term. | |
Envelop—verb—to wrap around or conceal Ex: When they reunited at the airport, he enveloped her in a warm embrace. | Envelope—noun—container for a written message Ex: I wrote the address on the front of the envelope. | |
Every day—adverb—daily occurrence Ex: I get up early every day, even if I don’t have to go anywhere. | Everyday—adjective—common, ordinary, routine Ex: She wore her everyday shoes to the store. Note: If you can put the word single between every and day, you need the space between them. Ex: I get up every single day. | |
Farther—adjective/adverb—the comparative form of far; that is, more physical distance than something else from the starting point Ex: Her new house is farther away than her old house, adding time to the commute. | Further—adjective/adverb—in addition, more Ex: If you need further instructions, feel free to ask! | |
Formally—adjective—in a formal or official manner Ex: I would like to formally request your presence at this event. | Formerly—adverb—in the past, before Ex: Though they had formerly dated during high school, they had been separated for years now. | |
Grate—noun—an opening covered by crossed bars Ex: He told her not to step on the grate because her high heels might get caught. | Grate—verb—to break down into smaller pieces Ex: She grated the chunk of cheese into shredded cheese to melt on top of the pizza. | |
Grate—verb—to irritate Ex: Her squeaky voice grated on his nerves. | Great—adjective/adverb—above normal or average standards Ex: The day spent at Disney was a great experience. | |
Hole—noun—an opening Ex: They dug a hole in the ground for the new tree. | Whole—adjective—entire, complete Ex: She stayed at his side the whole time he was sick. | |
Imply—verb—to suggest indirectly Ex: Though she did not say anything, the disapproving expression on her face implied that she did not like his clothing. | Infer—verb—to reach a conclusion Ex: From her disapproving glare, he inferred that he should change his clothing right away. Note: A speaker will imply or suggest something; a listener will infer or understand something—and sometimes those two messages are not the same! | |
Lean—verb—to rest against Ex: He leaned against the wall while waiting for the train. | Lean—adjective—skinny, not fat Ex: He was surprised to see that the weight lifter was lean—he had expected a burly, muscle-bound woman, not this waif-like slip of a girl. | Lien—noun—a legal right or claim to property Ex: When she bought the house, she didn’t know that there was a lien on the property; apparently, the previous owner had not paid the taxes on time. |
Liable—adjective—legally responsible Ex: Because he had caused the accident, he was liable for the cost of the repairs. | Libel—noun—damaging written statement Ex: The newspaper was sued for libel after it printed a story that contained false information. Note: Libel is written words that are harmful to a person’s character; slander is the verbal equivalent of the same action. | |
Loose—adjective—not fastened or tied down Ex: His pockets jangled with the sound of loose change; combined with the loose waistband, he decided he would need a belt to hold his jeans in place. | Lose—verb—to misplace Ex: I cannot believe you lost your car keys again! | |
Minor—adjective—of smaller relative importance Ex: Compared to the accident, earthquake, and explosions that happened that morning, breaking her ankle while tripping in a pothole seemed a minor inconvenience. | Minor—noun—an underage person Ex: Though she turned 18 in a few days, she was still considered a minor by the courts. | Miner—noun—a person who works in a mine Ex: The miners worked diligently to pull the coal from the underground cave. |
Patience—noun—calm perseverance Ex: When the man started yelling at her, she took a deep breath and reminded herself to have patience. | Patients—noun—people receiving medical attention Ex: The nurse turned his attention back to the list of patients; he had a lot of sick people to see this morning. | |
Personal—adjective—private, individual Ex: Her mind struggled with the luxury of a private jet, an aircraft specifically designed for her own individual use. | Personnel—noun—employees Ex: The CEO issued a memo instructing all personnel to attend a meeting in the afternoon. | |
Plaintiff—noun—person who initiates a lawsuit Ex: The judge considered the plaintiff’s argument carefully before allowing the defendant to speak. | Plaintive—adjective—showing suffering or discomfort Ex: The sick child let out a plaintive wail of unhappiness as she rubbed her stomach. | |
Populous—adjective—densely populated or filled with many people Ex: Hong Kong is known for being populous, with residents living very close together in tall apartment buildings. | Populace—noun—the general public or population of a place Ex: The populace showed up in large numbers on election day. | |
Proceed—verb—to continue Ex: Before she could proceed with the exam, she had to fill out some paperwork first. | Precede—verb—to go before Ex: The paperwork preceded the actual exam—and she was glad to have more time to relax while filling out forms before getting started officially. | |
Precedence—noun—priority of importance, order, or rank Ex: In the emergency waiting room, the man with the heart attack took precedence over the boy with the sniffles. | Precedents—noun—earlier events used as an example Ex: The Supreme Court’s decisions have set many precedents throughout history; these court cases will set the rules for similar cases in the future. | |
Principal—adjective—main or most important Ex: Though she had learned many things on her trip, the principal lesson was never give her passport to anyone. | Principal—noun—a person in charge of a K-12 school Ex: After the fight, the boy was sent to the principal’s office for his punishment. | Principle—noun—a law or rule or guideline Ex: Though she wanted to forgive him for his mistakes, she was having difficulty—there were moral principles to consider! |
Stationery—noun—writing material Ex: Knowing how much she loved to write letters, he gave her a lovely stationery set for her birthday. | Stationary—adjective—immovable Ex: After a week on the sailboat, she found herself longing for a stationary pier that would not move with the motion of the waves. | |
Than—conjunction—showing comparison Ex: Though she is the younger child, she is taller than her older brother by a few inches. He is faster than she is, though. | Then—adverb—at that time Ex: First, we will go to breakfast, and then we can go to the store. | |
Their—pronoun—possessive form of they Ex: The party was at their favorite restaurant. It was their 30th anniversary. | There—adverb—at that place or point Ex: Everyone wanted to be there on time. There would be a brief performance at the start of the party. | They’re—pronoun—contraction of they+are Ex: They’re so happy with one another; they’re a model of successful marriage for all of their friends. |
To—preposition—word before an infinitive Ex: He knew that in order to dance in the ballet, he needed to go to his lessons. | Too—adverb—also or to an excessive amount Ex: She wanted to go too, but there were already too many people in the car. | Two—noun—a number Ex: The reservation was for two people. |
Waiver—noun—a release form Ex: In order to skydive, she had to sign a waiver stating that she would not sue the company. | Waver—verb—to fluctuate or shake Ex: Though he could be persuasive, she resolved not to waver from her position. |
What reference works can make word choice easier?
- Dictionary (electronic or paper): Each entry provides the word’s definition(s) and an explanation of the word’s usage. Careful consideration of a word’s meaning (its semantic connotation) and its context should guide decisions about the word’s appropriateness.
- Thesaurus (electronic or paper): Each entry provides a list of synonyms—words that have similar meanings. When a word does not fit the context as well as it should, but the general meaning should be preserved, a thesaurus can provide a synonym with a shade of meaning that is more suitable.