Homophones are a topic that will surely appear in your primary schooler’s homework. But what exactly are homophones and how can you help your child remember them all? In this blog post, we will take a deep dive into homophones definition and examples. There are A LOT of them, so I am going to take you through the most common that your child may come across in their school and homework.
I never thought I would be writing this sentence BUT I have launched a brand new SEAG Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation textbook! This is the first book in my SEAG revision textbook range and it is worth its weight in gold! (If I do say so myself!) This book contains 50 worksheets where your child will be completing a range of spelling, punctuation and grammar activities, similar to those that can appear in the transfer test! Even if your child isn’t sitting the transfer test, this book can help develop their English spelling, grammar and punctuation skills for entering Year 8! Click here to get your copy now!
What are homophones?
Before we get started with the different types of homophones that your child may come across, let’s talk about the homophones definition. Homophones are words that sound the same BUT have different meanings and a different spelling. We use homophones every day and don’t even realise it. But when you have to sit down and think about them, they can make your brain hurt a bit. Especially some of the more uncommon ones.
Homophones vs Homonyms vs Homographs
There are a couple of other grammar topics that your child may come across that are very similar to homophones words and if they appear in a piece of homework, can cause some confusion. These are homonyms and homographs. So what is the difference between all three?
Homophones Meaning:
We have already covered this above but I wanted to jot it down here as well so you can see the difference between the three. Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelt differently and have different meanings. For example, where and wear. ‘Where’ is used to refer to the location of something or someone. ‘Wear’ is used to refer to putting on clothing or other items.
Homonyms:
Homonyms are words that sound the same when spoken aloud, and have the same spelling but mean different things. So you can see they are very similar to homophones, the difference being they have the same spelling. For example, ring and ring. Both words sound the same and have the same spelling. But you can ‘ring’ the doorbell which is a verb. Or you can wear your new ‘ring’ which is a noun.
Homographs:
Homographs are words that have the same spelling but have a different pronunciation. They sound different when spoken aloud. And no I don’t mean the ‘potato, potato’ debate! An example of a homograph is tear and tear. The first ‘tear’ is used if you tear a piece of paper (when spoken aloud tear rhymes with ‘hair’). The second ‘tear’ is used if you are crying a tear may fall down your cheek (when spoken aloud, tear rhymes with ‘fear’).
Most common homophones English your child may come across
I could literally write a fifty-page blog post telling you all of the homophones examples out there. But I don’t want to do that nor do you want to read that! So I am going to choose some of the most common examples that can crop up in your child’s homework or their transfer test preparation. Please remember, there are a lot of other homophones out there so you can keep a homophones list close by in case your child needs more examples.
To, too and two
Our first example is to, too and two. Say them aloud and you will notice they sound the same BUT they all have different meanings and spellings. This group of homophones is one which we use every single day.
To:
‘To’ is used to show location, distance or motion and is also a preposition. For example, I am going TO the park later. Used in this sentence, ‘to’ is being used to show where my location is going to be later on.
Too:
This version of ‘too’ can cause the most confusion with my students. But this ‘too’ means ‘extremely,’ ‘also’ or ‘more.’ Too is also used as an adverb. For example, I am going to Spain TOO. Used in this sentence, ‘too’ means I am also going to Spain on my holidays.
Two:
This version of ‘two’ is usually the easiest to remember as it is the word version of the number 2. For example, I would like TWO cupcakes, please. This needs no further explanation but I’m sure you’ve gathered that I would like 2 cupcakes.
Where, wear, were and we’re
Next, we have were, we’re, wear and where. There are four words in this group and they can also confuse students. Let’s take a look at the differences between each one.
Where:
‘Where’ is used to show the place, location or position of something. It is used as an adverb. For example, WHERE are you going for your holiday? ‘Going’ is the verb and ‘where’ is the adverb. It is also showing that the person asking the questions wants to know the location of your holiday.
Wear:
‘Wear’ is used when talking about putting on clothing or other items. For example, I am going to WEAR my new hat today. This tells us that the person is going to put on an item of clothing which is their new hat.
Were:
‘Were’ is the past tense of the verb ‘are.’ For example, the dogs WERE playing in the garden. This is the past tense version of the sentence, the dogs are playing in the garden, which is the present tense sentence.
We’re:
‘We’re’ is the contracted version of the words we are. Contractions are two words that are shortened and joined together with an apostrophe. To check if this version is being used correctly, you can replace the word in the sentence with ‘we are’ to see if it still makes sense. For example, in the sentence, WE’RE having pasta for dinner, we can replace ‘we’re’ with ‘we are’ and it will still make sense. WE ARE having pasta for dinner.
There, their and they’re
Next up we have the homophones there their they’re. This is another set that we used a lot but what are the differences between each?
There:
‘There’ is used to show the place of something. It is also used as an adverb. For example, I put your book down over THERE. This tells us the location of the book.
Their:
‘Their’ is used to show ownership or possession of something. For example, that is THEIR pet kitten. This tells us the kitten belongs to someone.
They’re:
‘They’re’ is the contracted version of the words they are. For example, THEY’RE going to school tomorrow. We can replace ‘they’re’ with ‘they are’ and the sentence still makes sense. THEY ARE going to school tomorrow.
It’s and its
These two can cause MAJOR confusion with my students at times, so this is a good one to remember. The reason they can cause confusion is the apostrophe. Does it mean the word is a contraction or showing ownership? Well when used in its, the apostrophe is used as a contraction. ‘It’s’ is the contracted version of the words it is or it has. For example, IT’S the weekend, means the same as IT IS the weekend. ‘Its’ without an apostrophe is used as a possessive pronoun. For example, the cat licked ITS fur.
You’re and your
Another homophone that can become confusing is using you’re and your. ‘You’re’ is the contracted version of the words you are. For example, YOU’RE going to bed early, means the same as YOU ARE going to bed early. ‘Your’ is used to show that something belongs to a person. For example, where is YOUR shoe? This shows that the shoe belongs to someone.
Are, our and hour
When said aloud ‘are,’ ‘our’ and ‘hour’ all sound the same. One out of the three is easier to tell the difference between than the other two. Can you guess which one I’m talking about?
Are:
‘Are’ is the present tense version of the verb ‘be.’ It can be used in the singular present tense, you are, or the plural present tense, we are. For example, we ARE going to the park.
Our:
‘Our’ is used to show that something belongs to more than one person. For example, that is OUR house. The house belongs to more than one person.
Hour:
The last version is ‘hour.’ This homophone has a completely different meaning and is the easiest of the three to remember. (Did you guess correctly?) ‘Hour’ is a unit of time with one hour consisting of 60 minutes. For example, you have one HOUR left of the movie. This means there is 60 minutes left of the movie.
Homophones KS2 List
There are so many others that I could write a homophones word list the length of my arm. I found a MASSIVE list of homophones online that I have linked here. But this really is a huge list and your child does not have to know them all. But I wanted to include it in case your child gets challenging homophone homework.
Some of the other most popular homophones are which/witch, weather/whether, see/sea, would/wood, scene/seen, sun/son, weight/wait, read/read and bare/bear.
What will your child’s homework look like?
If your child gets homework based on homophones, there can be a few things they are asked to do:
- Identify homophones
- Spot the errors
- Write homophones
The examples I am giving you are examples of activities that I give my students to help develop their understanding of homophones. Every school and teacher is different, so your child’s homework or schoolwork may be different.
Identify Homophones
If your child is asked to identify the different homophones they may be given sentences or a short story where they have to highlight or circle the words that are homophones. Sometimes the sentences or story may be using the incorrect homophones and your child may have to fix it and write the correct version of the homophone.
For example, ‘Circle the homophones in the following sentence.’
Where are you going for your holiday Sarah and what will you wear on the plane journey?
The homophones in a sentence are ‘where’ and ‘wear.’
Spot the errors
This type of activity can make an appearance in the spelling section of the SEAG transfer test. So if your child is sitting the transfer test, this is something that they need to be prepared for. This is when the incorrect version of a homophone is used alongside other words that are spelt wrong. When your child is reading a piece of text the homophone will SOUND correct but it will be the wrong version of the word. These mistakes are usually some of the more difficult ones to spot.
For example, ‘Identify the spelling mistake in the following sentence.’
The whether is going to be hot and sunny at the weekend.
The incorrect version of ‘whether’ has been used. The correct spelling is ‘weather.’
Write homophones
Another homophones activity KS2 that can make an appearance in your child’s homework is writing them. Your child can be given a list of homophones and they have to write down the match. They may be given sentences and the option of two homophones to fill a blank space. Your child will complete the sentence by writing in the correct homophone.
For example, ‘Write the correct homophone in the blank space in the sentence.’
I am going to dress up as a ___________ for Halloween. (which/witch)
The correct answer for this sentence is ‘witch.’
How to teach your child homophones
Now you know some of the different types of homophones and their meanings, now it’s time to teach them to your child. Here are some ways that I recommend teaching your child the different types.
Homophones Games KS2
There are lots of super fun game out there which you can play together as a family. Some of my favourites are homophone memory games, homophone snap and homophone charades. When playing homophone memory games and snap, when your child is matching the homophones, encourage them to tell you the difference between the two or to create a sentence using them so you can check if they know the difference. When playing homophone charades, your child will have to act out the homophone on the card and the other players need to guess. You can make your own versions of these games by jotting down some homophones onto cards, paper or Post-It notes.
There are also some homophones games online that your child can play to help develop their understanding of the different types of homophones. Homophone Balloon Pop is a good one where players have to pop the balloons with the matching homophone on the train. Homophone Matching Game where players need to match the two homophones. This Homophone Wiz Kid game has Super Mario vibes and is more like a video game but your child will be finding homophones. They’ll be learning and not even realising it!
Homophones Worksheet
Worksheets are a great way to solidify all of that homophone knowledge that your child has developed through all of the fun activities you have been completing together. I do not recommend sitting your child at the dining room table with twenty homophone worksheets and getting them to complete them one after another. But a worksheet now and then to keep the homophones fresh in their minds will do no harm.
More information on homophones
7 Ways to Support Children with Homophones
Best Activities to Teach Homophones
7 Creative Ways to Teach Homophones
I have covered a lot of homophones in this blog post but I hope it has helped you to understand the main ones a bit better. If your child struggles with homophones, use the tips and activities that I have included to help them develop their understanding and get lots of homophones practice. If you would also like more advice on teaching your child other English topics, check out my English blog posts here! Have fun on this journey and keep practising until your child can understand homophones confidently.
