Spelling – Homophones

Ruth McQuirter; Carolyn Venema

6 Spelling – Homophones

Category: Spelling

Concept: Homophones

Connections to The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 1-8: Language (2023):

_____B2. Language Foundations for Reading and Spelling

__________B2.1 Word-Level Reading and Spelling

Prior Knowledge:

Recognizing that there are multiple ways to spell many vowel and consonant sounds
Understanding that the spelling of a word can be dependent on its use in context

What’s the definition?

Homophones refer to two or more words having the same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or spelling

(from the Greek words homos, meaning “same” or “similar” and phone, meaning “sound.”)

What does it look/sound like?

Homophones sound alike but are not spelled alike and have different meanings. Some common homophones are listed below.

Other lists of homophones can be found online at:

https://blog.duolingo.com/common-english-homophones/

https://www.corelanguages.com/20-english-homophones/

Why does it matter?

Homophones are a common source of spelling errors among students at all grade levels. Spell checks often miss homophones since they do not take meaning and context into account.

English spelling has many instances of homophones. The same sound can be made with different consonants, as in the case of the /n/ sound in new and knew, or vowels as in meet and meat. English has been influenced by many languages, resulting in confusion around spellings such as knight and night. Finally, homophones can be the result of words used as different parts of speech, as in the past tense of the verb to throw (threw) and the preposition through.

Students typically use sounding words out as a primary spelling strategy, which does not help with the spelling of homophones. Furthermore, English Language Learners often have limited oral vocabularies and exposure to written English, which makes connecting words and their meanings in context more difficult. If their first language is spelled phonetically, it may be challenging for them to see two words that sound the same be spelled differently.

How do I teach this?

Collect samples of writing in which homophones are misspelled (e.g. its/it’s; there/there/their). Add homophone sets and their meanings (or images) to a word wall for easy reference.

Emphasize the meaning of homophones as they appear in written context. Assess student understanding by providing sets of cards and have them select the correct word from a homophone pair when they hear them used in sentences. Students can also play this game in pairs or small groups.

Practise homophones in sentences that highlight the meaning of the words:

—–We threw the ball hard and it crashed through the window.

Point out or search for homophones as they appear across subject areas: e.g.

Technology: bot/bought; byte/bite; cache/cash; phishing/fishing

Geography: place names such as Rhodes (roads); Nice (niece); Barrie (berry; bury)

Look for word play in which homophones create puns. Rich sources are headlines for sporting or current events, advertising, greeting cards, etc. Encourage students to create their own clever titles for stories they have written.

These headline puns are found at https://www.heymann.notts.sch.uk/attachments/download.asp?file=7515&type=pdf

—–Sleepless Knights at Haunted Castle

—-–“Sew What?” ask Clothes Manufacturers”

—–Witch Hallowe’en Costume Is For You?

—–Bakers Have Flour Power

Challenge students to solve riddles that incorporate puns:

—–Q: What was the most popular ice cream served by the airline?

—–A: Plane chocolate

Brainstorm memory tricks or mnemonics to spell homophones

e.g. To recall “there” as in “over there” note that here is in there.

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Online Resources: