Quick English: Homophones (part 2)

English isn’t always an easy language, and homophones, which are words that sound the same but have different meanings, do not make it any easier.  If you haven’t already, don’t forget to read our previous post for more English homophones!

Here are a few more English homophones to think about.

bear/bare

bear - (n.) a large, furry mammal

bare - (n.) uncovered, unclothed

bored/board

bored - (adj.) to lack interesting things to do

board - (n.) a long, flat piece of wood; (v.) to get onto an airplane or ship

here/hear

here - (adv.) in this place or position, somewhere close to you

hear - (v.)  to be aware of sound through the ear

hire/higher

hire - (v.) to give someone a job

higher - (adj.)  far above; more above something else

to/too/two

to - (prep.) an indication of a verb in the infinitive form

too - (adv.) also

two - (noun) the number 2

write/right

write - (v.) to form letters or numbers on a surface with a pencil or pen

right - (adj.) to be correct; a direction, the opposite of left; (n.) behavior that is morally good or correct

One of the best things about knowing homophones is being able to use them for jokes. Jokes made with homophones are called puns, and use words to stand for other words that sound similar. Here’s a good example with one of the words you just learned.

Can you spot the other pun in this comic? Are there any homophones that usually confuse you?

You can use some of your favorite puns on fellow students when you take a general English course with us!