Grammar Lesson: Sound-Alike Words

The words in these pairs sound alike. Study these quick definitions, and use these words in your writing and speech.

1. board: piece of wood
   Hillary hammered the pine board.

bored: tired of; not interested

Were you bored at the movies?
2. brake: the stopping device
   Push hard on the brake to stop the bike.

break: a rest; to smash or shatter

The tired workers deserved a break.
Did the player break her leg in the collision?
3. capital: money; most important
   The company's owners put up the capital to start the project.
   Annapolis is the capital city of Maryland.

capitol: building

Each state has its own capitol where officials convene.
4. choose: to select
   Choose your dessert and take it to that table.

chose: past tense of the verb choose

The couple chose their wedding song.
5. desert: to abandon (di = 'zert); the dry region ('de = zert)
   Did the foe desert his army and go to the enemy's side?
   The Sahara Desert is huge.

dessert: cake, pie, ice cream, pudding, fruit, and such served as the meal's final course

We had ice cream for dessert.

Here are some more paired words that sound the same. Review them, and then use them in your writings and speech.

6. formally: in a refined way
   He formally asked the girl to the banquet.

formerly: in the past

The new soldier had formerly lived in Duluth, Minnesota.
7. hear: to use the ears to pick up sounds
   Did you hear that animal's howl?

here: this place; sentence starter

I placed the card right here, and now it is gone.
Here are the finalists in our contest.
8. its: personal pronoun for the neuter-gender words
   The contest has grown in its importance.

it's: contraction for it + is

It's going to be a good beach day tomorrow.
9. loose: opposite of tight
   The new bathing suit felt too loose on the swimmer.

lose: to fail; the opposite of "to find"

The coach did not want to lose the game in that manner.
Did you lose your keys at the park?
10. quiet: opposite of loud
    Please be quiet in the library.

quite: to a high degree

Winston was quite tall for his age.
11. peace: opposite of war
    Most people prefer peace over war.

piece: a portion or part

May I have a piece of pepperoni pizza, please?

Here is the third set of sound-alike words. Study and use them well.

12. plain: not adorned; piece of land
    She wore a plain dress to the event.
    The horses moved quickly across the plain.

plane: a piece of aircraft

How heavy is that plane with all those passengers aboard it now?
13. principal: the school's leader; the most important
    The committee met in the principal's office.
    This highway is the principal road in this county.

principle: rule of conduct or main fact

Jeremiah could readily understand that science principle.
14. their: owned by a group
    Their clubhouse was made by Frank Miller.

there: place; sentence starter

He lives right there.
There are many reasons to vote for Brianna Feller.

they're: contraction for they + are

They're moving to Canada after the school year ends.
15. theirs: possessive of their
    That boat is theirs.

there's: contraction for there + is

There's my dad on his motorcycle.
16. to: preposition; start of an infinitive
    He went to school.
    "To be" is an infinitive.

too: more than enough

Perry was too tired to run fast.

two: one plus one

Two people were approaching the door.

Here is the last of the sound-alike words. Study, review, and use them when you can.

17. threw: past tense of to throw
    The hurler threw his best pitch right down the middle of the plate.

through: preposition meaning "in one side and out the other"

We walked through the many corridors of the large building.
18. waist: the middle portion of one's body
    He exercised to decrease the size of his waist.

waste: garbage

The waste paper basket was in the corner.
19. weak: opposite of strong
    After running twenty-six miles, the runner felt weak.

week: the seven-day unit of time

Sunday is considered the first day of the week.
20. weather: outdoor conditions
    Will the weather be good for our picnic tomorrow?

whether: a word used for alternatives

I did not know whether to go to the cafeteria or to stay in the auditorium.
21. who's: contraction of who + is
    Who's knocking at the door?

whose: possessive of who

Whose problem is it—yours or mine?
22. your: possessive of you
    Is this your new backpack?

you're: contraction of you + are

You're the lucky prizewinner.