Discussions

Words that sound similar

Posted by meghamathur • 10/04/07 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: words

Lets play a game to give a break to all from serious topics of discussion and to refresh all those who have had a tiring day today.

Everyone has to suggest one pair of words that are pronounced in a similar way,i.e. they have different spellings & meanings yet they sound similar.

I start it with :

see and sea

User Comments

10/04/07

ender

effect affect
(okay, they don't sound exactly the same ... but darn near ... and people tend ot use them interchangeably)

[reply]
1. 10/04/07
  
  monkeytale
  
  I can sea that problem.
2. 10/04/07
  
  MeghnaK
  
  ender, you were not asked to tell about the mistakes you make
3. 10/04/07
  
  ender
  
  comment removed by the community.
10/04/07

MeghnaK

whether & weather

[reply]
10/04/07

ender

two, to, too

[reply]
1. 10/05/07
  
  clioandme
  
  There used to be a joke about former Chancellor Helmut Kohl (Germany), which I only half remember: He was meeting with other world leaders, when one of them said something, perhaps "I'm hungry." The next leader said "Me too." Kohl said "Me three!"
  
  Kohl wasn't known for speaking good English.
2. 10/08/07
  
  dotartdude
  
  hungry said with a French accent - dropping the "h" sound - sounds like angry
10/04/07

meghamathur

symmetry & cemetery

[reply]
10/04/07

ender

threw through

[reply]
1. 10/04/07
  
  MeghnaK
  
  That's better, teacher!!!
2. 10/04/07
  
  ender
10/04/07

monkeytale

hoosier/ender

*snickers*

[reply]
1. 10/04/07
  
  ender
  
  and to think ... i refrained from adding idjit/mikster earlier ... *sigh* i see where my self-restraint gets me.
2. 10/04/07
  
  monkeytale
  
  Tis very sad... or something.
10/04/07

meghamathur

blew & blue

[reply]
10/04/07

Aprilfreelance

stationery, stationary

[reply]
10/04/07

meghamathur

principle & principal

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10/04/07

ender

hole whole

soul sole

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10/04/07

Aprilfreelance

raise, raze

[reply]
10/04/07

MeghnaK

red, read

[reply]
10/04/07

monkeytale

whore/horror

[reply]
1. 10/04/07
  
  meghamathur
  
  Do u pronounce them similarly ??
10/04/07

Aprilfreelance

write, right, rite

[reply]
1. 10/04/07
  
  bnsullivan
  
  Sight, site, cite
10/04/07

ender

dawn don

[reply]
10/04/07

meghamathur

there & their

[reply]
10/04/07

ender

review revue
plane plain
for four
aye I eye
knot not
your you're
no know
weigh way
told tolled
sew so
freeze frees
you yew
awl all
lode load
thyme time

[reply]
10/04/07

ender

phase faze
tier tear
due do dew
fare fair
here hear
feat feet
witch which
mussed must
won one
we wee wii
aloud allowed
ewe you
prays praise
break brake

[reply]
1. 10/04/07
  
  bnsullivan
  
  'we wee wii'
  
  :-D
  
  (and is this just English, or may we add the French 'oui' to Ender's wee set?)
10/04/07

ender

I have a spell checker,
It came with my PC;
It marks four my revue,
Mistakes I cannot sea.
I've run this poem threw it,
And I'm sure your pleased to no,
It is letter perfect in it's weigh,
My checker tolled me sew.

and another version:
have a spell checker
It came with my PC
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye can knot see

Eye ran this poem threw it
Your sure real glad two no
Its very polished in its own weigh
My chequer tolled me sew

A cheek or is a blessing
It freeze yew lodes of thyme
It helps me right awl stiles two reed
And aides me when aye rime

Now spilling does not phase me
It does knot bring a tier
My pay purrs awl due glad den
With wrapped words fare as hear

To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should be proud
And wee mussed dew the best wee can
Sew flaws are knot aloud

So ewe can sea why aye dew prays
Such soft wear four pea seas
And why eye brake in two averse
Buy righting want to please

[reply]
1. 10/04/07
  
  meghamathur
  
  This is amazing
2. 10/04/07
  
  ender
  
  those have been floating around teh intrawebs for more than a decade now. i found the first won when aye was working at a riting center. the second one came in email a few years later.
  
  i used to give those to my students as a cautionary warning at the beginning of the semester.
3. 10/04/07
  
  meghamathur
  
  now you are using them dangerously fantasticaly in all your sentences....loadz of homophones
10/04/07

Stinkypaw

roe, row

[reply]
10/04/07

meghamathur

flew & flu

[reply]
10/04/07

meghamathur

night & knight

[reply]
10/04/07

Aprilfreelance

cane cain

[reply]
10/04/07

meghamathur

doe & dough

[reply]
10/05/07

DrowseyMonkey

pee & pea

[reply]
10/05/07

meghamathur

pray & prey

[reply]
10/05/07

MeghnaK

ate. eight
buy, bye

[reply]
10/05/07

meghamathur

due & dew

[reply]
10/05/07

MeghnaK

bite, byte

[reply]
10/05/07

meghamathur

birth & berth

[reply]
10/05/07

bnsullivan

cue, queue

[reply]
10/05/07

clioandme

Add Japanese pronunciation into the mix and things get tricky. I've had EFL students with whom I've had to work hard on getting them to distinguish between "r" and "l". Without the difference, you get confusion about "play" and "pray" for starters, though the examples can get worse.

[reply]
10/05/07

clioandme

football (UK) football (US)
suspenders (UK) suspenders (US)

I'll stop before I get into trouble.

[reply]
10/05/07

gosmelltheflowers

Flower and flour -we had to get that one in!
GO! Smell the flours :0)

[reply]
10/05/07

Manictastic

smell and smile

[reply]
10/05/07

clioandme

Or if you're living in Massachusetts:

park and pack

[reply]
10/06/07

meghamathur

Die & Dye

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10/06/07

thelookout

be & bee
sown & sewn

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10/06/07

meghamathur

sale & sail

[reply]
10/07/07

meghamathur

scene & seen

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10/07/07

meghamathur

sole & soul

[reply]
10/07/07

jhearle77

win and wind

[reply]
10/07/07

jhearle77

taught and thought

[reply]
10/07/07

jhearle77

see and sea

[reply]
10/07/07

jhearle77

buy and bye

[reply]
10/07/07

jhearle77

fun and fan

[reply]
10/07/07

jhearle77

cup and cap

[reply]
10/07/07

jhearle77

write and right
walk and woke
read and rid
sun and sand
wait and weight
eat and it
tea and tee

whew!

[reply]
1. 10/08/07
  
  meghamathur
  
  Wow! thats a lot of homophones
10/08/07

dotartdude

pen and pin - said with a very southern accent

I ran into this at Mississippi State a lot.

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