Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary, 3rd edition

Homophones – words that sound the same

Homophones are words that sound the same but have a different meaning and
spelling. For example:
My son is a doctor
The sun is really hot today.
The common homophones on this page are grouped according to the sound that is
spelled differently. Words marked UK only sound similar in British English. If words
are in dark type (e.g. grate – great) they are common causes of mistakes for learners.

i male – mail a
bean – been pain – pane aisle – I’ll – isle
be – bee pair – pear aye – eye – I
feat – feet pray – prey buy – by – bye
flea – flee rain – reign – rein dye – die
heel – he’ll – heal sale – sail hi – high
leak – leek slay – sleigh hire – higher
meat – meet stake – steak rye – wry
peace – piece Sunday – sundae sight – site
peak – peek tale – tail right – write
peal – peel wail – whale tyre – tire
reed – read wait – weight
UK ea US er
r
sea – see waste – waist
way – weigh air – heir
seam – seem
fair – fare
seen – scene UK aυ US oυ bare – bear
steal – steel groan – grown pair – pear
suite – sweet hole – whole stair – stare
weak – week know – no there – they’re – their
weave – we’ve loan – lone ware – wear – where
UK ɔ US ɔr road – rode – rowed
board – bored role – roll u
row – roe blew – blue
caught – court UK
sew – so flew – flu – flue
coarse – course
sole – soul threw – through
hoarse – horse
to – too – two
sauce – source UK ə
saw – soar UK altar – alter
sort – sought UK currant – current
warn – worn gorilla – guerrilla
e idol – idle
bale – bail manner – manor
brake – break miner – minor
grate – great

© Cambridge University Press 2008