Homophones

Words that sound alike or nearly alike but have different meanings

accept except	Accept means “to receive.” Except means “to exclude.” e.g. Everyone except Joaquin accepted her apology.
advice advise	Advice is a noun (which rhymes with ice) and advise is a verb (which rhymes with lies). e.g. I need your advice. I advise you to bring bottled water.
affect effect	Affect is a verb which means “to influence.” Effect is a noun which means “the outcome or result.” When used as a verb, effect means “to produce a result.” e.g. The injury won’t affect her performance. The song had a calming effect on the baby. The medicine effected a complete recovery.
all ready already	All ready means “completely prepared” or that everyone or everything is prepared. Already means “before the time specified.” e.g. We were all ready for the results. I ate already.
allude elude	Allude means “to refer indirectly or casually.” Elude means “to avoid or escape.” e.g. Writers often allude to Shakespeare. The bandits continue to elude the police.
allusion illusion	An allusion is an indirect or casual reference. An illusion is false idea or image.
amoral immoral	Amoral means either not subject to or lacking moral distinctions. For instance, logic or pure mathematics can be seen as amoral. Immoral means violating conscience or public morality: plagiarism and other kinds of cheating are immoral. Note that ethical is the term to use when referring to practices in professions.
ante- anti-	Ante is a prefix meaning “before” or “in front of.” Anti is a prefix meaning “hostile to” or “against.” e.g. anteroom, antecedent antiwar, antipathy
are our	Are is the form of “to be” used with you, we, and they. Our is a possessive pronoun that means “belonging to us.” e.g. Our dogs are fast.

beside besides	Beside is a preposition that means “next to.” As a preposition, besides means “in addition to” or “other than”; as an adverb, besides means “also” or “moreover.” e.g. The notepad was beside the telephone. They offer many flavours besides vanilla. I’m want to go to sleep; besides, it’s late.
choose chose	Choose means “to select” and rhymes with “booze.” Chose is the past-tense form of this verb and rhymes with “suppose.” e.g. Yesterday I chose pasta but today I choose rice.
complement compliment	Complement means “to complete” and compliment means “to express praise.” Complimentary is an adjective that means “free of charge.” e.g. They complimented her on the sash that complemented her dress.
conscience conscientious conscious	Conscience (a noun) is the recognition of right and wrong. Conscientious is an adjective that means “careful” or “thorough.” Conscious (adj.) means “awake” or “aware.” e.g. Sharon was conscious that Marty’s conscience was troubled, but she conscientiously avoided asking him about it.
decent descent dissent	Decent is an adjective that connotes propriety or respectability. Descent refers to a plunge downwards or to ancestry. Dissent means “disagreement.”
desert dessert	As a verb, desert means “to abandon”; as a noun, desert refers to a barren place. Dessert is the last course of a meal.
discreet discrete	Discreet means “tactful” or “prudent” and can connote secrecy. Discrete means “distinct” or “separate.”
elicit illicit	The verb elicit means “to draw forth.” The adjective illicit means “illegal.”
faze phase	Faze, meaning “to worry or disconcert” is a slang term that you shouldn’t use in formal essays. Phase has a number of specialised scientific meanings, but tends to refer to a stage in a process.
have of off	Of is often mistaken for the sound of have in compound verb tenses. e.g. they must have been, would have been Do not use “of” after “off” in phrases like: They walked off the field, jumped off the bed, etc.
human humane	Human can be a noun referring to a person and is preferred to “man” or “mankind” because it is inclusive. As an adjective, human refers to the qualities of the human race. Humane is an adjective that refers to kindness, benevolence, sympathy, or civilisation.
immanent imminent eminent	Eminent means “distinguished.” Imminent means “about to happen.” Immanent means “pervading” or “existing within.” e.g. He was an eminent scholar. The exam period is imminent. The room’s immanent tension made her anxious.
its it’s	Its is a possessive pronoun, meaning “belonging to it.” It’s is a contraction, meaning “it is.” Avoid using contractions in formal essays. e.g. The dog scratched its ear. It’s a lovely day.
lose loose	Lose is a verb that rhymes with “news.” Loose is chiefly an adjective and rhymes with “moose.” e.g. Don’t lose your mittens. My winter clothes are loose.
may be maybe	May be is a verb phrase. Maybe is an adjective. e.g. You may be right. Maybe you are right.
nauseous nauseated	Nauseous means “producing nausea” and nauseated means “enduring nausea.” e.g. The nauseous smell of garbage left me feeling nauseated.
persecute prosecute	Persecute means to harass, maltreat, or oppress. Prosecute can mean “to carry out” or “to take legal action against.”
precede proceed	To precede is “to go ahead of.” To proceed is “to go forward.”
predominant predominate	Predominant means “superior in power, effectiveness, number, or degree.” Predominate means “to be in control, to prevail or to be superior.” e.g. She was the predominant competitor. She predominated over the meeting.
principal principle	As an adjective, principal means “chief” or “primary.” As a noun, principal means “the chief official” and may also mean “the capital.” The noun principle means “a fundamental truth.”

respectable respectful respective	Respectable means “deserving of respect.” Respectful means “showing respect.” Respective means “relating to each” and connotes relativity. e.g. 70% is a respectable grade. Each daughter was respectful to her respective mother.
than then	Than is used to make comparisons whereas then refers to a point in time.
their there they’re	Their is the possessive form of “they.” There means “in that place.” They’re means “they are”: since it is a contraction, it should not be used in formal essays. e.g. They’re waiting for their tickets over there.
though thorough threw through	Though means “however” or “despite the fact.” Thorough means “completely done.” Threw is the past tense of “to throw.” Through indicates movement from one side to another. e.g. They ate though they weren’t hungry. She made thorough revisions to her draft. He threw a ball. She searched through the house for her socks.
to too two	To is a preposition. Too is an adverb meaning “excessively” and two is a number. e.g. It was too late in the evening to watch two movies.
who’s whose	As a contraction, who’s (an abbreviated form of who is) should not appear in formal essays. Whose indicates possession: Whose book is this?
you’re your	You’re is another contraction, meaning “you are.” Your means “belonging to you.” e.g. You’re showing your fear.