They perplex us, confuse us, and make our heads spin. In the event you thought studying the way to accurately spell phrases that sound alike was difficult, wait until you try to learn the phrases for describing these words.
Homophones

Homophones are phrases which might be pronounced alike however have completely different meanings.

Some examples are settle for and besides, affect and effect, and triplets too and to and two, along with they’re and their and there.

Homophones may additionally consult with words that are spelled and pronounced the same, however differ in which means, for example lie (lie down) and lie (an untruth).

These words are a serious source of frustration for a lot of writers, college students, and professionals who wrestle to memorize variant spellings for words that sound alike however have completely different meanings. English academics and different spelling perfectionists wince when homophones are written incorrectly.

Worst of all, spell check received’t catch the error when incorrect homophones are used because different spellings are legitimate.

Homonyms

And to confuse matters further, there are different phrases called homonyms, that are spelled and pronounced alike but have completely different meanings. Examples embrace phrases like stalk, which could confer with the stem of a plant (a stalk of corn), or the act pursuing or approaching prey (the cat stalked the mouse).

One other example of a homonym is lie - as in lie down or telling a lie (or untruth).

That’s proper, some homophones will also be categorized as homonyms - if they’re spelled the same.

Confused yet? Wait. There’s more.

Homographs

Homographs are phrases that are spelled the same but have completely different meanings. They might be pronounced the same or they could possibly be pronounced differently from one another.

Because of this some homographs are homophones and homonyms.

A great homograph example is report (a disc that performs audio) and file (to save lots of or register one thing - in writing, audio, video, etc.).

How To Remember Homophones, Homonyms, and Homographs

It’s not easy but it can be done. You possibly can keep in mind the distinction (what difference there may be) between homophones, homonyms, and homographs by breaking each word down and recalling the that means of its root suffix and prefix. Also, attempt remembering each time period individually to start, and don’t fear about which homophones are homonyms and which homonyms are homographs.

The root homo means “the same.” For all of these phrases one thing is similar - the spelling or the pronunciation.

    * Homophones sound alike. That’s the only rule and you can remember by the suffix phone, a phrase you'll be able to absolutely relate to sound. They might be spelled alike or not however they have to sound alike.
    * Homonyms are spelled alike. Identical name. Name = nym. Just like the phrases “same” and “title” additionally they sound alike.
    * Homographs look alike (same spelling). Like graphs, they are visual. With the prefix homo, they're visually the same.

Simple sufficient? Certain it is!