Understand Homophone Spellings

Word detective, are we pleased to see you!  We’ve got another word puzzle on our hands and we need your help!

 

What do you notice about the following words?

aisle  I’ll  isle

 

That’s right, they all sound the same but they are spelled differently. Words like this are called homophones.

We need to know when to use each of these words:

 

Word	When to use it	Example
aisle	When writing about a passageway (something you walk down).	The bride walked down the aisle.
I’ll	A shortened version of I will or I shall.	I’ll fix the car tomorrow.
isle	Another word for a small island.	We took a tour around the isle.

 

 

Using these meanings, which word would best complete this sentence?

I walked down the supermarket ____ (aisle, I’ll, isle).

 

The best answer is aisle as it is something we walk down, so: I walked down the supermarket aisle.

Here are some other examples of homophones and when to use them:

 

Key	Used to get through a door or a button to press.	Quay	A platform for ships to dock.
Foul	Disgusting / Going against the rules of a sport.	Fowl	A bird used for eggs and meat.

 

 

Let’s take a look at another question:

Which word would best complete this sentence? Use the table above to help you and don’t forget to make a note of any new words.

 

The rusty             (key/quay) turned slowly in the door.

 

The answer is key as we can tell that the context is unlocking a door, which would require a key. There is no relevance to a boat docking here! So: The rusty key turned slowly in the door.

Let’s try another:

The team were angry about the opposition's         (fowl/foul).

 

The answer is foul as we are talking about the opposition breaking the rules! So: The team were angry about the opposition's foul.

 

Final one, and then it’s your turn:

People were not happy about the ___ (foul/fowl) smell.

 

The best answer is foul as we are talking about a disgusting smell. So: People were not happy about the foul smell.

Pssst!!             Top Tip: The best way to get to grips with pesky homophones is to write them down in your vocab book. This way, you can learn what each spelling means.

It's now your turn to hunt the homophones.

Good luck!