Learn and Use Key Homophones

Welcome word detective, we're so 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?

heir          air

You’ve got it! They both sound the same but they are spelled differently. Words like this are called homophones.

We need to know when to use each of the words above:

 

Word	Meaning	Example
heir	The person who is next in line to the throne or a business	Prince Charles is the heir to the throne.
air	The air that we breathe in	We breathed in the fresh air.

 

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

He was the eldest son and ____ (heir, air) to the throne.

The best answer is heir as we are discussing the person who will take over when the King or Queen dies, so: He was the eldest son and heir to the throne.

 

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

 

medal	A prize	meddle	To interfere
bridal	To do with a bride	bridle	Headgear for a horse
fourth	To be number 4 in a sequence	forth	Out and away
due	Expected at a certain time	dew	Drops of water on the grass

 

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.

 

Use the table above to help select the words that best complete this sentence:

The student won a ____ (medal/meddle) for coming ____ (forth/fourth) in the race.

The correct answers are medal and fourth, so: The student won a medal for coming fourth in the race.

 

Let’s try one more: 

A new _____ (bridle, bridal) was _____ (due, dew) to arrive for the horse.

The correct answers are bridle and due, so: A new bridle was due to arrive for the horse.

 

 

It’s now your turn to hunt the homophones. Good luck!