Identify the Relevant Homophone

Welcome 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?

heir          air

 

You’ve got it! They both sound the same but they are spelt 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:

hare	The animal	hair	On your head
stationary	Still and not moving	stationery	Tools to write with
forth	Out and away	fourth	Coming number 4 in a sequence
prise	To force something open	prize	An award

 

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  ____ (hair/hare) raced ____ (forth/fourth) from its burrow.

 

 

The correct answers are hare and forth, so: The hare raced forth from its burrow.

 

Let’s try one more: 

I needed to  _____ (prize/prise) the lid off the new tin of _____ (stationery/stationary).

The correct answers are prise and stationery, so: I needed to prise the lid off the new tin of stationery.

 

 

It’s now your turn to hunt the homophones.

Good luck and don’t forget to use your stationery to make a note of any new words!