Lesson 4: Homophones & Homographs
Tricky Words That Look or Sound Alike
Sometimes, English can be a little confusing! You might hear two words that sound the same but have different meanings and spellings. Or you might see a word that is spelled the same as another, but has a different meaning. This lesson will introduce you to two types of "tricky words": homophones1 and homographs2.
Part 1: Homophones (Same Sound)
Homophones are words that sound the same, but have different spellings and different meanings. 'Homo' means 'same' and 'phone' means 'sound'.
| Homophone Pair | Meaning & Example |
|---|---|
| see / sea | see: to use your eyes. "I see the temple." sea: a large body of salt water. "The boat is on the sea." |
| to / too / two | to: a preposition. "I go to the market." too: also, or very. "It is too hot." two: the number 2. "I have two brothers." |
| their / there / they're | their: shows possession. "It is their house." there: shows a place. "The book is over there." they're: short for 'they are'. "They're going home." |
| write / right | write: to make letters with a pen. "Please write your name." right: correct, or opposite of left. "Your answer is right." |
Part 2: Homographs (Same Spelling)
Homographs are words that are spelled the same, but have different meanings and sometimes different pronunciations. 'Homo' means 'same' and 'graph' means 'writing'.
| Homograph | Meaning 1 | Meaning 2 |
|---|---|---|
| read | present tense. "I like to read books." | past tense. "Yesterday, I read a whole chapter." |
| live | to have your home somewhere. "I live in Siem Reap." | happening in real time, not recorded. "There is live music at the restaurant." |
| close | to shut something. "Please close the door." | near to something. "My house is close to the market." |
Usage Note: How to Understand Tricky Words
These words can be difficult, even for native speakers! The key is always context.
- The only way to know the correct meaning and spelling is by looking at the other words in the sentence.
- For homographs, listening carefully to the pronunciation is also very important.
In Conversation
Bora and Srey are finishing their homework.
Bora: Srey, did you read (reed) the email from our teacher?
Srey: Yes, I read (red) it this morning. He wants us to write a story.
Bora: That's right. I need to buy a new book for this class; I already knew I would need one.
Srey: Where is the teacher now? Is he over there?
Bora: Yes, and they're talking to some other students about their homework.
Srey: We have a lot of homework **too**. Let's go talk **to** him.
quiz Check Your Understanding
1. "I want to go ______ the market."
- a) to
- b) too
- c) two
Click to see the answer
Answer: a) to (preposition of direction).
2. Yesterday, I ______ a very interesting book. (This is pronounced "red").
- a) read
- b) red
- c) reed
Click to see the answer
Answer: a) read (the past tense form).
3. "______ going to be late if the tuk-tuk doesn't arrive soon."
- a) Their
- b) There
- c) They're
Click to see the answer
Answer: c) They're (They are).
edit Your Mission
- My Sentences (Homophones): Write one sentence for each word in these pairs: `see/sea` and `write/right`.
- My Sentences (Homographs): Write two sentences for the word `close` to show its two different meanings.
- Speak: Your mission is to use the words 'to', 'too', and 'two' correctly in a conversation today. Pay close attention!
book Lesson Glossary
- Homophone (noun) - Khmer: សទិសសូរ - A word that is pronounced the same as another word but has a different meaning or spelling. ↩
- Homograph (noun) - Khmer: សទិសរូប - A word that is spelled the same as another word but has a different meaning (and sometimes pronunciation). ↩
- Alike (adjective) - Khmer: ដូចគ្នា - Similar. ↩
- Context (noun) - Khmer: បរិបទ - The words around a word that help show its meaning. ↩
- Pronunciation (noun) - Khmer: ការបញ្ចេញសំឡេង - The way in which a word is spoken. ↩