Homophones and Confusables

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings and different spellings. They are one of the most common sources of spelling errors in the CSSE 11+ English paper. Since your spelling is assessed throughout the English paper — in both comprehension answers and creative writing — getting homophones right is a simple way to avoid losing marks.

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What Are Homophones?

The word "homophone" comes from the Greek words homo (same) and phone (sound). Homophones sound identical when spoken, but they are spelled differently and mean different things.

Example: "there", "their", and "they're" all sound exactly the same, but each has a completely different meaning and spelling.

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The Top Homophones You Must Know

there / their / they're

Word	Meaning	Example
there	A place, or used to introduce a sentence	Put it over there. There is a cat on the wall.
their	Belonging to them (possessive)	Their house is very big.
they're	They are (contraction)	They're coming to the party.

Test: Try replacing the word with "they are". If it makes sense, use they're. If it shows ownership, use their. Otherwise, use there.

to / too / two

Word	Meaning	Example
to	Direction or part of a verb	I went to the shop. I want to read.
too	Also, or excessively	I want to come too. It is too hot.
two	The number 2	I have two brothers.

your / you're

Word	Meaning	Example
your	Belonging to you	Is this your bag?
you're	You are (contraction)	You're going to love this book.

Test: Replace with "you are". If it works, use you're.

where / wear / were

Word	Meaning	Example
where	A question about place	Where is the library?
wear	To put on clothing	I will wear my red coat.
were	Past tense of "are"	They were late for school.

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Practice and Practise

In British English, which is what the CSSE exam uses, there is an important difference:

Word	Type	Meaning	Example
practice	Noun (a thing)	The act of practising, or a place	I have football practice. The doctor's practice.
practise	Verb (an action)	To do something repeatedly to improve	I need to practise my spelling.

Memory trick: "I" practise (verb — I do it). The practice (noun — the thing).

This is just like advice (noun) and advise (verb), and licence (noun) and license (verb).

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More Commonly Confused Pairs