Homophones & Confusables

In this lesson, you will learn about homophones — words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. These words trip up many students in the 11+ exam, but with the right memory tricks, you can master them all.

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What Are Homophones?

Homophones come from the Greek words homo (same) and phone (sound). They are words that sound identical when spoken aloud but are spelled differently and mean different things.

Example:

• there (a place: "Put it over there.")
• their (belonging to them: "It is their house.")
• they're (they are: "They're coming to the party.")

Getting these wrong in the exam can cost you marks, especially in grammar, spelling, and cloze passage questions.

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The Most Commonly Confused Homophones

there / their / they're