Homonyms and Word Usage

accede:

exceed:

to agree

to go beyond limit

accept:

except:

to receive willingly

other than; to exclude

access:

excess:

entrance

more than needed

adherence:

adherents:

close attachment; devotion

supporters of a cause

adverse:

averse:

acting against or in a contrary direction; hostile

having an active feeling of repugnance or distaste

advice:

advise:

opinion, suggestion

to offer advice to, to counsel

affect:

effect:

to influence; emotional response

a result; to cause to happen

aid:

aide:

to assist

assistant

ail:

ale:

feel ill

type of beer

aisle:

isle:

passageway between rows of seats

small island

all ready:

already:

prepared

by this time

allowed:

aloud:

permitted

in loud tone, out loud

allude:

elude:

to refer to indirectly

to avoid

allusion:

illusion:

elusion:

indirect reference

erroneous belief perception

avoidance

altar:

alter:

elevated structure for religious ceremonies

to adjust or modify

ascent:

assent:

an upward slope

agreement; to agree

bail:

bale:

money for release of arrested person

wrapped package

bare:

bear:

unclothed; to reveal

to carry; an animal

bazaar:

bizarre:

marketplace, fair

strange

beat:

beet:

whip, thrash

dark red root vegetable

been:

bin:

past participle of be

storage container

beer:

bier:

alcoholic beverage

coffin stand

biannual:

biennial:

occurring twice a year

occurring once every two years

bloc:

block:

a group united for common cause

piece of wood, city square; to prevent passage

boar:

boor:

bore:

male swine

crude person

dull, tiresome person; to make a hole

board:

bored:

a plank of wood

uninterested

born:

borne:

brought into life

carried

brake:

break:

stop

smash

breach:

breech:

to break or violate

part of a gun

breadth:

breath:

breathe:

width

air inhaled and exhaled

to inhale and exhale

buy:

by:

purchase

next to

cache:

cash:

a group of things that have been hidden in a secret place; a computer memory for storage of frequently or recently used instructions or data

ready money

cannon:

canon:

large gun

code of law

canvas:

canvass:

heavy cloth

to examine or survey

capital:

capitol:

seat of government, uppercase letter of alphabet; very serious; sum of money

building where legislature meets

cede:

seed:

to surrender

propagative part of plant; to plant

cellar:

seller:

basement

one who sells

censer:

censor:

censure:

sensor:

incense container

one who condemns; to examine for objectionable material

reprimand

a device that responds to stimulus

choir:

quire:

company of singers

one twentieth of a ream of paper

choose:

chose:

to select

past tense of choose

chord:

cord:

tones sounded together

twine, rope, cable

cite:

sight:

site:

to quote an authority

the ability to see; to look at

a place

cloth:

clothe:

fabric

to cover with clothing

coarse:

course:

rough, crude

a route, program of instruction

complement:

compliment:

something that completes; makes whole

expression of praise; to praise

conscience:

conscious:

sense of right and wrong

aware, capable of thought

consul:

council:

counsel:

government official

governing body

advice, attorney; to advise

core:

corps:

corpse:

innermost part

military group, group of persons acting together

dead body

deprivation:

depravation:

the act of depriving; loss

moral corruption; perversion

decent:

descent:

dissent:

acceptable

downward slope or movement; ancestry

disagreement; to disagree

desert:

dessert:

arid region; to abandon

after-dinner course

die:

dye:

expire; singular of dice

color

discreet:

discrete:

reserved, respectful

individual, distinct

done:

dun:

finished; past participle of do

dull brown color; to demand payment

earn:

urn:

to gain from work

a vase

elicit:

illicit:

to bring out

illegal, forbidden

emigrate:

immigrate:

to leave one region or country to settle in another; emigrate from

to settle in a region or country other than one's native area; immigrate to

eminent:

imminent:

distinguished

about to occur

envelop:

envelope:

to surround

wrapper

everyday:

every day:

ordinary

each day

everyone:

every one:

everybody

each one

exercise:

exorcise:

bodily exertion; to use

to free from evil spirit

faint:

feint:

lose consciousness

misleading movement

fair:

fare:

average; lovely

a charge for transportation

farther:

further:

greater distance

additional; to promote

flair:

flare:

style, talent

to flame up; sudden outburst

foreword:

forward:

preface to book

in front; to send, promote

formally:

formerly:

conventionally, ceremonially

previously

forth:

fourth:

forward

number after third

foul:

fowl:

offensive

types of birds

gate:

gait:

structure blocking an entrance

rhythm of movement

gorilla:

guerrilla:

a large primate

a kind of soldier

grate:

great:

framework of bars; to annoy

large, distinguished

grisly:

grizzly:

gruesome

species of bear; partly gray

hail:

hale:

frozen precipitation; to greet enthusiastically

in sound health

hangar:

hanger:

structure for aircraft storage

a device for hanging clothes

heal:

heel:

to mend

part of foot

hew:

hue:

to shape with ax

color

hear:

here:

to perceive by ear

in this place

heard:

herd:

past tense of hear

a group of animals

hole:

whole:

an opening

complete

hoard:

horde:

to store up

large group

incite:

insight:

to provoke

ability to discern

its:

it's:

possessive of it

contraction of it is

lane:

lain:

narrow roadway

past participle of lie

later:

latter:

occurring after

second of two things

lead:

led:

heavy metal; front position; to guide

past tense of lead

lessen:

lesson:

to make less

something learned

lesser:

lessor:

smaller

one who leases

liable:

libel:

responsible

written defamation

lightening:

lightning:

lessening

electrical discharge in atmosphere

loath:

loathe:

unwilling, reluctant

to dislike intensely

loose:

lose:

slack, not tight

to mislay; opposite of win

mail:

male:

postal material; armor

masculine

material:

materiel:

relating to matter rather than form; having real importance; the elements, constituents, or substances of which

something is composed or can be made

equipment, apparatus, and supplies used by an organization or institution

meat:

meet:

mete:

edible flesh

encounter

to deal out

medal:

meddle:

metal:

mettle:

an award

to interfere

hard substance

courage, spirit

might:

mite:

power, force; may

small object or creature

moot:

mute:

open to question, debatable, deprived of practical significance, made abstract, or purely academic

unable or unwilling to speak; to muffle, reduce, or eliminate the sound of

moral:

morale:

conviction of right or wrong

spirit of enthusiasm or discipline in a group