The English language has myriad foibles, many of which stem from its mongrel origins. We have a language in which two words can be spelt exactly the same but have vastly different meanings. More confusingly, we have a language in which two words can be spelt differently, but sound the same when pronounced. Finally we have a whole raft of words that have very similar, but often subtly different, meanings and are not even taken from the same root word, known as "synonyms". In many ways this makes writing a joy, but it also makes it rather a minefield.

The single English word with the most different meanings is “set”. It can mean something that happens to jelly (that is to solidify), it can be a group of things like a tea set, it can be a verb meaning “to place” as in set a vase on a table, you can set sail, or set something to music, and there are many other meanings. The word set has several different origins, which explains its various meanings and use as both a noun and verb. It can be traced back to Old English, Old French and Latin. Words like set, which have many meanings but only one spelling are called “homographs”. Homographs are interesting, but don’t trouble the writer much.

This page is concerned with another family of words called “homonyms”; words that sound alike but are spelt differently. These are the words that are an easy trap for the hapless writer, who hears the word in her head but misspells it on the page. It’s easily done, especially if you are unaware of the difference between the two words that have been confused.

The definitions in this list are not meant to be exhaustive but to differentiate one word from its homonym. Also there are other homonyms that I haven’t listed here because they aren’t particularly common.

Affect – to change (v)
Effect – result (n) or to produce an effect (v) e.g. he tried to effect a reconciliation.

Aloud - spoken
Allowed - permitted

Ascent – a climb upwards
Assent – agreement

Band – a group
Banned – forbidden

Bare– naked
Bear – animal, or as a verb, to carry

Buy – to purchase
By – near
Bye – farwell

Cannon – weapon
Canon – body of law

Click – ticking noise
Clique – an exclusive group

Complement – a portion, or addition to
Compliment – an expression of praise

Cue – a signal
Queue – a waiting line

Discreet - confidential
Discrete - individual

Fazed – stunned
Phased – done in sequential parts

File – a folder for holding papers
Phial – a small glass bottle

Find – to locate something
Fined – to have imposed a monetary penalty

Grate – lattice
Great – large or extremely good

Hear – to listen
Here – to be in a place

Heard – listened to
Herd – a group of animals

Hole – an opening
Whole – a complete object

Incite – to provoke
Insight – understanding

Key – an object to open locks with
Quay – a wharf

Knot – a tied fastening
Not – negation

Know – to possess knowledge
Now – this moment
No – negation

Knew – was aware
New – opposite of old

Lead – as a noun, a heavy metal; or as a verb, to go before, show the way
Led – past tense of the verb to lead

Loan – to allow to borrow
Lone – on one’s own

Lose – to misplace something
Loose – the opposite of tight

Marshal – to gather
Martial – warlike

Morn – morning
Mourn – to remember the dead

Muscle – a part of the body
Mussel – a sea creature

Ordinance – a decree
Ordnance – weapons

Overdo – take to excess
Overdue – late

Past – before now
Passed – moved on

Patience – being prepared to wait
Patients – under medical care

Peaked – of mountains
Peeked – took a secret look
Piqued – excited or aroused (interest in)

Plain – unadorned, or an area of flat land
Plane – a flat or level surface, or an abbreviation of aeroplane

Plaintiff – a person who brings a legal case in a court of law
Plaintive – expressing sorrow

Pray – to petition an object of worship
Prey – a hunted animal

Principle – a fundamental doctrine
Principal – a head of a school or most important thing

Practice – to repeat an activity in order to improve
Practise – a dental practise

Rein – method of controlling a horse
Reign – the rule of a sovereign
Rain – precipitation

Read – to interpret the meaning of written information
Reed – an aquatic plant

Red – a primary colour
Read – the past tense of read

Seam – a way to attach cloth
Seem – to appear to be

There – a place, the opposite of here
Their – belonging to them

To – opposite of from
Too – as well as
Two – a number

Waste – to use carelessly
Waist – the part of the human body between the ribs and hips

Week – seven days
Weak – without strength

Who’s – contraction of “who is”
Whose – the possessive form of who, belonging to a person e.g. “Whose bag is this?”

Your – Belonging to you
You’re – a contraction of “you are”