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A Comprehensive List of Homophones

1/31/2013

Homophones (words with the same sound but a different spelling and meaning) can be the proofreader's worst enemy. Here's a comprehensive list of homophones. I can't claim the credit for compiling the list, by the way, as it's pretty much all over the internet. To the person who put all the work in, I offer my gratitude.

Here's the list (print it out and keep it close at hand):

1. accessary, accessory
2. ad, add
3. ail, ale
4. air, heir
5. aisle, I'll, isle
6. all, awl
7. allowed, aloud
8. alms, arms
9. altar, alter
10. arc, ark
11. aren't, aunt
12. ate, eight
13. auger, augur
14. auk, orc
15. aural, oral
16. away, aweigh
17. awe, oar, or, ore
18. axel, axle
19. aye, eye, I
20. bail, bale
21. bait, bate
22. baize, bays
23. bald, bawled
24. ball, bawl
25. band, banned
26. bard, barred
27. bare, bear
28. bark, barque
29. baron, barren
30. base, bass
31. bay, bey
32. bazaar, bizarre
33. be, bee
34. beach, beech
35. bean, been
36. beat, beet
37. beau, bow
38. beer, bier
39. bel, bell, belle
40. berry, bury
41. berth, birth
42. bight, bite, byte
43. billed, build
44. bitten, bittern
45. blew, blue
46. bloc, block
47. boar, bore
48. board, bored
49. boarder, border
50. bold, bowled
51. boos, booze
52. born, borne
53. bough, bow
54. boy, buoy
55. brae, bray
56. braid, brayed
57. braise, brays, braze
58. brake, break
59. bread, bred
60. brews, bruise
61. bridal, bridle
62. broach, brooch
63. bur, burr
64. but, butt
65. buy, by, bye
66. buyer, byre
67. calendar, calender
68. call, caul
69. canvas, canvass
70. cast, caste
71. caster, castor
72. caught, court
73. caw, core, corps
74. cede, seed
75. ceiling, sealing
76. cell, sell
77. censer, censor, sensor
78. cent, scent, sent
79. cereal, serial
80. cheap, cheep
81. check, cheque
82. choir, quire
83. chord, cord
84. cite, sight, site
85. clack, claque
86. clew, clue
87. climb, clime
88. close, cloze
89. coal, kohl
90. coarse, course
91. coign, coin
92. colonel, kernel
93. complacent, complaisant
94. complement, compliment
95. coo, coup
96. cops, copse
97. council, counsel
98. cousin, cozen
99. creak, creek
100. crews, cruise
101. cue, kyu, queue
102. curb, kerb
103. currant, current
104. cymbol, symbol
105. dam, damn
106. days, daze
107. dear, deer
108. descent, dissent
109. desert, dessert
110. deviser, divisor
111. dew, due
112. die, dye
113. discreet, discrete
114. doe, doh, dough
115. done, dun
116. douse, dowse
117. draft, draught
118. dual, duel
119. earn, urn
120. eery, eyrie
121. ewe, yew, you
122. faint, feint
123. fah, far
124. fair, fare
125. farther, father
126. fate, fête
127. faun, fawn
128. fay, fey
129. faze, phase
130. feat, feet
131. ferrule, ferule
132. few, phew
133. fie, phi
134. file, phial
135. find, fined
136. fir, fur
137. fizz, phiz
138. flair, flare
139. flaw, floor
140. flea, flee
141. flex, flecks
142. flew, flu, flue
143. floe, flow
144. flour, flower
145. foaled, fold
146. for, fore, four
147. foreword, forward
148. fort, fought
149. forth, fourth
150. foul, fowl
151. franc, frank
152. freeze, frieze
153. friar, fryer
154. furs, furze
155. gait, gate
156. galipot, gallipot
157. gallop, galop
158. gamble, gambol
159. gays, gaze
160. genes, jeans
161. gild, guild
162. gilt, guilt
163. giro, gyro
164. gnaw, nor
165. gneiss, nice
166. gorilla, guerilla
167. grate, great
168. greave, grieve
169. greys, graze
170. grisly, grizzly
171. groan, grown
172. guessed, guest
173. hail, hale
174. hair, hare
175. hall, haul
176. hangar, hanger
177. hart, heart
178. haw, hoar, whore
179. hay, hey
180. heal, heel, he'll
181. hear, here
182. heard, herd
183. he'd, heed
184. heroin, heroine
185. hew, hue
186. hi, high
187. higher, hire
188. him, hymn
189. ho, hoe
190. hoard, horde
191. hoarse, horse
192. holey, holy, wholly
193. hour, our
194. idle, idol
195. in, inn
196. indict, indite
197. it's, its
198. jewel, joule
199. key, quay
200. knave, nave
201. knead, need
202. knew, new
203. knight, night
204. knit, nit
205. knob, nob
206. knock, nock
207. knot, not
208. know, no
209. knows, nose
210. laager, lager
211. lac, lack
212. lade, laid
213. lain, lane
214. lam, lamb
215. laps, lapse
216. larva, lava
217. lase, laze
218. law, lore
219. lay, ley
220. lea, lee
221. leach, leech
222. lead, led
223. leak, leek
224. lean, lien
225. lessen, lesson
226. levee, levy
227. liar, lyre
228. licence, license
229. licker, liquor
230. lie, lye
231. lieu, loo
232. links, lynx
233. lo, low
234. load, lode
235. loan, lone
236. locks, lox
237. loop, loupe
238. loot, lute
239. made, maid
240. mail, male
241. main, mane
242. maize, maze
243. mall, maul
244. manna, manner
245. mantel, mantle
246. mare, mayor
247. mark, marque
248. marshal, martial
249. marten, martin
250. mask, masque
251. maw, more
252. me, mi
253. mean, mien
254. meat, meet, mete
255. medal, meddle
256. metal, mettle
257. meter, metre
258. might, mite
259. miner, minor, mynah
260. mind, mined
261. missed, mist
262. moat, mote
263. mode, mowed
264. moor, more
265. moose, mousse
266. morning, mourning
267. muscle, mussel
268. naval, navel
269. nay, neigh
270. nigh, nye
271. none, nun
272. od, odd
273. ode, owed
274. oh, owe
275. one, won
276. packed, pact
277. packs, pax
278. pail, pale
279. pain, pane
280. pair, pare, pear
281. palate, palette, pallet
282. pascal, paschal
283. paten, patten, pattern
284. pause, paws, pores, pours
285. pawn, porn
286. pea, pee
287. peace, piece
288. peak, peek, peke, pique
289. peal, peel
290. pearl, purl
291. pedal, peddle
292. peer, pier
293. pi, pie
294. pica, pika
295. place, plaice
296. plain, plane
297. pleas, please
298. plum, plumb
299. pole, poll
300. poof, pouffe
301. practice, practise
302. praise, prays, preys
303. principal, principle
304. profit, prophet
305. quarts, quartz
306. quean, queen
307. rain, reign, rein
308. raise, rays, raze
309. rap, wrap
310. raw, roar
311. read, reed
312. read, red
313. real, reel
314. reek, wreak
315. rest, wrest
316. retch, wretch
317. review, revue
318. rheum, room
319. right, rite, wright, write
320. ring, wring
321. road, rode
322. roe, row
323. role, roll
324. roo, roux, rue
325. rood, rude
326. root, route
327. rose, rows
328. rota, rotor
329. rote, wrote
330. rough, ruff
331. rouse, rows
332. rung, wrung
333. rye, wry
334. saver, savour
335. spade, spayed
336. sale, sail
337. sane, seine
338. satire, satyr
339. sauce, source
340. saw, soar, sore
341. scene, seen
342. scull, skull
343. sea, see
344. seam, seem
345. sear, seer, sere
346. seas, sees, seize
347. sew, so, sow
348. shake, sheikh
349. shear, sheer
350. shoe, shoo
351. sic, sick
352. side, sighed
353. sign, sine
354. sink, synch
355. slay, sleigh
356. sloe, slow
357. sole, soul
358. some, sum
359. son, sun
360. sort, sought
361. spa, spar
362. staid, stayed
363. stair, stare
364. stake, steak
365. stalk, stork
366. stationary, stationery
367. steal, steel
368. stile, style
369. storey, story
370. straight, strait
371. sweet, suite
372. swat, swot
373. tacks, tax
374. tale, tail
375. talk, torque
376. tare, tear
377. taught, taut, tort
378. te, tea, tee
379. team, teem
380. tear, tier
381. teas, tease
382. terce, terse
383. tern, turn
384. there, their, they're
385. threw, through
386. throes, throws
387. throne, thrown
388. thyme, time
389. tic, tick
390. tide, tied
391. tire, tyre
392. to, too, two
393. toad, toed, towed
394. told, tolled
395. tole, toll
396. ton, tun
397. tor, tore
398. tough, tuff
399. troop, troupe
400. tuba, tuber
401. vain, vane, vein
402. vale, veil
403. vial, vile
404. wail, wale, whale
405. wain, wane
406. waist, waste
407. wait, weight
408. waive, wave
409. wall, waul
410. war, wore
411. ware, wear, where
412. warn, worn
413. wart, wort
414. watt, what
415. wax, whacks
416. way, weigh, whey
417. we, wee, whee
418. weak, week
419. we'd, weed
420. weal, we'll, wheel
421. wean, ween
422. weather, whether
423. weaver, weever
424. weir, we're
425. were, whirr
426. wet, whet
427. wheald, wheeled
428. which, witch
429. whig, wig
430. while, wile
431. whine, wine
432. whirl, whorl
433. whirled, world
434. whit, wit
435. white, wight
436. who's, whose
437. woe, whoa
438. wood, would
439. yaw, yore, your, you're
440. yoke, yolk
441. you'll, yule

Thanks, again, to the original creator.

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Some Spelling Mistakes are Bigger than Others

5/27/2012

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It’s hard to know where to start with this story from KXAS-TV. It illustrates
any number of proofreading lessons: how easy it is to miss a humdinger of an
error, how difficult said error can be to rectify once it has been spotted and
the potential cost involved. I think I’ll leave it to the original reporter,
Andrew Tanielian.

A Texas elementary school is correcting a spelling mistake made when it
changed its name nearly nine years ago.

Sunrise Elementary School in Fort Worth added "McMillan" to its name in the
2003-2004 school year -- but also added an extra "i."

The school changed its name to honour its first teacher, Mrs. Mary McMillan,
who eventually became principal. A relative recently reached out to the Fort
Worth Independent School District to say it had bought an extra vowel.

Everything had the incorrect spelling of "Sunrise-McMillian" instead of
"Sunrise-McMillan," including the lettering on the building, printed signs,
vinyl congratulatory signs, logos and Facebook.

"Oh, I was kind of shocked," said Ernie Johnson, who waters the grass on
school grounds and never knew the spelling was wrong. "I hadn't paid it any
mind."

Ever since hearing from McMillan's relative, the school has been correcting
the error. But the name is in many places people easily forget, such as business
cards, visitor's passes, certificates and digital signatures embedded in
email.

The school is taking the corrections with the right balance of seriousness
and humour. Principal Marion Mouton and his staff keep finding misspellings to
correct.

"Our day-to-day things that we just take for granted now and, as
we're coming up with it, we're seeing 'OK, that's something else we need to
fix,'" he said.

The student body as a whole hasn't been told, though some may know. Once more
misspellings are corrected, the school hopes to turn the mix-up into a teachable
moment on how to take responsibility, correct an error and move on.

When visiting her class, teacher Jouet Dotson came up with a quick brainstorm
on how to teach the new, correct spelling.

"You know how we say there's no 'i' in team?" teacher Jouet Dotson
brainstormed.

"We could say, 'Well, [at] Sunrise-McMillan, we're a team, so
there is no 'i' in the last part of McMillan.'"

The Fort Worth ISD isn't saying how much it will cost to fix all the mistakes
but did say it's exhausting all resources to try and keep costs down.

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Some Mistakes are Bigger than Others

5/17/2010

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Proofreading Course: Spell Check Must Dye Continued

The No-Nonsense Proofreading Course contains a list of examples of costly spelling errors for you to dip into whenever you find yourself confronted with the old, “I don’t need a proof reader, I’ve got spell-checking software” chestnut.

Prepare to add another to that list. And it’s a whopper.

A single typo recently cost Penguin Group Australia $20,000.

That’s right. $20,000: the cost of pulping and reprinting 7,000 copies of the bestselling Pasta Bible.

And what spelling error or grammatical gaffe could be so awful as to warrant such an expensive solution? Surely it can’t be that bad?

Brace yourself.

A recipe for spelt tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto instructed the amateur chef to add to the otherwise wholesome and inviting ingredients “salt and freshly ground black people”.

Oh dear.

And don’t forget to tell your but-we-have-spell-checking-software nemesis that $20,000 is just the tip of the iceberg. Hundreds of man-hours of frantic public relations activity will have been spent in an effort to undo the offense this particularly nasty little error will undoubtedly have caused.

In true CSI fashion, let’s reconstruct this horrible, horrible crime.

Imagine you’re typing the word ‘pepper’. You’re not concentrating. Perhaps your stomach is rumbling at the thought of the spelt tagliatelle with sardines and prosciutto you’re going to rustle up when you get home. You type the first ‘p’, then the ‘e’. So far, so good.

Then disaster strikes.

Instead of tapping the ‘p’ next, you hit the ‘o’ immediately adjacent to it. It’s easily done. You don’t even notice the error and continue to type the remaining ‘e’ and ‘r’.

Now, instead of ‘pepper’, you’ve got ‘peoper’.

You run your trusty spell-checking software through the copy and it highlights your error. You scroll through the list of possible replacements and, somehow (maybe you’re really starving by now) your curser alights not on ‘pepper’ as it should but on ‘people’.

And you’ve sealed your doom.

“How do you feel about your spell-checking software now, Mr Nemesis? Hmm? Hmm?”

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