Homonyms or Homophones...the debate rages on as to the proper definition of these words...refer to words which may or may not be spelled the same, but mean different things, but which sound basically the same. This is a very short list of some of the most common ones I find in papers done for me as an assignment in my college courses. It is far from exhaustive...as you can find out by visiting either or both of the sites which contain lists of these kind of words (as well as the details of the debate about the labels themselves). My purpose here isn't to include every possible homonym...just the ones most common...in my experience (each has appeared in a paper I graded).
Immediately after this list and the two links, you will find a very short list of "common word mistakes" also found in papers. My purpose is to help people who write papers to become aware of these mistakes so they can use the words properly. I'm not trying to make fun of either the words nor the people who err in their writing...just to help improve the presentation of ideas in written form so that the reader will not be distracted from the substance of what they are reading.
COMMON HOMONYMS/HOMOPHONES
affect/effect
are/our
all ready/ already
break/brake
but/butt
bare/bear
bye/by/buy
coarse/course
compliment/complement
capital/capitol
dew/due
due to/do to
discreet/discrete
except/accept
fore/for
hear/here
hole/whole
isles/aisles
its/it's
no/know
peeked/peaked/piqued
principle/principal
plain/plane
patience/patients
presence/presents
past/passed
ones/once/one's
rein/reign
role/roll
seen/scene
seems/seams
site/sight
threw/through
tale/tail
their/there/they're
to/two/too
very/vary
whether/weather
were/we're
write/right
wait/weight
witch/which
won/one
weigh/way
your/you're
The Homonym/Homophone Page
Alan Cooper's Homonyms
COMMON WORD MISTAKES
adapt/adopt
cease/seize
definitely/defiantly
quota/quarter
since/sense
then/than