Homophones for kids

Homophones sound the same but have different spellings and meanings. Learning them in pairs, with what each one means, helps you pick the right word when you write.

Practise in the app

Year 4 homophones (20 pairs)

their / there their = belonging to them; there = in that place
there / they're there = in that place; they're = they are
to / too to = towards; too = also / excessively
your / you're your = belonging to you; you're = you are
its / it's its = belonging to it; it's = it is / it has
whose / who's whose = belonging to whom; who's = who is / who has
here / hear here = in this place; hear = to listen with your ears
write / right write = to put words on paper; right = correct, or a direction
knew / new knew = past tense of know; new = not old
know / no know = to understand something; no = not any / opposite of yes
sea / see sea = a large body of salt water; see = to look with your eyes
sun / son sun = the star at the centre of our solar system; son = a male child
flower / flour flower = the bloom of a plant; flour = a powder used for baking
hour / our hour = a unit of time (60 minutes); our = belonging to us
meat / meet meat = food from an animal; meet = to come together with someone
piece / peace piece = a part of something; peace = calm, without war
break / brake break = to smash or split; brake = used to stop a vehicle
weather / whether weather = the conditions outside, like rain or sun; whether = used to show a choice between options
ate / eight ate = past tense of eat; eight = the number 8
blue / blew blue = a colour; blew = past tense of blow

Year 5 homophones (8 pairs)

accept / except accept = to agree to receive or take something; except = not including; other than
affect / effect affect = to influence or change something (verb); effect = the result of a change (noun)
principal / principle principal = the head of a school; principle = a basic rule or belief
stationary / stationery stationary = not moving; stationery = paper and pens used for writing
complement / compliment complement = something that completes or goes well with something else; compliment = a nice comment about someone
desert / dessert desert = a dry, sandy area of land; dessert = a sweet food eaten after a meal
allowed / aloud allowed = given permission; aloud = out loud, so it can be heard
cereal / serial cereal = a breakfast food made from grain; serial = a story told in parts, one after another

Year 6 homophones (8 pairs)

council / counsel council = a group of people who make decisions for a town or area; counsel = advice given to someone
currant / current currant = a small dried grape; current = happening now, or a flow of water or electricity
stalk / stork stalk = the stem of a plant; stork = a large wading bird with a long beak
bridal / bridle bridal = relating to a bride or wedding; bridle = a set of straps used to control a horse
canvas / canvass canvas = a strong, heavy cloth used for painting or tents; canvass = to ask people for their opinions or votes
draft / draught draft = an early version of a piece of writing; draught = a current of cool air in a room
mantel / mantle mantel = a shelf above a fireplace; mantle = a cloak, or a role or responsibility someone takes on
waive / wave waive = to choose not to use a right you have; wave = to move your hand as a greeting, or a moving ridge of water

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More free lists: Vocabulary words · Spelling words · Synonyms and antonyms · Times tables chart