Homonyms are words that sound alike when spoken aloud but which are spelled differently in print and definitely have different meanings. The following homonyms demonstrate the point.


advise/advice

bloc/block

chord/cord

gamble/gambol

loose/lose

peace/piece

shear/sheer

your/you’re

The correct homonym is determined by the sense of the sentence. For instance, we know if we’re talking about peace between Israelis and Palestinians, we mean the opposite of war and not a fragment of some other item. If you think homonyms create problems for those of us whose native language is English, just think how difficult it is for someone who studies English as a second language.