Ever faced a situation where you were confused as to what the other person is saying, as the word you hear might have more than one meaning? Trust me! You are not alone. The English Words that Sound the same can trip you up in certain cases. There are many examples of similar-sounding English words where we stop and think twice, and many times face awkward silence.

Similar sounding words, also known as Homophones, are words that sound the same, yet have different meanings and are at times spelt differently. But, how do we know the difference when somebody is speaking to us?

Here is a sneak peek at a few 12 common Homophones in the English language that we come across in our daily lives.

• Allowed -- means permission granted;

“Riya allowed Hema to copy her class notes as she was absent yesterday.”

Aloud -- speaking in a voice that can be heard clearly;

“The teacher asked Rashmi to read the poem aloud.”

• Ant -- a small insect;

“The ant was making a move towards the cube of sugar lying on the floor.”

Aunt -- Relation, your father’s/mother’s sister;

“Neha met her Aunt after 2 years.”

• Buy -- to purchase something;

“Will you buy me this book?”

Bye -- greeting, to take someone’s leave;

“Bye! See you tomorrow.”

• Bored -- feeling disinterested or weary with one’s activity or lack of activity;

“She got bored by reading such a dull book.”

Board -- flat and smooth surface usually used for writing;

“He was asked to solve the sum on the board.”

• Cellar -- room below the ground floor of a house;

“The maid took some extra coal from the cellar.”

Seller --a person who sells his wares;

“Meena asked the price of guavas from the fruit seller.”

• Coarse -- rough surface;

“The material was coarse.”

Course1 -- route taken by a ship or plane; 

“The course was set along the coastline” 

Course2 -- set of dishes served on the menu;

“What are you offering as a main course for dinner?”

• Deer- Animal found in woods and forests;

“The deer ran after spotting a tiger.”

Dear-- a friendly form of address;

“Do not worry, my dear!”

• Die -- Pass away, to stop living;

“He expected to die from starvation.”

Dye- Substance used to change the colour of a thing.

“She used blue to dye her white shirt.”

• Farther -- longer distance;

“The red car is farther away than the blue car.”

Father-- Parent;

“This must be your Father?”

• Flour -- Powder formed by grinding grain;

“The cook had flour all over her apron.”

Flower- Blossom;

“Rose is a beautiful flower.”

• Fair -- to be just;

“The judgement was fair.”

Fare -- Money paid for travelling.

“Fare of a flight ticket from India to Dubai is too high.”

• Great -- amount or quality above average;

“You are doing a great job.”

Grate -- to make small shreds by rubbing on the surface of a grater;

“Grate two cubes of cheese for me.”

Looks interesting, right?

You, too, can learn more about such similar-sounding words which can make your conversation easier, under the guidance of our skilled trainers who will teach you and also help you understand the English language better. To know more you can check out our website FastInfo Class^TM and enrol yourself today.