Introduction-

Homophones are easy to understand. Homophones are pairs of words that sound the same, but have distinctly different meanings and different spellings. Understanding homophones is an essential part of mastering the English language, both for vocabulary building and spelling. Homophones is Greek for “same sound.” It’s when two or more words have the same sound, but different meanings. They may be spelled the same or differently. When homophones have the same spelling, they’re also called “homonyms.” Homonym means “same name.”

Functions of Homophone-

The purpose of homophones in literature is to create humorous effect by using words that have two or more meanings. In everyday life, these words are employed intentionally in witty remarks. In addition, these give meaning to a literary piece of work, and writers reveal the ingenuity of their characters through the use of homophones.

Examples of Homophones-

1. brake/break: When teaching my daughter how to drive, I told her if she didn’t hit the brake in time she would break the car’s side mirror.

2. cell/sell: If you sell drugs, you will get arrested and end up in a prison cell.

3. heal/heel: If the heel breaks on your shoe, you might fall. However, your injuries will heal over time.

4. knight/night: The knight is on his way to the castle, but traveling at night is very dangerous.

5. right/write: There is no right way to write a great novel.

6. steal/steel: Someone who decides to steal a car has committed a crime, but auto parts are made of steel.

7. weather/whether: I don’t know whether to bring a jacket or not. The weather looks unpredictable today.

8. son/sun: My son is 13 years old. He likes to spend time outside in the sun.

9. sea/see: At my beach house, I love to wake up and see the sea.

10. accept/except: Accept is a verb that means to take or receive. Except is used as a preposition or conjunction to mean but or exclude.