Words like there, their and they're sound the same but mean different things. Type a word to see its homophones with a short definition and an example sentence for each, paste your writing to highlight words that are easy to mix up, or browse the full list A to Z.
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How to use the Homophone Finder
Type a word in the Find a word tab and press Find homophones, or pick a popular example.
Compare the meanings: each word in the set has its part of speech, a short definition and an example sentence.
Proofread in the Check my text tab: paste your writing and click any highlighted word to see the words it could be confused with.
Browse A–Z to study every homophone that starts with a letter, or press Random set for practice.
Copy a set to paste it into notes, worksheets or flashcards.
The most commonly confused homophones
Words
Quick way to remember
there / their / they're
there contains "here" (a place); their contains "heir" (ownership); they're = they are.
your / you're
If you can say "you are", write you're.
its / it's
it's always means "it is" or "it has"; possessive its has no apostrophe, like his and hers.
to / too / two
too has an extra o: it means "also" or "more than enough"; two is the number.
principal / principle
The principal is your "pal"; a principle is a rule.
stationary / stationery
Stationary means standing still; stationery is for envelopes.
complement / compliment
A complement completes; a compliment says "I like you".
desert / dessert
Dessert has two s's because you always want seconds.
brake / break
You brake a car; you break a plate or take a break.
whose / who's
who's = who is / who has; whose asks about ownership.
Homophones, homographs and homonyms
Term
Same sound?
Same spelling?
Example
Homophone
Yes
Usually no
night / knight
Homograph
Not always
Yes
lead (metal) / lead (guide)
Homonym (strict)
Yes
Yes
bat (animal) / bat (sports)
Heteronym
No
Yes
tear (cry) / tear (rip)
Because every homophone is a correctly spelled word, ordinary spell checkers miss these mistakes. Reading your text aloud does not help either, since the words sound identical, so checking the meaning of each highlighted word is the most reliable fix.
Frequently asked questions
What is a homophone?
Homophones are words that sound the same but have different meanings, and usually different spellings, such as there, their and they're, or flour and flower. The word comes from Greek homo- (same) and phone (sound).
What is the difference between homophones, homonyms and homographs?
Homophones sound the same (knight and night). Homographs are spelled the same but may sound different (lead the metal and lead to guide). Homonyms, in the strict sense, are spelled and pronounced the same but have different meanings, like bat (animal) and bat (baseball). Some people use homonym loosely for all three.
Why do some words appear in more than one set?
Some words have two pronunciations. Read rhymes with reed in the present tense and with red in the past tense, and bow can sound like bough or like beau. The finder shows every set that matches.
Do homophones depend on accent?
Yes. This list follows common American English pronunciation. Some pairs are homophones only in certain accents, for example marry and merry, or root and route, and these are marked. In many British accents, pairs like court and caught or sauce and source also sound the same.
How does Check my text work?
It highlights every word in your text that appears in the homophone list. It does not judge whether you used the right word, because that depends on meaning. Click a highlighted word to compare the options and decide for yourself; a spell checker cannot catch these mistakes because every spelling is a real word.
What are the most commonly confused homophones?
Some of the most frequent mix-ups in writing are there/their/they're, your/you're, its/it's, to/too/two, whose/who's, then/than (not true homophones but often confused), principal/principle, stationary/stationery, complement/compliment and affect/effect, which are also near-homophones.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.