B. Foundations of Language · Handwriting, Spelling and Sentences

Homophones: Same Sound, Different Spelling

B2.1 B2.2About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can explain what homophones are.
I can choose the right homophone by thinking about the meaning of the sentence.
I can use base words and memory tricks to spell homophones correctly.
I can proofread my writing for homophone mix-ups that spell-check might miss.

Words to know

homophones
Words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings, like hear and here.

homographs
Words that are spelled the same but can sound different and mean different things, like wind (air) and wind (turn).

base word
The main part of a word, before prefixes or suffixes are added. allow is the base of allowed.

proofread
Read your writing carefully to find and fix mistakes.

Remember from Grade 3

You learned some tricky homophones: its and it's, your and you're, their, there and they're, whose and who's, to, two and too. You learned the un-squish test for contractions: if you can say it is, write it's.

In Grade 4 you'll meet many more homophones, and learn more ways to choose the right one.

Why homophones are tricky

When you say hear and here, they sound exactly the same. But on paper, the spelling tells the reader which meaning you want. If you write the wrong one, your reader can get confused:

I can here the loons. (Wrong! here means a place.)
I can hear the loons. (Right! You hear with your ear.)

The secret: think about the meaning first, then choose the spelling.

Two homophones, two meanings. hear has an ear inside it. here is a place, like there and where.

Homophones	Meanings	Memory trick
hear / here	listen / this place	You hear with your ear. Here, there and where are all places.
whole / hole	all of it / an opening	A hole is empty, like an o.
weather / whether	rain, snow, sun / if	We eat outside when the weather is nice.
piece / peace	a part / calm, no fighting	A piece of pie.
threw / through	tossed / in one side and out the other	threw is the past of throw: both have thr and w.
knew / new	understood / not old	knew is the past of know: both start with a silent k.
allowed / aloud	let, permitted / out loud	allowed = allow + ed. aloud has loud inside it.
passed / past	went by, handed (an action) / time before, or beyond	passed = pass + ed, an action word.
break / brake	smash, or a rest / a stopper on a bike or car	Use the meaning: take a break; press the brake.
tail / tale	animal's tail / a story	A tale is a story you tell.

More homophones to know

Look for a base word

If one homophone is base + ed (allowed, passed, guessed), it's an action that already happened. Try saying the sentence with allow or pass instead. If it still makes sense (in the present), you need the -ed word.

Worked example

Let's choose: threw or through?

The puck went right ______ the net and into the snow.

What does the sentence mean? The puck went in one side and out the other.
threw is the past of throw, an action someone does. Nobody is throwing in this sentence.
through means in one side and out the other. That matches!

The puck went right through the net and into the snow.

threw is something someone does with their arm. through means in one side and out the other, like a puck through a tunnel.

Worked example

Let's choose: passed or past?

We drove ______ the arena, and Dad ______ me a granola bar.

First blank: we drove beyond the arena. Is it an action we could say as pass? We drove pass the arena doesn't work. So it's past.
Second blank: Dad handed me something. That's an action that happened: pass + ed. So it's passed.
Check: Dad passes me a bar (present) makes sense, so passed is right.

We drove past the arena, and Dad passed me a granola bar.

Worked example

Let's choose: allowed or aloud?

Ms. Okafor read the poem ______. Are we ______ to clap?

First blank: she read it out loud. aloud has loud inside it. So aloud.
Second blank: are we permitted? That's allow + ed: allowed.

Ms. Okafor read the poem aloud. Are we allowed to clap?

Homographs

Don't mix up homophones with homographs. Homographs are spelled the same but can sound different: The wind is cold / Please wind the string. A tear fell / Don't tear the page. When you read a homograph, use the sentence to choose how to say it.

Just for fun

Why couldn't the pony sing in the school concert?

It was a little hoarse. (A horse with a sore throat is hoarse. Same sound, different spelling!)

Proofreading for homophones

Spell-check only checks whether a word exists. I can here you has no misspelled words, so spell-check might not mark it! To catch homophone mix-ups:

Slow down and read your writing aloud, one word at a time.
Stop at every word that has a sound-alike partner.
Ask: What do I mean here? Then check the spelling matches the meaning.

Hands-on activity

Homophone match and memory cards

You need: 10 index cards or pieces of paper, and markers or crayons.

Choose 5 homophone pairs from the chart. Write each word on its own card (10 cards).
On the back of each card, draw a tiny picture of the meaning: an ear for hear, a pie slice for piece, a cloud for weather.
Play Memory: shuffle the cards face down. Turn over two. If they're homophones, say a sentence using each one correctly. If you're right, keep the pair!
Make up your own memory trick for one pair that still feels tricky. Tell it to a grown-up.
Bonus: listen for homophones at dinner. Every time someone says one, try to spell it in your head.

Your turn

Choose hear or here: Can you ______ the loons calling?

Choose tail or tale: The fox swished its bushy ______.

Choose whole or hole: Grandpa ate the ______ sandwich!

Choose weather or whether: Ask Mom ______ we can go sledding.

Choose brakes or breaks: Use your ______ when you ride down the hill.

Which word is the past of know: new or knew?

Choose allowed or aloud: Our class read the story ______.

More practice: warm-up

Choose write or right: Please ______ your name at the top.

Choose new or knew: I got ______ skates for my birthday.

Choose buy or by: We stopped to ______ milk.

Choose here or hear: Put your boots over ______.

What are homophones?

More practice: on your own

Choose passed or past for both blanks: The geese flew ______ us. Jamal ______ the test.

Choose threw or through: Nia ______ the ball to her dog. Explain.

Choose peace or piece: After the argument, the cousins made ______. Explain.

Choose bored or board: We played a ______ game because we were ______.

Choose plane or plain: We flew to Winnipeg on a ______. I ordered a ______ bagel.

Challenge

Proofread and fix the four homophone mistakes: I herd the whether report. It said their would be snow. I through on my boots and went outside.

Write one sentence that uses both weather and whether correctly.

Spell-check didn't mark The dog was aloud on the bus. Explain what's wrong and why spell-check missed it.

Check your understanding

Quiz

What are homophones?

Choose the right word: The pail had a ______ in it, so the water leaked.

Choose the right word: I ______ the answer!

Which sentence is correct?

Which memory trick helps with hear?

Why might spell-check miss Their is a moose!?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Choosing between homophones uses spelling knowledge and meaning (B2.2, vocabulary), plus word parts (B2.1): allowed = allow + ed, knew goes with know. Grade 3 covered the contraction homophones; Grade 4 extends to many common pairs.

How to help at home:

Always start with meaning: "What do you mean in this sentence?"
Encourage your child to invent their own memory tricks. Personal tricks stick best.
When they type, show how spell-check misses homophones.
Play homophone Memory or a quick "spell it two ways" game in the car.

Common difficulties:

passed/past and allowed/aloud: use the base-word test (pass + ed, allow + ed).
weather/whether: "if" means whether.
threw/through: threw is always something someone tossed.
Some children overthink homophones they used to get right. Focus on a few pairs at a time.