Homófonos en inglés
¿Qué son los homófonos?
¿Cómo se pronuncian estas dos palabras: Blue y Blew? ¿Cuál de estas dos palabras florece en un jardín: Flower o Flour? ¿Has leído una palabra en inglés alguna vez y no estabas seguro de cómo se pronuncia? ¿O necesitas escribir una palabra en inglés pero no recuerdas cómo se escribe?
Los homófonos son dos palabras que tienen la misma pronunciación pero diferente deletreo y diferente significado. La lengua inglesa tiene muchos homófonos y a menudo causan mucha confusión a los que están aprendiendo inglés.
A continuación tienes una lista de los homófonos más comunes y algunos ejemplos para ayudar a entender los distintos significados.
Allowed – Aloud
- Allowed significa “permitido”.
| Children, you are not allowed to stand up on the chairs!“Niños, ¡no está permitido ponerse de pie en las sillas!” |
- Aloud significa “en voz alta”.
| Don’t say it aloud, it’s a secret!“No lo digas en voz alta, es un secreto”. |
Bear – Bare
| There are many bears living in the forests of Canada.“Hay muchos osos viviendo en los bosques de Canadá”. |
- Bare significa “desnudo/sin nada”.
| The kids weren’t wearing any shoes…. they were bare foot.“Los niños no llevaban zapatos… iban descalzos”. |
Blue – Blew
| The sky is blue today.“El cielo está azul hoy”. |
- Blew significa “sopló” (pasado del verbo soplar).
| The wind blew very hard yesterday.“El viento sopló fuerte ayer”. |
Bored – Board
- Bored significa “aburrido”.
| I have nothing to do, I’m so bored!“No tengo nada que hacer, ¡estoy tan aburrido!”. |
- Board significa “pizarra/tabla”.
| The teacher wrote the words on the board.“El profesor escribió las palabras en la pizarra”. |
Break – Brake
- Break significa “romper”.
| If you throw the toy on the floor, it will break.“Si tiras el juguete en el suelo, se romperá”. |
- Brake significa “frenos”.
| When you need to slow down, use the brakes.“Si necesitas ir más despacio, usa los frenos”. |
Dear – Deer
- Dear significa “querido”.
| To start a letter we write: Dear Sam…“Para empezar una carta escribimos: Querido Sam…” |
| Deers are one of the lions´ favourite prey.“Los ciervos son una de las presas preferidas de los leones”. |
Fair – Fare
| It’s not fair! He can go out tonight, but I can’t.“¡No es justo! Él puede salir hoy pero yo no”. |
| The fare on the train to San Francisco is $5.“La tarifa en el tren a San Francisco es de $5”. |
Flower – Flour
| In the Spring there are beautiful, colourful flowers.“En la primavera hay flores bonitas y coloridas”. |
- Flour significa “harina”.
| To make a cake you need eggs, sugar and flour.“Para hacer un pastel necesitas huevos, azúcar y harina”. |
Guest – Guessed
- Guest significa “invitados”.
| How many guests are coming to the party?¿Cuántos invitados vienen a la fiesta?”. |
- Guessed significa “contesté al azar” (es el pasado del verbo Guess).
| I didn’t know the answer on the test, so I just guessed.“No sabía la respuesta en el examen, así que simplemente contesté al azar”. |
Hair – Hare
| She has such long, beautiful hair.“Ella tiene el pelo tan largo y bonito”. |
| Hares can run very fast.“Las liebres pueden correr muy rápido”. |
Hole – Whole
- Hole significa “agujero”.
| Dig a hole in the soil before you plant the tree.“Haz un agujero en la tierra antes de plantar el árbol”. |
- Whole significa “entero”.
| The whole family is coming at Christmas.“La familia entera viene en Navidades”. |
Heard – Herd
- Heard significa “escuché/oí” (es el pasado del verbo Hear).
| I heard the story on the news.“Escuché la historia en las noticias”. |
| He is a shepherd and he cares for his herd of sheep.“Él es pastor y cuida de su manada de ovejas”. |
Mail – Male
| He sent me a package by mail.“Me envió un paquete por correo”. |
| Male is masculine, female is feminine.“Macho es masculino, hembra es femenino”. |
New – Knew
| We bought a new car.“Hemos comprado un coche nuevo”. |
- Knew significa “sabía” (es el pasado del verbo Know).
| Since she had studied a lot, she knew all the answers.“Como había estudiado mucho, sabía todas las respuestas”. |
Night – Knight
| I love swimming at night in the summer.“Me encanta nadar por la noche en verano”. |
- Knight significa “caballero”.
| The princess fell in love with a brave knight.“La princesa se enamoró de un valiente caballero”. |
Pear – Pair
| Pears and peaches are my favorite fruits.“Peras y melocotones son mis frutas preferidas”. |
- Pair significa “pareja/par”.
| In class today we worked in pairs.“En clase hoy trabajamos en parejas”. |
Peace – Piece
| Many ngo’s ( non-governmental organizations) promote peace in the world.“Muchas organizaciones no gubernamentales promueven la paz en el mundo”. |
- Piece significa “pieza/porción”.
| I can’t finish the puzzle because I’m missing a piece.“No puedo acabar el puzzle porque me falta una pieza”. |
Poor – Pour
| Some very poor people are homeless.“Algunas personas pobres no tienen casa”. |
| Can you pour a glass of milk, please?“¿Puedes verter un vaso de leche, por favor?” |
Red – Read
| Red is my favourite colour.“El rojo es mi color preferido. |
- Read significa “leí” (es el pasado del verbo Read).
| Last night I read for two hours before going to bed.“Anoche leí durante dos horas antes de ir a la cama”. |
Roll – Role
| The children like to roll down the hill on a snowy day.“A los niños les gusta rodar por la colina en un día nevado”. |
| Her role in the play is a crazy, old lady.“Su papel en la obra (de teatro) es de una señora mayor y loca”. |
Right – Write
- Right significa “correcto/tener razón”.
| You are right. I am wrong.“Tienes razón. Yo estoy equivocado”. |
- Write significa “escribir”.
| Please write your name here.“Escribe tu nombre aquí por favor”. |
Stair – Stare
- Stair significa “escalera”.
| Be careful when you walk down these stairs.“Cuidado cuando bajes las escaleras”. |
- Stare significa “mirar fijamente”.
| They were angry so they just stared at each other.“Estaban enfadados así que simplemente se miraban fijamente”. |
Wait – Weight
- Wait significa “esperar”.
| We need to wait about 10 minutes for the next train.“Necesitamos esperar unos 10 minutos para el siguiente tren”. |
| I’ve gained 2 kilos in the last month. I need to lose weight!“He ganado 2 kilos en el último mes. ¡Necesito perder peso!”. |
Week – Weak
| This week has been so stressful!“¡Esta semana ha sido tan estresante!” |
| He is so weak, he can’t even lift a bottle of water.“Está tan débil, no puede ni levantar una botella de agua”. |
Homophones in English
What are homophones?
How do you pronounce these two words: Blue and Blew? Which of these two grows in a garden: Flower or Flour? Have you ever read a word in English and weren’t sure how it’s pronounced? Or do you need to write a word in English but can’t remember how it’s spelled?
Homophones are two words that have the same pronunciation but different spellings and different meanings. The English language has many homophones, and they often cause confusion for English learners.
Below is a list of some common homophones and examples to help you understand their different meanings.
Allowed – Aloud
- Allowed means “permitted”.
| Children, you are not allowed to stand up on the chairs!“Children, you are not allowed to stand up on the chairs!” |
| Don’t say it aloud, it’s a secret!“Don’t say it aloud, it’s a secret!” |
Bear – Bare
- Bear means “bear” (the animal).
| There are many bears living in the forests of Canada.“There are many bears living in the forests of Canada.” |
- Bare means “naked” or “without anything”.
| The kids weren’t wearing any shoes… they were barefoot.“The kids weren’t wearing any shoes… they were barefoot.” |
Blue – Blew
- Blue means “blue” (the color).
| The sky is blue today.“The sky is blue today.” |
- Blew means “blew” (past tense of blow).
| The wind blew very hard yesterday.“The wind blew very hard yesterday.” |
Bored – Board
| I have nothing to do, I’m so bored!“I have nothing to do, I’m so bored!” |
- Board means “board” (like a chalkboard or a flat surface).
| The teacher wrote the words on the board.“The teacher wrote the words on the board.” |
Break – Brake
| If you throw the toy on the floor, it will break.“If you throw the toy on the floor, it will break.” |
- Brake means “brakes” (in a vehicle).
| When you need to slow down, use the brakes.“When you need to slow down, use the brakes.” |
Dear – Deer
- Dear means “dear” (like in a letter).
| To start a letter, we write: Dear Sam…“To start a letter, we write: Dear Sam…” |
- Deer means “deer” (the animal).
| Deer are one of the lions’ favorite prey.“Deer are one of the lions’ favorite prey.” |
Fair – Fare
- Fair means “fair” (just).
| It’s not fair! He can go out tonight, but I can’t.“It’s not fair! He can go out tonight, but I can’t.” |
- Fare means “fare” (like a transportation fee).
| The fare on the train to San Francisco is $5.“The fare on the train to San Francisco is $5.” |
Flower – Flour
| In the Spring, there are beautiful, colorful flowers.“In the Spring, there are beautiful, colorful flowers.” |
- Flour means “flour” (used in baking).
| To make a cake, you need eggs, sugar, and flour.“To make a cake, you need eggs, sugar, and flour.” |
Guest – Guessed
| How many guests are coming to the party?“How many guests are coming to the party?” |
- Guessed means “guessed” (past tense of guess).
| I didn’t know the answer on the test, so I just guessed.“I didn’t know the answer on the test, so I just guessed.” |
Hair – Hare
| She has such long, beautiful hair.“She has such long, beautiful hair.” |
- Hare means “hare” (the animal).
| Hares can run very fast.“Hares can run very fast.” |
Hole – Whole
| Dig a hole in the soil before you plant the tree.“Dig a hole in the soil before you plant the tree.” |
- Whole means “whole” (entire).
| The whole family is coming at Christmas.“The whole family is coming at Christmas.” |
Heard – Herd
- Heard means “heard” (past tense of hear).
| I heard the story on the news.“I heard the story on the news.” |
- Herd means “herd” (a group of animals).
| He is a shepherd, and he cares for his herd of sheep.“He is a shepherd, and he cares for his herd of sheep.” |
Mail – Male
- Mail means “mail” (like postal mail).
| He sent me a package in the mail.“He sent me a package in the mail.” |
- Male means “male” (masculine gender).
| Male is masculine, female is feminine.“Male is masculine, female is feminine.” |
New – Knew
| We bought a new car.“We bought a new car.” |
- Knew means “knew” (past tense of know).
| Since she had studied a lot, she knew all the answers.“Since she had studied a lot, she knew all the answers.” |
Night – Knight
| I love swimming at night in the summer.“I love swimming at night in the summer.” |
- Knight means “knight” (like a medieval warrior).
| The princess fell in love with a brave knight.“The princess fell in love with a brave knight.” |
Pear – Pair
- Pear means “pear” (the fruit).
| Pears and peaches are my favorite fruits.“Pears and peaches are my favorite fruits.” |
- Pair means “pair” (a set of two).
| In class today, we worked in pairs.“In class today, we worked in pairs.” |
Peace – Piece
| Many NGOs (non-governmental organizations) promote peace in the world.“Many NGOs (non-governmental organizations) promote peace in the world.” |
- Piece means “piece” (a part of something).
| I can’t finish the puzzle because I’m missing a piece.“I can’t finish the puzzle because I’m missing a piece.” |
Poor – Pour
- Poor means “poor” (without wealth).
| Some very poor people are homeless.“Some very poor people are homeless.” |
- Pour means “pour” (to pour liquid).
| Can you pour me a glass of milk, please?“Can you pour me a glass of milk, please?” |
Red – Read
- Red means “red” (the color).
| Red is my favorite color.“Red is my favorite color.” |
- Read means “read” (past tense of read).
| Last night I read for two hours before going to bed.“Last night I read for two hours before going to bed.” |
Roll – Role
| The children like to roll down the hill on a snowy day.“The children like to roll down the hill on a snowy day.” |
- Role means “role” (like in a play).
| Her role in the play is a crazy, old lady.“Her role in the play is a crazy, old lady.” |
Right – Write
- Right means “right” (correct).
| You are right. I am wrong.“You are right. I am wrong.” |
| Please write your name here.“Please write your name here.” |
Stair – Stare
- Stair means “stair” (like a staircase).
| Be careful when you walk down these stairs.“Be careful when you walk down these stairs.” |
- Stare means “to stare” (to look fixedly).
| They were angry, so they just stared at each other."They were angry, so they just stared at |
