Appendix:English dialect-independent homophones

Homophones are words that have the same sound but different meanings (and may or may not have different spellings). This list consists exclusively of homophones that have a different spelling.

This is a general list of sets of words which are homophonous in all or most dialects of English. It is difficult to prepare an accurate list as some traditional dialects, particularly in the British Isles, conserve or conserved until recently features that are long-lost elsewhere. It can be argued that two words are not fully homophonous in all dialects until the last speaker aware in perception of the original distinction dies, whether or not they continue to make the distinction in production throughout their life. For other sets of homophones see the List of dialect-dependent homophones.

General homophone list
The following homophones are grouped by the lexical set of the vowel with primary stress and by rhyming sounds.

FACE

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * Note:
 * Not all of these are homophones in dialects which lack the long mid mergers or distinguish wait from weight.


 * Sound:
 * flay/fley
 * hay/he/hey
 * jay/J
 * kay/K
 * lay/lei
 * nay/neigh/née
 * pray/prey
 * ray/re
 * sleigh/slay
 * tray/trey
 * way/weigh
 * toupee/to-pay


 * Sound:
 * ade/aid/aide
 * braid/brayed
 * grade/(grayed/greyed)
 * lade/laid
 * maid/made
 * raid/rayed
 * spade/spayed
 * trade/trayed
 * wade/wayed/weighed


 * Sound:
 * brake/break
 * stake/steak


 * Sound:
 * ale/ail
 * bale/bail
 * gale/Gail/Gayle
 * hale/hail
 * male/mail
 * pale/pail
 * sale/sail
 * tale/tail
 * vale/vail/veil
 * wale/wail/whale
 * Wales/wales/wails/whales


 * Sound:
 * brain/brane
 * fain/fane/feign
 * lain/lane
 * main/mane/mein/Maine
 * pain/pane
 * plain/plane
 * rain/reign/rein
 * vain/vane/vein


 * Sound:
 * faint/feint


 * Sound:
 * bass/base
 * place/plaice


 * Sound:
 * waste/waist


 * Sound:
 * acclimation/acclamation


 * Sound:
 * bait/bate (ˈbAt)
 * gait/gate (ˈgAt)
 * great/grate
 * plate/plait
 * strait/straight
 * wait/weight


 * Sound:
 * naval/navel
 * wave/waive
 * waver/waiver


 * Sound:
 * days/daze
 * faze/phase
 * frays/phrase
 * gaze/gays
 * graze/(grays/greys)
 * haze/(hay's/hays)/hayes/heighs/heys
 * lais/lase/lays/laze/(leas/leys)/leis
 * maize/maze/Mays/May's
 * praise/prays/preys
 * raise/raze/rays/Ray's
 * sleighs/slays

SQUARE

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * aerial/areal/Ariel
 * heir/air/ere/err/ayre/are/Ayr/eˈer/eyre
 * heirs/airs/errs
 * bare/bear
 * fair/fare
 * flair/flare
 * hair/hare
 * pair/pear/pare
 * stair/stare
 * tear/tare
 * there/their/they're
 * theirs/there's
 * wear/ware/weir


 * See also
 * Mary-merry-marry merger

FLEECE

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * Sound:
 * be/bee/[B]
 * (dee/[D])
 * (ee/[E])
 * flee/flea
 * (gee/[G])
 * cay/key/(quay/quai)
 * me/mi
 * [si]/see/sea/cee[C]
 * pea/pee/[P]
 * tee/tea/ti/[T]
 * the/thee
 * (vee/[V])
 * we/wee


 * Sound:
 * beach/beech
 * breach/breech
 * leach/leech


 * Sound:
 * accede/exceed
 * cede/seed
 * heed/he'd
 * meed/mead
 * knead/kneed/need
 * read/reed/rede
 * weed/we'd


 * Sound:
 * creak/creek
 * leak/leek
 * peak/peek/pique
 * sheik/sheikh/chic
 * weak/week
 * wreak/reek


 * Sound:
 * heal/heel/he'll
 * peal/peel
 * real/reel
 * seal/seel/ceil
 * sealing/ceiling
 * steal/steel
 * weal/we'll
 * wheal/wheel
 * weald/wield


 * Sound:
 * cream/creme
 * deem/deme
 * seam/seem
 * semen/seamen
 * teem/team


 * Sound:
 * dean/dene
 * jean/gene/Jean/Gene
 * jeans/genes/Jean's/Gene's
 * lien/lean
 * mean/mien
 * scene/seen


 * Sound:
 * cheap/cheep


 * Sound:
 * grease/Greece
 * piece/peace


 * Sound:
 * beat/beet
 * discrete/discreet
 * feat/feet
 * meat/meet/mete
 * peat/Pete
 * sweet/suite


 * Sound:
 * bees/B's
 * ease/E's
 * frees/freeze/frieze
 * pleas/please
 * sees/seas/seize/cees/ces/cs/psis/sis/szis/C's
 * teas/tees/tease/[T's]


 * Sound:
 * weave/we've
 * eave/eve/Eve
 * eaves/eves/Eve's

NEAR

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * eerie/eery/Erie/aerie/aery/eyry/eyrie
 * dear/deer
 * hear/here
 * peer/pier
 * sear/seer/sere
 * shear/sheer
 * tear/tier
 * cereal/serial


 * See also
 * Mirror-nearer merger

CURE

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * ensure/insure
 * moor/Moore
 * pleural/plural
 * your/you’re

PRICE

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * Sound:
 * bi/buy/by/bye
 * hi/high/hie
 * die/dye
 * ay/aye/eye/I
 * lie/lye
 * pie/pi
 * rye/wry
 * sigh/psi
 * tie/Thai/tai/taille/tye/Tyigh
 * why/wye/Y


 * Sound:
 * eyed/I'd/ide
 * idyll/idle/idol
 * pride/pried
 * side/sighed
 * tide/tied


 * Sound:
 * lichen/liken


 * Sound:
 * isle/aisle/I'll
 * viol/vial/vile
 * wild/wiled


 * Sound:
 * rime/rhyme
 * time/thyme


 * Sound:
 * minor/miner
 * sign/sine
 * find/fined
 * mind/mined
 * wind/wined/wynd


 * Sound:
 * dire/dyer
 * flier/flyer
 * hire/higher
 * liar/lier/lyre
 * sire/sigher
 * tire/tier/tyre/Tyre


 * Sound:
 * (pries/prize/prise)
 * ryes/rise
 * sighs/size


 * Sound:
 * bite/bight/byte
 * knight/night
 * might/mite
 * rite/right/write/wright
 * cite/sight/site
 * recite/resight/resite
 * slight/sleight
 * wight/wite/white

GOAT

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * Note:
 * Not all of these are homophones in dialects which lack the long mid mergers.


 * Sound:
 * oh/owe/eau/eaux/haut/o/O
 * bow/beau
 * doe/dough/do
 * flow/floe
 * ho/hoe
 * lo/low
 * know/no
 * roe/row/[rho]
 * sew/so/sow/sol
 * slow/sloe
 * throw/throe
 * toe/tow


 * Sound:
 * broach/brooch


 * Sound:
 * bode/bowed
 * load/lode/lowed
 * mode/mowed
 * ode/owed
 * road/rode/rowed
 * toad/toed/towed


 * Sound:
 * yolk/yoke


 * Sound:
 * boll/bole/bowl
 * cole/coal/kohl
 * hole/whole
 * holy/holey/wholly
 * pole/poll
 * role/roll
 * sol/sole/soul/Seoul
 * tole/toll
 * bold/bowled
 * hold/holed
 * sold/souled/soled
 * told/tolled


 * Sound:
 * comb/combe
 * roam/Rome


 * Sound:
 * groan/grown
 * loan/lone
 * moan/mown
 * sone/sewn/sown
 * throne/thrown


 * Sound:
 * mote/moat
 * rote/wrote


 * Sound:
 * hose/hoes
 * knows/nose/noes/nos
 * rows/rose/roes

NORTH

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * Sound:
 * chord/cord
 * ward/warred


 * See also:
 * Non-rhotic homophones
 * Horse-hoarse merger

FORCE

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * Sound:
 * boar/bore/Boer
 * core/corps
 * fore/four
 * oar/ore/o'er
 * pore/pour
 * soar/sore


 * Sound:
 * board/bored
 * gourd/gored
 * hoard/horde/whored
 * soared/sword


 * Sound:
 * coarse/course


 * Sound:
 * soars/sores
 * pores/pours


 * Sound:
 * forth/fourth


 * See also:
 * Non-rhotic homophones
 * Horse-hoarse merger

CHOICE

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * roil/royal
 * boy/buoy

BATH

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * cast/caste
 * past/passed


 * See also
 * Trap-bath split

TRAP

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * Sound:
 * tacks/tax


 * Sound:
 * bach/batch
 * catch/ketch


 * Sound:
 * ad/add


 * Sound:
 * rack/wrack
 * sac/sack


 * Sound:
 * palette/pallet


 * Sound:
 * dam/damn
 * jam/jamb
 * lam/lamb


 * Sound:
 * cannon/canon
 * canvas/canvass
 * manner/manor
 * band/banned


 * Sound:
 * capital/capitol
 * rap/wrap
 * rapper/wrapper
 * rapping/wrapping
 * rapped/wrapped/rapt


 * Sound:
 * barren/baron
 * carat/karat/caret/carrot


 * Sound:
 * cache/cash


 * Sound:
 * fat/phat (
 * mat/matte/matt/Matt


 * See also
 * Trap-bath split
 * Mary-merry-marry merger

MOUTH

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * Sound:
 * bow/bough
 * chow/ciao
 * plow/plough
 * sow/sough


 * Sound:
 * aloud/allowed


 * Sound:
 * foul/fowl


 * Sound:
 * council/counsel
 * councillor/counselor


 * Sound:
 * hour/our
 * flour/flower


 * Sound:
 * coward/cowered

DRESS

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * Sound:
 * retch/wretch


 * Sound:
 * bread/bred
 * led/lead
 * medal/meddle
 * pedal/peddle
 * red/read


 * Sound:
 * reck/wreck


 * Sound:
 * ex/X


 * Sound:
 * ell/el/L
 * cell/sell
 * cellar/seller


 * Sound:
 * em/M


 * Sound:
 * concent&lt;archaic&gt;/consent
 * ascent/assent
 * en/N
 * cent/sent/scent
 * censer/censor/sensor
 * centaury/Centauri
 * descent/dissent


 * Sound:
 * step/steppe


 * Sound:
 * rest/wrest


 * Sound:
 * weather/wether/whether


 * Sound:
 * metal/mettle


 * Sound:
 * berry/bury
 * heroin/heroine


 * Sound:
 * desert/dessert


 * See also
 * Mary-merry-marry merger

STRUT

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * Sound:
 * come/cum
 * plum/plumb
 * rum/rhumb
 * some/sum
 * dum/dumb


 * Sound:
 * done/dun
 * ton/tonne/tun
 * son/sun
 * won/one/1


 * Sound:
 * rung/wrung


 * Sound:
 * currant/current


 * Sound:
 * mustard/mustered
 * muscle/mussel


 * Sound:
 * but/butt

NURSE

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * Note:
 * Not all of these are homophones in dialects which lack the fern-fir-fur merger.


 * berth/birth
 * colonel/kernel
 * earn/urn
 * fir/fur
 * per/purr
 * bird/burred
 * heard/herd
 * whirled/whorled
 * serf/surf
 * hurts/hertz

KIT

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * Sound:
 * nibble/nybble


 * Sound:
 * rigor/rigger (


 * Sound:
 * chilly/(chili/chilli)/Chile
 * build/billed
 * gorilla/(guerrilla/guerilla)


 * Sound:
 * cymbal/symbol
 * him/hymn
 * immanent/imminent
 * limb/limn


 * Sound:
 * in/inn
 * principle/principal


 * Sound:
 * links/lynx
 * ring/wring
 * sink/(sync/synch)
 * ringer/wringer


 * Sound:
 * scissel/scissile/Sicel/sisal/sisel/sissle/syssal


 * Sound:
 * its/it's
 * wit/whit

LOT

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * Sound:
 * profit/prophet


 * Sound:
 * bloc/block
 * chock/chalk
 * doc/dock
 * (loch/lough)/lock
 * nock/knock
 * roc/rock


 * Sound:
 * don/Don


 * Sound:
 * bot/bought
 * knot/not


 * Sound:
 * complement/compliment


 * See also
 * Cot caught and father-bother mergers

START

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * are/ar[R]
 * (sergeant/serjeant)/Sargent
 * bard/barred
 * bazaar/bizarre
 * (marshal/marshall)/martial/Martial
 * arc/ark
 * hart/heart


 * See also:
 * Non-rhotic homophones

THOUGHT

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * Sound:
 * all/awl
 * altar/alter (
 * ball/bawl
 * call/caul
 * hall/haul
 * mall/maul
 * bald/balled/bawled
 * pall/Paul


 * Sound:
 * fawn/faun
 * dawn/Dawn


 * Sound:
 * aureole/oriole
 * story/storey


 * Sound:
 * aught/ought
 * naught/nought
 * taught/taut


 * Sound:
 * paws/pause
 * claws/clause


 * See also
 * Cot caught and father-bother mergers
 * Non-rhotic homophones

FOOT

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * Sound:
 * wood/would

GOOSE

 * Stressed vowel:
 * Lexical set:


 * Sound:
 * blew/blue/bleu
 * cue/queue/Q
 * cues/queues/Q's
 * dew/due
 * flew/flue
 * loo/Lou
 * knew/new
 * gnu/nu
 * shoo/shoe/choux
 * slue/slew
 * sue/Sioux
 * to/too/(two/2)
 * who/whoo
 * pupil/pupal
 * yew/you/ewe/U


 * Sound:
 * crude/crewed
 * mood/mooed
 * rude/rued


 * Sound:
 * dual/duel (}})
 * yule/you'll


 * Sound:
 * toom/tomb


 * Sound:
 * troop/troupe


 * Sound:
 * bruise/brews
 * cruise/crews/cruse
 * ruse/rues
 * whose/who's
 * use/yews/ewes/U's


 * See also
 * Yod-dropping and coalescence

Notes on words

 * Phonemic transcriptions are in IPA symbols.
 * Different spellings of identical words are grouped with parentheses.
 * Symbols, numbers/letters are in brackets.
 * There is some ambiguity over homophones since there are different pronunciations of words.

Notes on inclusion

 * Contracted words are included.
 * A few double-words are included. (A word can sound like two words in sequence)
 * Plural nouns and inflected verbs are included only where not already fully covered by lemma homophones.
 * Some well known proper names (first or last) are included, although this allows endless additions.