Words that sound the same

On page 8 of your book, Santoor, your teacher reads out pairs of words. Some pairs sound exactly the same, even though they are spelt differently and mean different things. Other pairs sound nearly the same, but not quite.

These pairs sound EXACTLY the same: fair and fare, sun and son, ate and eight, knot and not, hair and hare, deer and dear, heal and heel, wood and would. The k in 'knot' is silent, so 'knot' sounds just like 'not'.

These pairs sound DIFFERENT: pair and peer, knot and note, bed and bad, cold and could, fill and feel, where and were. Say them slowly and listen to the middle sound. 'Bed' has a short e, but 'bad' has a short a. 'Fill' has a short i, but 'feel' has a long ee.

Words that sound the same can still mean different things. A hare is an animal like a big rabbit, but hair grows on your head. The sun shines in the sky, but a son is someone's boy.