Get a Handle on Homophones

Today’s — or rather, tonight’s — Wise Writing Wrinkle is to get a handle on homophones. Homophones are simply words that sound the same but are written differently. They are one of the most interesting types of words because of the fact that the context in which you use them for writing matters more than in the context in which you say them in conversation.

The most common and frequently used homophone groups include:

⁃there/their/they’re ⁃your/you’re ⁃to/two/too

It makes sense, then, that these same homophone groups are the ones that most individuals struggle with in both formal and informal writing. Therefore, careful attention to homophones can help you determine when you should use one homophone over another in written work.

The best way to figure out if you have the write ahem RIGHT homophone is to use a dictionary. If the definition of the homophone you have written in a sentence does not make sense for the context of the sentence, you may either need to choose the correct homophone or change the word altogether, if possible.

As always, I’m available here on Instagram @official_proofraed, via email at helpmewrite@proofraed.biz, or through my website, http://www.proofraed.biz. I’m always happy to help shed some light on what you write!

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