Homophone

Definition

Homophones are words pronounced the same but spelled differently or meaning different things, such as THEIR, THERE, and THEY'RE. They highlight the gap between sound and spelling.

Why it matters

Homophone awareness reminds you that one sound can map to several spellings, expanding candidate letters in a puzzle.

Examples

• FLOUR and FLOWER.
• PEACE and PIECE.

Best practices

• Do not assume a sound fixes the spelling.
• List homophone spellings when reasoning from sound.

Frequently asked