There are literally hundreds of homophones in the English language, and they come from every industry’s vocabulary. They can be confusing, and we sometimes find ourselves wondering which is the right spelling. When this happens, the wise thing to do is to stop transcribing and look in a dictionary. If you do not have a current dictionary, get one. Every desk should have at least one English and one medical dictionary. Don’t count on your grammar or spell checker to bail you out because the misused but correctly spelled homophone will be accepted by them.

The following homophones, though simple to read, are often misused. Consider which ones cause you to stumble.

their: possessive form of they. Remember that it belongs to people.
Their home is located in a cul-de-sac.
there: that place; that stage; that matter
There seems to be a mistake on this bill.

to: a preposition; usually followed by a noun
He went to the clinic.
too: also; excessively; extremely
She wants to visit too.
two: the number 2
The two boys went fishing.

Simplistic? Perhaps, but you’d be amazed at how often these words are misused. And how about words that, when separated by a space, have a completely different meaning: a maze and amaze. This is a subject for another time.

medal: a flat piece of metal that has been stamped with something
He wears a religious medal on a chain around his neck.
meddle: to intrude or interfere
No one cares to have an outsider meddle in his/her affairs.

metal: an element from which medals are made
His medal is stamped on metal.
mettle: courage
His mettle was demonstrated many times during his tour of duty.

It is easy to see how these last four words could be confused. If not carefully articulated, they may be easily misunderstood.

Homophones do not always begin with the same letter of the alphabet.

cite: to quote or give as an example
It is appropriate to cite the author when quoting something s/he has written.
-cyte: cell; it is a suffix used in medical terminology
The leukocyte count was within normal limits.
site: a place or setting
The land where the library once stood would be a perfect site for the new gymnasium.
sight: 1. what we see; 2. something to be seen
Evening sunset over the Pacific Ocean is a spectacular sight.

knight: a man belonging to a brotherhood or order; a medieval tenant
He was a knight in the queen’s Court of Honor.
night: the period between sunset and sunrise
She is the most productive when she works during the night.

Some homophones are found in places you never thought to look.

Phenex: a type of nutritional therapy
A formula of Phenex was prescribed for the baby with PKU.
Phoenix: the capital city of Arizona
Phoenix is a beautiful city to visit.
phoenix: a bird in Egyptian mythology that became extinct by fire and years later rose from the ashes
The bankrupt business rose from destruction like a phoenix.

And some are found in abbreviations.
PSI: abbreviation: 1. psychosomatic inventory; 2. pounds per square inch
He was instructed to include the PSI in his bid.
psi: the 23rd letter of the Greek alphabet
The Greek alphabet includes letters such as gamma, alpha, psi, and omega.
sigh: an audible inspiration and expiration, usually because of some emotion
I heard your deep sigh from my seat across the room.

These are but a very few examples of homophones. If your curiosity is piqued and you would like to see a few more of examples of why the English language is confusing, check out English Homophone Dictionary - it provides hundreds more homophones for your reading pleasure.

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