A homophone is a word that sounds like another word. The hitch: Spellcheck doesn’t catch homophone errors. For example, spellcheck is quite happy with, ‘Ewes but donut trust you’re spelling chequer.’

One of the most embarrassing writing errors you can make is too use a homophone. (Did you catch the boo-boo there?)

Here are some common ones to watch for:

• effect/affect: In an online survey on ‘effect/affect’ that I’ve run since 2009, a quarter of respondents have so far gotten it wrong. Tip: One is usually a noun, and one a verb. A verb is a ‘doing’ or ‘action’ word, right? So just remember that ‘a’ is for ‘action’ [verb], which makes ‘affect’ the verb. ‘Effect’ is therefore the noun. (It can also be used as a verb, as in ‘I hope to effect a change,’ but it’s uncommon.)
• practice/practise: The ‘c’ version is a noun (‘The doctor’s practice’ or ‘How was soccer practice?’). The ‘s’ version is a verb (‘I’m going to practise celibacy’). Tip: Since ‘ice’ is a noun, ‘practice’ is a noun. This will also help you work out the difference between advice/advise, device/devise, licence/license, etc. (the ‘c’ versions are nouns; the ‘s’ versions are verbs).
• its/it’s: Only use it’s when it means ‘it is’ – never for possessive. E.g., you’d say, ‘He licked the slug’s back’ (apostrophe to show the slug ‘owns’ the back), but ‘He licked its back’ (no apostrophe). ‘Its’ is the one exception to the apostrophe-possession rule.
• to/too: Use ‘too’ when you mean ‘as well’ (‘Are you dieting too?’) or excess (‘I have too many chins’). Tip: ‘too’ has an extra [or excess] ‘o’. Use ‘to’ as a preposition (‘Run to the gym’), or to show an infinitive verb (‘I want to eat donuts’).
• your/you’re: Use you’re when you mean ‘you are’ (‘You’re smarter than you look’). Use ‘your’ to show possession (‘Where’s your duck?’).

Another common mistake I see is people running words together to make one word. A sign near my home says ‘thankyou’, but it should say ‘thank you’. Ditto for ‘into’: ‘Sign into the computer’ should say ‘Sign in to the computer.’ But you’d say, ‘Step into the boat.’ (More on in to/into.)

For reference, here’s the ultimate list of homophones.

What homophone do you love to hate? What gets up your nose the most? Get it off your chest in the comments below!

Paul

P.S. You’ll love this, from The Oatmeal: 10 Words You Need to Stop Misspelling.