They’re In Their Car Over There: Never Confuse Your Homophones Again

(This post from guest contributor Alexis Bonari.)
Homophones are those words that sound the same and are often even spelled in similar ways, but mean different things. They can be frustrating to both students of English as a second language and native speakers who get hung up on trying to figure out which word to use in a certain context. The following are some common mistakes made with homophones that you can easily avoid by learning how to use each specific word.

Compliment vs. Complement

The word “compliment” is used to describe or refer to a positive comment given to a friend, as in “Rita complimented Sue on her new Mozart wig.” Something “complimentary” is given as a bonus, nicety or extra feature, as in “The hotel offered a complimentary breakfast.” When you use the word “complement,” you should be describing something that completes something else. For example, you might say, “This white wine really complements the seafood dinner.” An easy way to remember this is to think of “complete” when you say “complement” because both words use “e” as their second vowels.

Principal vs. Principle

“Principal” often refers to rank of importance, as in “principal request,” and can also be used to mean the head of a school or a sum of money. “Principles” often refer to a person’s rules of action or conduct, as in “He was a man of good principles.”

Their vs. There

The word “their” is possessive and indicates ownership. For example, you could say that “Fred is their pet octopus.” When using “there,” you should be talking about a place or location, as in “The Earwax Museum is over there.”

Peace vs. Piece

A frequent mistake made with these homophones is “piece of mind.” You can give someone a piece of your mind, but peace of mind is entirely different. “Piece” indicates a part of something else, as in “a piece of pie,” but “peace” is strictly a state of harmony or absence of war.

Stationary vs. Stationery

The word “stationery” only refers to paper used for writing notes or letters, as well as writing materials like envelopes and pens. It should never be used instead of the word “stationary,” which refers to a state of stillness or lack of movement.

Affect vs. Effect

When you use the word “affect,” you should be using it primarily as a verb. It is used to describe an action performed on something, as in “The incessant snoring negatively affected his marriage.” Only disciplines like psychology and psychiatry use the word “affect” as a noun, so you probably don’t have to worry about it. An “effect” is primarily some change, result or consequence of an action, as in “She never paid attention to the list of side effects.” This word also describes phenomena like “the Doppler effect.” It can be used in its verb form to mean instigate, bring about or cause, as in “The new crocodile pond in the front yard effected a change in foot traffic.”

Contractions

If you’re ever in doubt about a homophone, think about what you’re trying to say. If you use a contraction, remember that it’s a combination of two words and that the apostrophe signifies a missing letter. Confused about “your” vs. “you’re”? The latter is a contraction and means “you are,” while the former is possessive. If you stop to think about the meaning of contractions, you can avoid many homophone mistakes.

Bio: Alexis Bonari is a freelance writer and blog junkie. She often can be found blogging about general education issues and college scholarships. In her spare time, she enjoys square-foot gardening, swimming, and avoiding her laptop.