There, There (Their?): Soothing Homonym Angst
Homonyms are words that have the same spelling but different meanings or have the same pronunciation but different meanings and often different spellings. We’re going to focus on the latter.
There are scores of homonyms, and the best way to learn which spelling is correct is to memorize them. However, there are tricks to help you remember some. I learned most of these from teachers. To teachers who are reading this, please share your own tips. And thanks to Jennifer K. for this topic.
Here are some biggies:
Your/you’re: Your is a possessive pronoun, and you’re is a conjunction meaning “you are.” Refer to my blog on apostrophes in which I offer this unusually superlative guideline: Never use an apostrophe with possessive pronouns. Just as with its (possessive pronoun) and it’s (conjunction), think about what you are trying to convey before you spell the word.
Their/they’re/there: Similar to your/you’re, the these homonyms include a possessive pronoun—their—and a conjunction—they’re. What messes us up is the third word: there. A professor once told me that there is the opposite of here, so just add “t.” However, there has multiple meanings, including the ever-favorite start of a passive-voice sentence: “There are three books on the table.” In this use, there serves as pronoun for the noun that comes after the verb. (I just learned that myself!) Anyway, my advice is to ask yourself if you’re talking about something “they” own, about something “they” are, or about something generic.
Hear/here: The word hear has the word ear in it. If you’re talking about listening to something, remember your “ear.” For here, you could remember the there/here tip above, but that’s only if you remember how to spell there.
No/know: For this pair, most people can spell no. If the word you’re about to write does not mean something negative, remember that you need more letters for the thinking part of things, and a silent K is smart. That may be a lame tip, but it’s better than nothing.
New/knew: See above. Thinking involves more letters, and the silent K is smart.
Brake/break: This is a remember-the-order tip. Brake has an “a” after “br,” and break has an “e” after “br”: Brake your car to take a break.
Two/too/to: The word two refers to the number. It has a “w” in its spelling. Turn it on its side, and it looks a little like a 2. The word too means “also.” So it’s the spelling that gets the extra “o.” To is a proposition. If it’s not the number or the extra, it’s probably simply to.
Principal/principle: Repeat after me: Your principal is your pal. But principal is also an adjective meaning “most important.” And principles are fundamental or personal doctrines. I’m not sure how to help when we get into those weeds!
Conscious/conscience: These aren’t really homonyms because they are both spelled and pronounced differently, but I see them often misused. If you’re conscious, you’re awake. The word conscience, which means a moral compass, has the word science in it. Think of your morality as a science, well-thought-out and tested.
Lama/llama: I’ll never forget my folks reciting this one every time we went to a zoo: “The one-L lama, / He’s a priest. / The two-L llama, / He’s a beast. / I will bet / A silk pajama / There isn’t any / Three-L llama” (Ogden Nash).
I could go on. But please share your mnemonics, poems, or phrases to help with homonyms.
On the writing front, I’m still editing—and still hoping for some additional legalese advice, for the story, related to workplace harassment.