In the last post, we talked about homonyms – words that are spelled and pronounced the same, but which have different meanings. Today’s exercise is on homophones – words that are pronounced the same way, but are spelled differently. In this exercise we’ll look at some of the homophones that can cause confusion.

laps/lapse

Here’s an example of a word pair that differs by only one letter. Laps is the plural of lap, which is the term for a length or distance, often used as a measurement in an athletic exercise or sporting competition. A lapse is a cessation, or stopping, of some activity that had been ongoing.

Example: While I was sick, I let my training regimen lapse for a few weeks, but now I’m back to swimming 20 laps every morning.

heroin/heroine

Here’s another example where a single letter makes a world of difference. Heroin is a highly addictive illegal drug that is produced from opium poppies. Amazingly, it was marketed and sold by the Bayer pharmaceutical company as a cough suppressant in the early 1900s. Heroine is the female form of the word hero, meaning a champion, someone of great courage and strength. The heroine or hero of a story is usually the central character, one who triumphs in the end.

Example: That actress became famous as the heroine in a long-running television series, but after she started using heroin, she was unable to get any other acting roles.

assistants/assistance

Technically, there’s a difference in the pronunciation of these words, as the “ts” sound at the end of assistants should be distinguished from the “s” sound at the end of assistance, but as a general rule most English speakers will pronounce these words in the same way. Assistants are helpers; assistance is the help they give.

Example: Even with these three assistants, I still need more assistance with the wedding preparations.

stationary/stationery

This word pair is one that even native English speakers have to think about before remembering the correct spelling. Stationary means immobile, not moving, or staying in one place. The second word might not be as commonly used any more, in this day of e-mails and text messages – stationery is paper used for writing letters or other correspondence. Many stores still sell stationery sets of colored and/or decorated paper boxed up with matching envelopes.

Example: While the train was stationary, I took the opportunity to write a short thank-you note on the stationery that my grandmother gave me for Christmas.

We encourage you to take every opportunity to study vocabulary and to practice by making up sentences using words you’ve learned. Plain paper will do – you don’t need to use your fancy stationery for your vocabulary review.