1. ate – eight [eɪt]
Bruce ate carrots for lunch.
There were eight girls here for the meeting.
2. bare – bear [beə]
The table was bare.
Mr. Thompson shot a bear.
3. beach – beech [biːtʃ]
We played on the beach before we went swimming.
We had our picnic under the beech tree.
4. be – bee [biː]
Can you be home by two o’clock?
The bee stung Robert’s finger.
5. blew – blue [bluː]
The wind blew the door open.
The color of the sky is blue.
6. buy – by [baɪ]
Did you buy milk at the store?
We walked slowly by the bakery.
7. cent – sent – scent [sent]
I spent my last cent for a new book.
Mom sent Jack to the store. Do you like the scent of roses?
8. dear – deer [dɪə]
I wrote to one of my dear friends.
A baby deer is called a fawn.
9. fair – fare [fer /feə]
It was a fair day when Jim started his trip.
Jim paid his own fare on the train.
10. grate – great [greɪt]
The grate in the stove is broken.
Mary looked at the spire on the great church.
11. hare – hair [her /heə]
The hare hopped into the forest.
John stood in front of the mirror to comb his hair.
12. hear – here [hɪr /hɪə]
Did you hear the canary singing?
Your book is here on the table.
13. heard – herd [hɜrd /hɜːd]
I heard the chatter of a squirrel.
There is a herd of buffalo in this park.
14. hole – whole [həʊl]
I have a hole in my pocket.
The whole family went to the fair.
15. its – it’s [ɪts]
The snake shed its skin.
It’s raining while the sun is shining.
16. knew – new [nuː /njuː]
I knew how to work the math problem.
Jane bought a new book yesterday.
17. knot – not [nɑt /nɒt]
I tied a knot in my rope.
I’m not going to the show today.
18. know – no [nəʊ]
Does anyone know where the pencils are?
There are no pencils in the box.
19. one – won [wʌn]
Jack and Sue played one game of chess.
Who won the game?
20. sea – see [sɪː]
Have you ever been for a sail on the sea?
I can see the snow – covered mountain.
21. some – sum [sʌm]
There are some visitors in our class.
The sum is found by adding numbers.
22. son – sun [sʌn]
Mr. Rogers bought his son a new shirt.
The sun is shining brightly today.
23. stair – stare [ster /steə]
A board in the stair is broken.
Don’t sit and stare into space!
24. tail – tale [teɪl]
Lou’s dog has a short, stubby tail.
I read a tale about American Indians.
25. their – there [ðer /ðə /ðeə(r) ]
Their house is made of lumber.
Our house is there on the corner.
26. threw – through [θruː /θrəʊ ]
Alice threw the basketball.
Did the ball go through the hoop?
27. to – too – two [tuː]
Joe went to the library.
He brought home too many books.
John went to the library, too.
John brought two books home.
28. weak – week [wɪːk]
You often feel weak after an illness.
Betty has been sick for a week.
29. who’s – whose [huːz]
Who’s going to the library?
Whose book is this?
30. your – you’re [jɔr ,jʊr /jɔː ,jʊə]
Don’t forget your book.
You’re going to the library, aren’t you?
