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What happens when a frog's car breaks down? It gets toad away. If you're like me and laughed at this joke more than you probably should have, you know that words are fun. Bruce Worden, the man behind a blog called Homophones, Weakly, also shares this opinion. Like you might have already guessed, he's into homophones (each of two or more words having the same pronunciation but different meanings, origins, or spelling). In fact, Bruce likes them so much, he's even visualizing them!
Poking fun at the English language, Bruce uses minimalistic illustrations to prove that we just have to listen. For without context we couldn't know if someone is inviting us to a sail or sale. Scroll down for the images and upvote your favorites! Also, be sure to check out our list of the 20+ 'Same' Things That Most People Don’t Know Are Actually Different, too!
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#2
Jeremie Guerra 7 years ago
That Reminds me this funny video about an Italian that went to Malta :) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAFQFvSPhQ8
#8
Michael Ernst 7 years ago
That's why the auto-pilot cars keeps crashing.. Stupid autocorrect 😀
#13
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it's ava the bus girl 7 years ago
The couple make a smile: their heads are the eyes, their hands are the mouth, and the heart is the nose!
#36
criminalgirl 7 years ago
Depends where you live. I say tomato ketchup, but not tomato catch up.
#37
Hamlets twin 7 years ago
I wonder how many people under say 25, know what the second is a picture of?
#47
The Laugh Fan 7 years ago
I do read books (pronounced like reed) and I have read books (pronounced like red)
#60
#67
Caleb Paulson 7 years ago
Y'all should see Mike and Alex towing with their toes on Ten Feet Tall.
#73
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Maxine Brew 7 years ago
Eminent, person of importance. Immanent thoughts, not good ones. Imminent, something close at hand. Emanate, to give off a force.
#77
M O'Connell 7 years ago
Wye: A balanced means of connecting 3-phase alternating current whereby each load is connected line-neutral.
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Robert Morson 7 years ago
Hmm. This is the first one that I frequently use wrong. I thought both were spelled with an A.
#91
marie elle 7 years ago
What your'e eating in a mussle is the muscle, isn't it? (She sells sea shells...)
#92
Erin Sheppard 7 years ago
Hay's for horses, grass is cheaper, dirt is free.. Buy a farm you get all three!!!
#102
Robert Morson 7 years ago
The skull is from the "Alas, poor Yorick" speech, not the "To be or not to be" speech.
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criminalgirl 7 years ago
So not a silent T at the end of Continents, or not a silent C in Continence either.
#111
Mylah Rose 7 years ago
Apart from the fact that petal is pronounced "PET"al , and peddle is pronounced "PEDD"le
#112
Sue Werner 7 years ago
Page 13/27 and the viewers are fewer. I'm upvoting the ones with 3 or more words/meanings.
#113
JD Nicolaaa 7 years ago
Oooooohhhhh! I thought it was saying ten to, o'clock, ten past! ^^' thanks for explaining!!
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Kristiana Kincaid 7 years ago
This is one that many self-published authors seem to get wrong. Continually.
#121
Michael Gray 7 years ago
Board/Bored (see #8 (committee/unamused) & #130 (plank/drilled)) -- Separated as they are the definitions are clear, but to be clever I can see how all four could be incorporated into two images with two definitions each. (yes, everybody is a critic.)
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David Ireland 7 years ago
I didn't know "Caret" was the name of that (I didn't know it had a name), and I thought diamonds and gold were the same
#127
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Sudden But Inevitable Betrayal 7 years ago
In my head vial has two syllables while vial has one, but with my twangy accent they sound alike
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Sandra Gushulak 7 years ago
Just like it's friend "moan" (#106 above), Groan looks like it's throwing up.
#137
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Michael Gray 7 years ago
Bravo. In re Led Zeppelin IV, the symbol for drummer John Bonham is as shown above.
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criminalgirl 7 years ago
Since Coupe is a french word, it's out of place as you should be pronouncing the E at the end as like = "Coupay" So nothing like Coop at all.
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Michael Gray 7 years ago
Memory: capitAl something with [greater] vAlue (capital letter, capital city); capitOl buildings might have a dOme.
#171
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Amanda Raynes 7 years ago
First the egg white and proteins within. The second is the characteristic of being soluable in water and coaguable in heat such as egg whites
#178
criminalgirl 7 years ago
So does anyone see the "th" in the middle of Clothes?? They are not silent.
#179
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Michael Gray 7 years ago
In addition to the allowance for a container's weight while measuring (above), Tare is also a vetch... aaaand going down that rabbit hole, a vetch is a plant.
#189
Michael Gray 7 years ago
Arguable. I pronounce the first as written with emphasis on both syllables: mag-nate.
#202
Sudden But Inevitable Betrayal 7 years ago
I feel like you have to already know the definitions and differences of some of those words to understand the illustration
#204
Blue Banana 7 years ago
American pronunciation only. Hostile has a long 'i' sound as in style. Same thing for missile.
#205
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Marietta Tyks 7 years ago
Confused here. Hymn pronounced like hem, like in a skirt or pants, not him.
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David Ireland 7 years ago
One has a "t" on the end of it which makes it sound different if you pronounced them properly
#246
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David Ireland 7 years ago
Ok, two completely different words here. The guy who did this is either hard of hearing or has a speech impediment
#250
Blue Banana 7 years ago
On some American films, I have heard the word halve pronounced 'haff', but that still doesn't sound like 'have'.
#251
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David Ireland 7 years ago
I think he's taking the p**s. These two words are so different, wow!
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Jenny Young 5 years ago (edited)
Great!! Love this but what about pore paw poor and pour ? sheik & shake, residence & residents, practise & practice, licence & license …..
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What do you think ?
JP 7 years ago
These should be in every grade school classroom. Maybe then we could raise a generation of people that could differentiate between Their, There and They're! Also, we need one for Your and You're!
Maurissa Hunter 7 years ago
I've seen plenty of 30+ who can't spell them right either. So pretty sure it is just confusing for everyone equally.
Load More Replies...
Mark McKean 7 years ago
Too many comments of, "That's not how you say it!" No, that may not be how *you* say it, but it's how lots of other people say it. As for regional differences, these as illustrated are all indicative of common standard US English usage. In any other English-speaking locale, YMMV.
Mylah Rose 7 years ago
I went through this whole list waiting for Wonder / Wander and it never came
Christopher Ness 1 year ago
You were wandering through this list? No wonder you didn't fins them.
Load More Replies...
ugaas wiilhoog 7 years ago
My favourite one is from the TV show "Undateable" , where the bar they went to was called black eye but some use to think they meant black guy. 😂
Simone 5 years ago
You totally forgot the most important pair of confusing words: us and a*s! Imagine: 'this was a very important moment for us'. Or 'all I can think about is us...'. Also worth remembering the famous song 'Us and them'. And so on... I wonder how an illustration by Bruce would look like!
The Laugh Fan 7 years ago
Some aren't so simple as the English and American versions aren't always pronounced the same way. Then, in the UK you get a lot of regional variations - don't know if it's the same for America or not.
Shari H 7 years ago
Absolutely the same in America, we have regional dialects and use different pronunciations within just a few miles of one another. Then there's Tangier Island...just look it up.
Load More Replies...
stellermatt 7 years ago
the reason for 'silent' letters in most cases is to clarify and make easier the written word, you wouldn't think of a pointy hatted, wart nosed woman if someone said to you 'which way are you going', but because language grew and similar sounding words would often mean different things, the spellings of them needed to become more creative.
Daria B 7 years ago
Yep! Additionally, English words had different pronunciations throughout the centuries, but the written language is slower to catch up.
Load More Replies...
Paula Hannon 7 years ago
Way too many double meaning words in the English Language it is way too confusing.
Imran Van Cann 7 years ago
If you are working with people from a French speaking country, the word "Sheet" will also get another meaning. I can not write it here though.
Alia G. 7 years ago
S**t? No, they both look and sound different. Correct me if you were thinking of something else.
Load More Replies... JP 7 years ago
These should be in every grade school classroom. Maybe then we could raise a generation of people that could differentiate between Their, There and They're! Also, we need one for Your and You're!
Maurissa Hunter 7 years ago
I've seen plenty of 30+ who can't spell them right either. So pretty sure it is just confusing for everyone equally.
Load More Replies... Mark McKean 7 years ago
Too many comments of, "That's not how you say it!" No, that may not be how *you* say it, but it's how lots of other people say it. As for regional differences, these as illustrated are all indicative of common standard US English usage. In any other English-speaking locale, YMMV.
Mylah Rose 7 years ago
I went through this whole list waiting for Wonder / Wander and it never came
Christopher Ness 1 year ago
You were wandering through this list? No wonder you didn't fins them.
Load More Replies... ugaas wiilhoog 7 years ago
My favourite one is from the TV show "Undateable" , where the bar they went to was called black eye but some use to think they meant black guy. 😂
Simone 5 years ago
You totally forgot the most important pair of confusing words: us and a*s! Imagine: 'this was a very important moment for us'. Or 'all I can think about is us...'. Also worth remembering the famous song 'Us and them'. And so on... I wonder how an illustration by Bruce would look like!
The Laugh Fan 7 years ago
Some aren't so simple as the English and American versions aren't always pronounced the same way. Then, in the UK you get a lot of regional variations - don't know if it's the same for America or not.
Shari H 7 years ago
Absolutely the same in America, we have regional dialects and use different pronunciations within just a few miles of one another. Then there's Tangier Island...just look it up.
Load More Replies... stellermatt 7 years ago
the reason for 'silent' letters in most cases is to clarify and make easier the written word, you wouldn't think of a pointy hatted, wart nosed woman if someone said to you 'which way are you going', but because language grew and similar sounding words would often mean different things, the spellings of them needed to become more creative.
Daria B 7 years ago
Yep! Additionally, English words had different pronunciations throughout the centuries, but the written language is slower to catch up.
Load More Replies... Paula Hannon 7 years ago
Way too many double meaning words in the English Language it is way too confusing.
Imran Van Cann 7 years ago
If you are working with people from a French speaking country, the word "Sheet" will also get another meaning. I can not write it here though.
Alia G. 7 years ago
S**t? No, they both look and sound different. Correct me if you were thinking of something else.
Load More Replies...
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