200 Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs (F - L)

A List of Easily Confused Words

getty_hoarse_horse-106908015.jpg
A hoarse horse. (Arctic-Images/Getty Images)
By
Richard Nordquist
Richard Nordquist
English and Rhetoric Professor
  • Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
  • M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
  • B.A., English, State University of New York
Dr. Richard Nordquist is professor emeritus of rhetoric and English at Georgia Southern University and the author of several university-level grammar and composition textbooks.
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Updated on November 04, 2019

Homonyms, homophones, and homographs are words that are easily confused because they look alike or sound alike (or both) but have different meanings. These charts--which list some of the most common homonyms, homophones, and homographs--should help you recognize the differences between many commonly confused words.

Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs (F - L)

fair - pleasing, impartial fair - gathering, exhibition fare - fee for transportation
find - locate fined - charged (past tense of fine)
fir - a pine tree fur - a coat or covering
flea - insect flee - to escape
flour - milled wheat flower - plant
for - (preposition) fore - front, forward four - the number 4
foreword - preface forward - related to direction
grate - to irritate grate - a frame great - large, superior
groan - moan grown - matured
hall - auditorium, dormitory haul - to carry
hear - listen here - this place
higher - taller, more advanced hire - to employ
hoarse - rough sounding horse - the animal
its - (possessive pronoun) it's - it is
jam - to force or block jam - jelly jamb - part of a door or window
know - to understand no - negative
lead - the metal lead - to direct led - past tense of lead (directed)
lessen - to decrease lesson - an example or unit of instruction
lie - to recline lie - tell an untruth lye - used in making soap
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Your Citation
Nordquist, Richard. "200 Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs (F - L)." ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/homonyms-homophones-and-homographs-f-l-1692662. Nordquist, Richard. (2021, February 16). 200 Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs (F - L). Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/homonyms-homophones-and-homographs-f-l-1692662 Nordquist, Richard. "200 Homonyms, Homophones, and Homographs (F - L)." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/homonyms-homophones-and-homographs-f-l-1692662 (accessed March 23, 2023).
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