Sound cannot decide it: homophones
The Short Answer
Homophones sound exactly the same and mean different things, so hearing the word tells your child nothing about how to spell it. The only way through is meaning: say what the word means in this sentence before writing anything. A small number of pairs come up repeatedly, and knowing those cold removes most of the difficulty.
What is a homophone question?
Two words that sound exactly alike and are spelled differently. Its and it's. There, their and they're. Accept and except.
Your child is asked to choose the right one, usually inside a sentence.
Why the ear is the wrong tool
For most spelling, sounding a word out is a sensible first move. Here it is useless, because both options sound identical — that is what makes them homophones.
So the instruction we teach is a stop sign: if another word sounds the same, stop, and say what this one means before you write anything.
That pause is the whole technique. Children who write first and check afterwards have already committed to whichever spelling their hand produces most often.
Can you show me a worked example?
The pairs worth knowing cold
Seven pairs and trios cover most of what appears:
- its / it's
- there / their / they're
- to / too / two
- your / you're
- accept / except
- affect / effect
- practice / practise
Learn them one at a time rather than as a list. Several confusable pairs met in one sitting tend to blur into each other, and a half-learnt pair is worse than an unlearnt one because it produces confident errors.
Where do pupils lose marks?
Writing by habit and never pausing at the homophone.
Learning a half-rule. Their is for people works until the thing possessed is not a person or an object — the team lost their nerve — and then it quietly fails.
Checking by sound after writing, which confirms whatever was written, since both spellings sound correct.
Try it yourself
Choose the correct spelling, and say why in terms of meaning rather than sound.
- The dog wagged (its / it's) tail.
- (There / Their / They're) coats were soaking.
- The team lost (there / their / they're) nerve in the second half.
- She was (to / too / two) tired to argue.
- The council will (accept / except) the plans.
- its. The tail belongs to the dog, and its shows belonging. Test it by expanding: 'the dog wagged it is tail' is nonsense, so the apostrophe version is wrong.
- Their. The coats belong to them. They're expands to they are, which does not work, and there is about place.
- their. Belonging again — the nerve is theirs. This one catches children who have learnt 'their is for people' and stop there, since the thing being possessed is not a physical object.
- too. This too means excessively. To is direction and two is the number, and expanding does not help here — only meaning does.
- accept. Accept means agree to; except means apart from. Reading the sentence with 'apart from the plans' makes the error audible, which is the check worth teaching.
How much practice does this type need at home?
Very little formal practice, and one habit worth adopting permanently: when you spot a homophone error in your child's writing, do not correct it — ask what the word means in that sentence.
Nine times out of ten they fix it themselves, and the fixing is what lasts. Being handed the right spelling teaches one word; working out which meaning was wanted teaches the method for all of them.
Free: an English workbook
Questions across the English question types, with the method printed at the top and full answers at the back. One workbook for the whole strand, not a sheet per question type.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't my child just sound it out?
Because the two words sound identical — that is the definition of a homophone. Sounding out is a good strategy for most spelling and it is exactly the wrong one here, which is why our routine stops at homophones rather than continuing. The instruction is: if another word sounds the same, stop and say what this one means before writing anything.
What is the reliable test for its and it's?
Expand it. Read the sentence with 'it is' in place of the word. 'The dog wagged it is tail' is nonsense, so the answer is its, with no apostrophe. 'It is going to rain' works, so that one takes the apostrophe. The expansion test never fails and takes a second, which makes it far more reliable than remembering which way round the rule goes.
Which pairs come up most?
Its and it's, there and their and they're, to and too and two, your and you're, accept and except, affect and effect, practice and practise. Those seven cover a great deal of what appears. It is worth going through them one at a time rather than all at once, because learning several confusable pairs in one sitting tends to blur them together.
How do we practise without it becoming a spelling test?
Use writing your child is already doing. When you spot a homophone in their work, do not correct it — ask what the word means in that sentence. Nine times in ten they will fix it themselves, and the fixing is what sticks. Being told the right spelling teaches the word; working out which meaning was wanted teaches the method.
Sources
- GL Assessment — 11+ familiarisation materials and question type descriptions Published 2025.
- Clever Clogs Academy — our own Year 4 and Year 5 lesson records, Winslow Published September 2025 to July 2026.
We are not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to GL Assessment or Buckinghamshire Council. Test arrangements change; always check the council's own pages for the current year's dates.
We Teach This Method Every Week in Winslow
Groups of no more than six pupils with two qualified teachers, in person or online. Come and see a session before you decide.