Pairs of Words

Pairs of Words

Pairs of words sound the same in pronunciation. They have different spellings and different meanings. Well-know pairs of words are given below with their meanings, and they have been also used in sentences.

List of Pairs of Words

Word	Meaning
Accept	consider as true
My research topic has been accepted.
Except	other than
All the students except Ali are present today.
Access	gain access to
I do not have access to the prime minister.
Excess	more than is needed
The test found an excess of uric acid
Advise	recommend
Our teacher advised us to study hard for the upcoming exam.
Advice	a proposal
It was your advice that changed my life.
Affect	have an effect on
Smoking affected his health badly.
Effect	the outcome of an event
Demonstrative teaching methodology has many positive effects on students.
Alter	cause to change
You need to alter some of your behaviors.
Altar	a place of sacrifice
He sacrificed everything on the altar of fame.
Altogether	to a complete degree
I was altogether unaware of your result.
All together	all at the same time
We visited the ailing person all together.
All ready	all as a group who are ready
We are all ready to give the test.
Already	before a specified time
I have already given an idea.
Apposite	appropriateness
Ali gave an apposite answer.
Opposite	being direct across from each other
They were going in opposite directions when they asked me.
Angel	spiritual being attendant on God
Angels are heavenly beings.
Angle	the space between two intersected lines
I had drawn an angle of 45° before you told me.
Bale	a bundle
He can carry two bales of cotton.
Bail	to release an accused person for a short time
He was released on bail.
Beside	at the side of
They stood beside their father.
Besides	making an additional point
I want to learn other languages besides Urdu.
Beach	a sandy shore
We stood on the beach and enjoyed ourselves a lot.
Beech	a kind of tree
We have many beech trees in our garden.
Bare	lacking its cover
He had a glove on his right hand, but his left hand was bare.
Bear	a massive animal with long shaggy and strong claws
He was killed by a bear.
Birth	the time when one is born
I don’t know my date of birth.
Berth	a bed on a train
He always reserves the lower berth.
Ballot	a paper on which you write your vote
Fake ballot papers can be identified.
Ballet	a type of dance
I do not like Chinese ballet.
Beat	stir vigorously
The teacher beats the students in the class.
Beet	round red root vegetable
Beet is helpful in the purification of blood.
Break	become separated into pieces
The children may have broken the window panes.
Brake	anything that hinders a process
You need to check the brake of your car before you drive.
Bridle	headgear for a horse
He brought a bridle for his horse.
Bridal	relating to a wedding
She is putting on her bridal dress.
Calendar	a tabular array of the days
Consult the wall calendar to know the exact date.
Calender	to press to smooth
I have to calender my shirt.
Canon	a body of rules
I have to follow the canons.
Cannon	a large artillery gun
A cannon was fired this morning.
Cast	to put forth
The prime minister cast his vote today.
Caste	social status
Hindus have many castes.
Cattle	domesticated animals
The cattle are grazing in the field.
Kettle	a metal pot
Feeling hungry, she put the kettle on the fire.
Ceiling	the overhead surface of a covered space
If you can pay more, we will decorate the ceiling well.
Sealing	to mark with a stamp or seal as a standard exactness
The clerk was sealing the letters in his office.
Cell	any small compartment
He was locked up in the cell.
Sell	exchange for money
Ali is the boy who is going to sell his house.
Cite	make reference to
The cleric cited some verses from the Holy Quran.
Site	the location of structure
Our school is situated at a good site.
Check	to examine
I am going to check your notebooks tomorrow.
Cheque	a written order directing a bank to pay
I will give you a cheque worth Rs. 5000.
Course	a series of lessons
He gives more attention to the chemistry course.
Coarse	of low quality
Wearing coarse clothes has become his habit.
Corpse	dead body
There was a corpse floating in the river.
Corps	an army unit/ a body of people
Ali is a member of the sports corps in our school.
Coma	a state of unconsciousness
He came out of the coma
Comma	a punctuation mark used to indicate separation
A dependent clause is followed by a comma when it comes first.
Confidant	one to whom matters are confined
I just told this secret to my confidant.
Confident	having confidence
Ali is a confident boy but not a hesitated boy.
Council	an advisory group
John is a member of the Union Council.
Counsel	to give advice
We should act upon the counsel of our father.
Clock	a timepiece that shows the time
The wall clock is 10 minutes fast.
Cloak	a garment that hangs from the shoulder
She always wears a cloak.
Cue	a signal to a performer
Putting my hand on my face will be a cue for you to come.
Queue	a waiting line
You must always stand in a queue.
Dairy	a place where milk is kept
I buy milk from the dairy farm that is behind our house.
Diary	a daily record of events
You should have a diary to write every event in it.
Defer	to delay
They deferred the meeting.
Differ	to be distinct or unlike
All schools differ in discipline.
Dose	the amount of prescribed quantity of medicine
You must complete this dose to get rid of the disease.
Doze	to sleep lightly
Some students always doze in class.
Dual	consisting of two elements
I ate an egg with a dual yolk.
Duel	combat between two persons
There was a duel for the title of CR of the class.
Essay	a literary composition
I wrote an essay on Hazrat Muhammad(saw) yesterday.
Assay	to analyze
You should have assayed before buying the gold.
Eligible	qualified to be chosen
He is eligible for admission to our school.
Illegible	unable to read
He may not get better marks because his writing is illegible.
Envelop	to enclose or enfold
I have to envelop all these letters.
Envelope	a flat paper container
Could you give me an envelope, please?
Fair	a gathering of buyers and sellers at a place
A book fair was held in our school yesterday.
Fare	transport charges
Students pay half-fare on public transport.
Feet	plural of foot
My feet went asleep.
Feat	a notable deed
It was a great feat that he wrote a book in one night.
Floor	a ground surface
He sat on the bare floor.
Flour	milled wheat
A sack of flour costs Rs. 3000.
Foul	smelling bad
The medicine left a foul smell in my mouth.
Fowl	a bird of any kind
The house where we met Aslam was full of fowls.
Gate	a means of entrance
All the students enter through the main gate.
Gait	a manner of walking
He has a graceful gait.
Grate	to cause irritation
His bad manners grate me.
Great	very pleasant
He is a great person.
Hale	free from defect, disease
Ali is hale and strong at 90.
Hail	to praise
He was greatly hailed at the party.
Hare	swift mammal that has long ears, short tails, and long hind legs
I saw a hare running very fast.
Hair	a covering consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures
He plucked a white hair from his beard.
Hole	an opening into or through something
John will fix the hole in the roof.
Whole	all of something
He memorized the whole book.
Human	any living member of the family
Some diseases affect both humans and animals.
Humane	concerned with the humanities
It is his humane act that he helps the poor.
Idle	not at work
Don’t be idle because it is not appreciated.
Idol	a material effigy that is worshipped
Hindus worship idols.
Lawyer	a professional who practices law
His brother became a lawyer.
Liar	one who lies repeatedly
He told his friend a born liar.
Land	the territory occupied by a nation
We live in our native land Pakistan.
Lend	give temporarily
Could you lend me your book, please?
Lesson	a unit of instruction
Have you learned your lesson?
Lessen	to decrease
Don’t lessen your efforts.
Lose	fail to keep or maintain
I have lost my wallet.
Loose	not tight
He always wears loose clothes.
Male	characteristic of a man
There are more male than female students in our school.
Mail	letter
I send him an email daily.
Main	most important
Our school is situated on the main road.
Mane	hair on the animal’s neck
John is going to cut my horse’s mane.
Marry	take someone in marriage
He wants to marry Fatima.
Merry	full of merriment
Be merry all the time.
Meat	the flash of animals used as food
I have not eaten meat for five days.
Meet	come together
I will meet him next month.
Maze	something confused
You can use a map to help in a maze.
Maize	tall cereal grass bearing kernels
Do you grow maize in your fields?
Metal	a chemical element
Gold is the most precious metal in the world.
Mettle	courage
You have to prove your mettle on the battlefield.
Naughty	badly behaved
My younger brother is a naughty boy.
Knotty	hard to solve
He is able to solve knotty problems.
Pail	a cylindrical vessel that is open at the top
May I have a pail just for a moment?
Pale	light in color
He is pale because he has been ill for a long time.
Principal	the head of a school
Our principal is a highly qualified person.
Principle	a code of conduct
Ali is a man of principle.
Piece	a part of a whole
Could you please give him a piece of advice?
Peace	a state of tranquility
A society cannot progress without peace.
Pole	a long rod of wood or metal
He had an accident yesterday; his car bumped into an electric pole.
Poll	vote in an election
We polled early in the morning.
Pore	any small opening in the skin
Some people have more pores on their skin.
Pour	pour out
He poured the water over the flour.
Pray	to address God with supplication
He prayed for me that I might live long.
Prey	hunt for
It is very difficult to prey in a jungle.
Practice	the usual way of doing something
Practice made Ali a perfect man.
Practise	exercise repeatedly
If you want to learn math, you must practise it more and more.
Profit	a valuable return
John is offering me more profit than you.
Prophet	one who is an interpreter of the will of God
We must follow our last Prophet Hazrat Muhammad.
Quiet	calm
He was completely quiet in the meeting.
Quite	completely
Although it was quite difficult to handle the problem, he did magic.
Reign	rule as monarch
When did Queen Elizabeth reign over the UK?
Rein	a narrow strap attached at one end to a horse’s bit
I lost my rein, so I have to buy another for my horse.
Root	underground part of a plant
Some trees have very strong roots.
Route	a way from a standing point to a destination
Follow the route that goes through the forest.
Ring	a circular band of metal
I always have a ring on my ring finger.
Wring	twist something to force liquid from it
When you wring your clothes, they get dried soon.
Right	morally good or acceptable
Ali has made so many right decisions.
Write	to form (characters etc.) on a surface with an instrument like a pen
I am going to write a letter to my friend John.
Raise	to move to a higher position
When robbers entered the bank, all employees raised their hands.
Raze	to destroy
They razed all illegal constructions near the road.
Role	the part played in a particular situation
John played key roles when he was in this organization.
Roll	a list of names
All students are directed to sit by roll number in their seats.
Sale	the act of selling
Are there any good things on the sale?
Sail	to travel in a boat with sails
I have never sailed in my life; however, I want to.
Sore	aching
I have got a sore throat today.
Soar	to rise
The temperature soared to 45 degrees today.
Stationary	not moving
An example of stationary is the table in our office.
Stationery	writing and other office materials
I have to buy some stationery because I have a test today.
Sweet	pleasing, delightful
All the students in the playgroup are very sweet.
Sweat	fluid exuded through the pores of the skin
I can help him with my blood and sweat.
Story	an account of events
I have already lent the storybook.
Storey	all the rooms on the same level
There are some buildings with more than a hundred storeys.
Sack	bag
How much does a sack of flour cost in Islamabad?
Sake	for the purpose of
It is highly recommended to go abroad for the sake of knowledge.
Sea	ocean
Voyage by sea is the cheapest way of cargo.
See	to perceive by the eye
I can show you if you want to see it yourself.
Soul	the immaterial essence embodied in human being
John prayed that his father’s soul might rest in peace.
Sole	being the only one
There are some merits and demerits of a sole proprietorship.
Steal	to take the property of someone without permission
We have nothing worthy at our home to be stolen.
Steel	iron that contains carbon
Pakistan’s steel is famous all over the world based on its quality and price.
Teem	to be present in large quantity
The garden was teeming with honey bees.
Team	a number of persons associated together in an activity
Every organization should create an environment where they focus on teamwork.
Taste	to ascertain flavor by eating a little
I tasted it twice, but I did not notice that the salt was more than normal.
Test	examine someone’s knowledge
Students must be tested before being admitted to a college.
Tail	the back part of the body of an animal
He bought a horse with a long tail.
Tale	story
Have you read any fairy tales?
Their	relating to them
Better teachers always satisfy their students.
There	a location away from the speaker
Go there and observe each and every suspected thing.
Vacation	leisure time away from work
I have planned to go to Karachi in winter vacations.
Vocation	occupation
It is appreciable to find a vocation for yourself.
Vain	unproductive
I tried my best to win but in vain.
Vein	a blood vessel that carries blood
Some injections are injected in veins.
Vale	valley
The vale of Kurram is very beautiful and has geographical importance.
Veil	cloth worn by women as a covering for the head and shoulders
The veil is compulsory for women in Islam.
Wait	stay in one place and expect something
We have been waiting for them for at least two hours.
Weight	the amount that a thing weighs
If you want to lose weight, you should eat some healthy foods like almonds, bananas, etc.
Wander	to move aimlessly
We wandered here and there and just wasted our time.
Wonder	be amazed at
I wondered when someone knocked at the door at midnight.
Waist	the narrowing of the body between ribs and hips
I do not have a waist belt, so I have to buy one.
Waste	spent thoughtlessly
The most precious thing in the world is time. It must not be wasted.
Week	the period of seven days
Leave him because he has many things to do this week.
Weak	lacking bodily strength
Weak students should be encouraged so that they will start moving forward.
Weather	the atmospheric condition
There are different weather forecasting websites. Which one should I visit?
Whether	choice between alternatives
You have to handle the problem whether you want or not.