Homophone picker

What the homophone picker does

Homophones are words that sound the same but have different spellings and meanings, like their, there and they're. Each question shows a sentence with a blank and two or three homophones as big buttons. Choose one. If it is wrong, the button turns pink and the readout shows what that word means, so the child can see why it doesn't fit and try again. When the right word is chosen, it fills the gap, the meaning of every option is listed, and a speaker button reads the finished sentence aloud. All the choices sound the same, which is the whole point.

There are five practice sets: their / there / they're, to / too / two, your / you're, its / it's, and More pairs, which covers sets like hear and here, know and no, by, buy and bye, flower and flour, and peace and piece. Mixed draws from all of them. A round is up to 10 questions, and the score counts answers that were right on the first try.

Why practicing in sentences helps

Homophones can't be told apart by sound, so spelling them correctly depends on meaning. Practicing in full sentences makes children ask what the word is doing there: showing who owns something, naming a place, or standing for two words. Seeing all the meanings side by side after each question helps fix the difference in memory.

Common mix-ups

• Using it's for belonging. Its (no apostrophe) means belonging to it; it's always means it is or it has.
• Writing your for you are. If "you are" fits the gap, the word is you're.
• Using to when you mean also or too much. "Me too" and "too hot" need two o's.
• Writing there for belonging. Their means belonging to them; there is a place or starts "there is" and "there are."
• Mixing up flour and flower, or peace and piece. A memory trick: a piece of pie.

A 10-minute routine

• Play their / there / they're. Before each choice, the child tries "they are" in the gap.
• Play your / you're with the same trick, using "you are."
• Play its / it's and try "it is" in each gap.
• Finish with half a Mixed round, reading each meaning aloud after the answer.
• Write one sentence that uses all three of their, there and they're.

Where it fits by grade

• Grades 2 and 3: common homophones such as to, too and two, and see and sea, alongside spelling patterns. In England, homophones like there, their and they're and here and hear are on the Year 2 spelling list.
• Grade 4: correctly use frequently confused words, such as to, too and two and there and their (L.4.1.g). Years 3 and 4 in England add more homophones and near-homophones.
• Grade 5: use the Mixed rounds to keep homophones accurate in longer writing.

Learning more

Homophones and apostrophes each have a free topic page on Eurekami, with a memory trick for each common set, practice questions, and a printable worksheet with an answer key. Both are on the skill map, so Daily Practice can bring them back when they start to slip.