Homophones
Homophones are words that are pronounced the same
but have different spellings and meanings. PRAXIS I tests
your understanding of homophones.

Some Common Homophones:

Their, They’re, and There
There is a fairly easy trick for remembering which spelling
to use.
They’re has an apostrophe which makes it a contraction:
two words combined by dropping one or more letters and
replacing it or them with an apostrophe. They’re means
there are.
There has an h, as do two other words that denote place:
here and where. This is a ‘word family’; they resemble
each other because they are related in usage. (There is
also used with the verb to be to say that something exists,
or has a place in the world.)
Their is the other spelling. It’s a possessive pronoun, as in
their house is blue.

It’s and Its
It’s has an apostrophe. It is the combination of the words
it and is.
Its is a possessive pronoun. If you we describing your cat
to someone, you might say its eyes are green.

All ready and Already
All ready means prepared, as in dinner is all ready.
Already means done in the past, as in we have already
eaten dinner.

Complement and Compliment
If something complements something else, it completes it,
or makes it better. Often jewelry complements an outfit,
and examples complement an explanation.
A compliment is an expression of approval or admiration.
When people dress up for special occasions, it is nice to
compliment them on their appearance.

All PRAXIS I preparation texts and many grammar
books have sections on homophones and other frequently
confused words.
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These two women are
related;they're mother
and daughter.
Their voices sound
exactly the same.
There are seven
people in the family,
and all the women
sound the same.
When they're
answering the
telephone, their
friends can't tell
who's there!