Attack of the Homophone

You all know I’m a fan fiction addict, I don’t hide this fact. What you might not know is that I’m somewhat of a grammar and spelling nazi – I often forgo proper grammar on the blog, in tweets and comments, and sometimes even in e-mails and texts in order to preserve a more natural “voice,” because I write the way I speak and I do not always speak correctly; so much is contextual and appropriate in terms of colloquialisms and whatnot. However, I hold writing – like, “real” writing, as in books and fan fiction – to a higher standard, insofar as I expect grammar, spelling, and word usage to be proper. As a result, I am being driven crazy by misused homophones.

My readers are all intelligent and many of you are writers yourselves, so I’m sure you all know what constitutes a homophone, but just in case I have any lurkers who don’t: homophones are words that sound the same and have different meanings and are spelled differently. Your spell-check won’t catch these if you get them mixed up, because the word that sounds like the one you actually mean to use is a real word – spell-check fails to take into account the context of your usage.


The top five that make me insane when I’m reading my stories (feel free to send a link of this post to any authors you find making these mistakes):

Pour/pore – the misuse: “He poured over the book.” You really shouldn’t do that to a book, it will ruin the pages. Pour: to send (a liquid, fluid, or anything in loose particles) flowing or falling, as from one container to another, or into, over, or on something (from dictionary.com) / Pore: to study intently.

Taught/taut – the misuse: “The skin on Edward’s knuckles was taught.” What was it taught? French, I hope. Taught: the past tense of “to teach” / Taut: stretched tightly.

Bear/bare – the misuse: “I would bare the pain.” “I couldn’t bare it.” Gee, that’s going to make hot sex with Edward pretty tough. Bear (verb): to shoulder or otherwise assume the weight of something / Bare: nekkid.
Peek/peak/pique – so many misuses: “He brought me to my peek again and again.” “My curiosity was peeked.” “My curiosity was peaked.” “His erection peaked out from under the sheets.” Gosh, that’s too bad – but don’t worry, Edward, it happens to every guy from time to time. Peek: a quick or secret look / Peak: the summit / Pique: to arouse an emotion or action.

Right/rite (also wright and write, but those are not as misused) – the misuse: “It was a right of passage.” No, it wasn’t. Right: correct, or a law-given allowance / Rite: a ritual or ceremony.



I feel so much better just getting these off my chest. Recently, I was reading a story where muscles and skin and jaws were being “taught” all over the place. Then, out of nowhere, the author used “taut,” correctly, and I rejoiced! Soon after, she was back to “taught,” and I was losing my mind again.
Is this a pet peeve of yours? Have you noticed any that haven’t made my top five offenders?
Bear them awl inn the comments and I will pour over them later…