Homophones are words that sound identical but are spelled differently and mean different things, and the 11-plus tests them relentlessly. In a GL Assessment English paper they surface in the short spelling and grammar sections as "select-the-error" questions, in cloze passages where you must pick the right form, and again in your own writing, where a stray there for their quietly loses marks. This guide gathers the twenty-plus confusables examiners reach for most often, gives each a plain memory trick, and shows you how to keep them straight when the clock is ticking. Every trick here is designed to survive exam pressure, when your brain wants to write whatever sounds right and move on.
Why homophones matter so much in the 11-plus
Because GL papers are multiple-choice and tightly timed, homophone questions are quick marks the confident child banks and the rushed child drops. They appear in three predictable places. First, in the spelling section, where you spot which underlined word is wrong. Second, in cloze and sentence-completion tasks, where you choose the correct form from options such as its / it's. Third, in continuous or creative writing, where accurate SPaG (spelling, punctuation and grammar) is one of the marking criteria. A child who knows their homophones cold saves seconds on every one of these, and those seconds add up across a 50-minute paper. It also protects the writing score, since examiners notice the difference between a genuine slip and a pupil who simply does not know the rule.
The big three: there, their, they're
These cause more errors than any other trio, so lock them down first.
- there = a place. It hides the word here inside it, and here is also a place. "Put it over there."
- their = belonging to them. It contains heir - an heir inherits something, so their shows possession. "Their books are new."
- they're = they are. The apostrophe is a missing letter. If you can swap in "they are" and the sentence still works, it's they're. "They're late again."
Exam trap: sentences that use two or three of them together, such as "They're leaving their coats over there." Read each one, test it, then move on.
Its versus it's - the one adults get wrong too
This pair breaks the usual apostrophe rule and catches everyone, so it earns its own section. It's always means it is or it has - the apostrophe stands for a dropped letter. Its shows possession, like his and hers, which also have no apostrophe. The test is simple: read the sentence with "it is" in place. If it makes sense, write it's; if it sounds silly, write its. "The dog wagged its tail" - "the dog wagged it is tail" is nonsense, so no apostrophe. If apostrophes generally trip you up, our full guide on mastering apostrophes for the 11-plus walks through contractions and possession in detail.
Practice versus practise, and other -ice / -ise pairs
British English distinguishes the noun from the verb by a single letter, and the 11-plus loves it. Practice with a c is the noun (a thing); practise with an s is the verb (an action). The memory hook: ice is a noun, and so is practice. The same pattern governs advice (noun) versus advise (verb) and licence (noun) versus license (verb). You can hear the difference in advice/advise, which trains your ear for the silent practice/practise pair. Note that American spelling collapses these, so trust British conventions on the real paper.
The most-tested homophones, with a memory trick each
Here is a reference bank of the confusables examiners return to. Read it aloud, then cover the tricks and quiz yourself.
| Confusable pair | Which is which | Memory trick |
|---|---|---|
| your / you're | your = belonging to you; you're = you are | Apostrophe = missing "a" in "are" |
| to / too / two | too = also/excessive; two = the number; to = everything else | too has an extra "o", like too much |
| where / wear / were | where = place; wear = clothes; were = past of "are" | where hides here (a place) |
| hear / here | hear = listen; here = place | you hear with your ear |
| brake / break | brake = stop a bike; break = smash or a pause | a brake makes you late (it slows you) |
| peace / piece | peace = calm; piece = a bit | a piece of pie |
| whose / who's | whose = belonging; who's = who is | who's = apostrophe for missing "i" |
| affect / effect | affect = verb (to change); effect = noun (a result) | Affect is Action; Effect is the End result |
| stationary / stationery | stationary = still; stationery = paper/pens | stationEry = Envelopes and pEns |
| allowed / aloud | allowed = permitted; aloud = out loud | aloud rhymes with loud |
| past / passed | passed = verb (went by); past = time or position | passed comes from the verb "to pass" |
| bare / bear | bare = uncovered; bear = the animal or to carry | a bear has ears - bEAR |
Add these quick pairs to your revision cards too: weather / whether, principal / principle (the principal is your pal), compliment / complement, desert / dessert (dessert has two s's because you want two helpings), threw / through, and accept / except. That gives you well over twenty of the pairs the 11-plus reuses year after year.
How homophones appear in a GL "spot the error" question
Here is a worked example in the exact style you will meet. You are asked which underlined section, if any, contains a spelling mistake.
The children were so excited that they could not here / the ice-cream van coming down there / street, and they're / mum told them to hurry.
Model answer: three homophones are misused. "here" should be hear (they listen for the van), "there" should be their (the street belongs to them), and "they're" should be their (their mum). The tell-tale skill is testing each word with its swap: can you replace it with "they are"? If not, it isn't they're. This is why the memory tricks matter - under time pressure you apply the test in a second rather than staring and guessing.
A three-step method for homophones under time pressure
- Spot the trigger. When you see any word that sounds like another - there, its, your, to - a small alarm should ring. These are never "read past" words.
- Run the swap test. Try the "long form": they are, it is, you are, who is. If the full phrase fits, the apostrophe version is right. If it doesn't, use the possessive.
- Check meaning, not sound. Because they sound identical, your ear cannot help you - only meaning can. Ask what the word is doing in the sentence: naming a place, showing ownership, or joining two words.
Practise this loop until it takes under two seconds. You can drill it on our self-marking free worksheets and inside a full timed on-site mock, which mixes homophones into realistic spelling and cloze sections so you meet them the way the real exam presents them.
Homophones in your own writing - protect those SPaG marks
In the continuous writing task, spelling and grammar accuracy is an assessed criterion, so a homophone slip costs you twice: once for the error and once for the impression of carelessness. Build a personal "danger list" of the three or four pairs you get wrong most, and spend part of your 2-3 minute proofreading window hunting specifically for them. Reading your work slowly, almost mouthing each word, catches homophone errors that silent skimming misses, because you are forced to check meaning rather than sound. Pairing this habit with stronger spelling generally - covered in our post on improving spelling for the 11-plus - lifts the whole SPaG score.
Where homophones sit in the wider English paper
Homophones are one slice of a broad English paper that also tests comprehension, vocabulary, punctuation and grammar. For the full picture of question types, timing and marking, read our complete 11-plus English guide, and to strengthen the vocabulary that underpins spelling, our post on roots, prefixes and suffixes shows how word-parts explain many tricky spellings. Remember that GL results are reported as a Standardised Age Score with a mean of 100, adjusted for your child's age in months, so a handful of easy homophone marks reclaimed can nudge a borderline score upward. When you are ready to time yourself against the clock, the revision hub pulls every English skill into one place.
Frequently asked questions
How many homophone questions are on the 11-plus?
It varies by paper, but expect several across the spelling, grammar and cloze sections, plus the ongoing risk of errors in your own writing. There is no fixed count, which is exactly why mastering the common pairs pays off - they can appear anywhere.
What is the easiest way to remember its and it's?
Read the sentence with "it is" in place of the word. If it still makes sense, write "it's" with the apostrophe. If it sounds wrong, write "its" without one. The apostrophe always signals a missing letter, never possession, for this particular word.
Do homophone mistakes really lose marks in the writing task?
Yes. Spelling and grammar accuracy is a marking criterion in continuous writing, so misusing there/their or your/you're can cost you marks and weaken the examiner's overall impression. A quick proofread aimed at your personal danger-list pairs protects those marks.