Common Homophones Cheat Sheet (PDF)

Six sets of words that sound the same but are spelled differently — the ones that turn up most in children's writing.

What’s inside

• there / their / they're, to / too / two, your / you're.
• its / it's, here / hear, for / four.
• Each set with a short meaning and an example (put it there, their book, they're happy).

Every word in this PDF (22)

Handy for checking the list fits your child before printing, or for making your own games.

put, there, their, book, they're, happy, school, too, two, dogs, coat, you're, late, its, tail, it's, come, here, hear, you, gift, four

How to use it

1. Work on one set per week.
2. Read the meanings and example phrases together.
3. Dictate a short sentence using the set and check which spelling was chosen.
4. Keep the sheet by the writing space for self-checking.

Watch out for

• Their / there / they're is the most common mix-up in children's writing — work on it last, once the easier pairs are solid.
• Its (no apostrophe) means owns; it's means it is. Try reading "it is" in the sentence to check.
• Homophones are a spelling issue, not a reading one — a child can read them all correctly and still mix them up when writing.

Who it’s for

Ages 7–10, when writing independently.

Where it fits: Stage 5 — Vowel Teams & Tricky Words

Goes well with

• Tricky Words List (Free PDF): Phase 2 to 5 Words